Michigan legend Charles Woodson on if Chase Young can win the Heisman

"He absolutely has a shot," Charles Woodson said about Chase Young's Heisman campaign.

Former Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson is the only defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy, but on the morning of the Ohio State-Michigan game Saturday, he explained why he thinks Buckeyes defensive end Chase Young could become the second.

Young is undeniably one of the best players in college football this season. He’s powerful, dominant and fast, all of which should make quarterbacks terrified, and he’s been in the Heisman conversation for weeks.

He leads the nation with 16.5 sacks, three of which came last weekend in Ohio State’s win over Penn State, and could finish the season with 20, which ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit said would be “unheard of.” He also has 38 total tackles, 27 solo, and seven forced fumbles.

“I think he absolutely has a shot [to win the Heisman], and I think this thing was set up for him weeks ago when people started claiming he was the best player in the country, hands down,” Woodson, a FOX Sports analyst who won the trophy as a Michigan junior in 1997, said.

But the NCAA suspended Young for two games this season, the Buckeyes’ wins over Maryland and Rutgers, for accepting a small loan, which he repaid, reportedly so his girlfriend could travel to Pasadena to see Ohio State play in the Rose Bowl last year.

Woodson explained he isn’t entirely sure how the suspension could impact his Heisman campaign. He continued:

“When he got suspended though, I think that kind of derailed it a little bit. I think in the eyes of some voters, that will take away from him a little bit. But you think about those two games that he missed: Maryland, Rutgers.

“Look, he had three sacks last week against Penn State. We can almost safely assume that he would have had another three or four sacks a game against those particular teams, and then he would have had Penn State left and Michigan again at the end of the season.”

Suspension aside, Young’s Heisman competition is steep with LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts and Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in the mix, but he’s also up against two players on his own team in quarterback Justin Fields and running back J.K. Dobbins.

But whether or not he wins, it’s hard to deny that Young is very worthy of being a Heisman finalist this year.