You decide: Ohio State football’s all-decade defensive end

The 2010s are coming to an end and we can’t help but reminisce about the memories that the decade brought with it— a national championship, four Big Ten titles, four head coaches, and some of the best to ever wear the scarlet and gray.

To wrap up the decade, we want to hear from you about who you think should comprise the Ohio State Buckeyes’ All-Decade team. From now until the end of the year, we will be going position by position and giving you the candidates so that you can decide who receives this honor more prestigious than a tree in Buckeye Grove, a pair of gold pants, or a ring so big that you have to carry a 10 pound weight in the other hand just to stay balanced.

You’ll be able to vote in the positional articles through Dec. 30 at 12 noon ET, and on Twitter for one week after the poll goes up. Keep in mind that since we are conducting part of the voting on Twitter, we are limited to just four options per position, so this is going to be tough!

Once all the votes are in for every position, we’ll reveal the final All-Decade roster on the final day of the 2010s.

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Next up: Center. Here are your candidates:

John Simon (2009-2012)

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Described by Urban Meyer as “one of the fiercest competitors I’ve been around,” John Simon was known for his leadership and toughness, especially in 2012 when the team needed it the most.

“You have to shoot (Simon) to stop him,” Meyer once said.

Simon finished his collegiate career with 154 total tackles, 42 tackles for loss, 20.5 sacks, 10 pass breakups, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and one touchdown. He has the tenth most sacks in program history and is tied for first with the most sacks in a single game (4).

As a senior in 2012, he was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year, and received first-team All-Big Ten honors. He was names a third-team All-American by the Associated Press.

Simon was drafted in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens, but now plays for the New England Patriots where he helped them win Super Bowl LIII.

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Joey Bosa (2013-2015)

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The first Bosa brother to bless Ohio State’s defense, Joey Bosa finished his career with 148 total tackles (101 of which were solo), 51 tackles for loss, 26 sacks, one interception, six pass breakups, five forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and a touchdown.

He has the fourth most career sacks and third most sacks in a single season (13.5) in program history.

In 2013, he was named a freshman All-American by the Sporting News and College Football News. For the 2014 National Championship year, Bosa was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Big Ten Lineman of the Year, a unanimous First Team All-American and All-Big Ten honoree, and a Lombardi Award Finalist for his 13.5 sacks and 55 tackles he made that year.

Bosa was drafted in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft with the third overall selection by the then-San Diego Chargers. He has been dominating in the league, earning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2016 and becoming a two-time Pro Bowler.

As for my personal favorite Joey Bosa moment?

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Nick Bosa (2016-2018)

Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Wouldn’t it be nice if every three years Ohio State replenished it’s endless supply of Bosas? If you watched Ohio State’s defense in 2016, it was like Joey Bosa never left. Nick Bosa played in all 13 games as a true freshman, recording 29 total tackles, seven of which were for a loss, including five sacks.

In 2017, the younger Bosa became the starting defensive end. He totaled 34 total tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, two pass breakups, eight quarterback hurries, and a blocked kick, earning him a unanimous First-Team All-Big Ten and Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year.

In September of 2018, Bosa underwent core muscle surgery, resulting in the end to his career at Ohio State. He finished with 77 total tackles, 29 tackles for loss, and 17.5 sacks in just two seasons and three games in 2018.

Bosa was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round with the second overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. For his rookie season, he received more Pro Bowl votes than any other defensive player in the league.

Not that this has anything to do with his ability as a defensive end, but I feel as though it should at least be considered in your voting:

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Chase Young (2017-2019)

Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports

You probably don’t need a refresher of Chase Young’s accomplishments, but I’ll give you a synopsis anyway.

• 96 total tackles (67 of which were solo), 40.5 tackles for loss, 30.5 sacks, 8 pass breakups, 9 forced fumbles
• No. 2 in program history for career sacks
• No. 1 in program history for single season sacks (16.5 and counting)
• Tied for No. 1 in program history for single game sacks (4)
• 2019 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year
• Unanimous first team All-American
• First Team All-Big Ten
• Bronko Nagurski Award, Chuck Bednarik Award, and the Ted Hendricks Award winner
• Heisman Trophy finalist
• Potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft

I can go on.

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Remember, since we are limited to four options on Twitter polls, some other great Buckeyes will get left out of some of these polls. If you want to tell us how wrong we are for leaving your favorite player out, or if you want to make your case for one of the candidates, please feel free to do so in the comments below!

Which Buckeye defensive end should be on Ohio State’s All-Decade team?