Ohio State Announces Veteran DE Jonathon Cooper Will Return Next Season

Ohio State v Purdue
Ohio State v Purdue / Michael Hickey/Getty Images

The Ohio State Buckeyes may be losing star defensive lineman Chase Young to the draft after this season, but coach Ryan Day can take comfort in knowing that he'll be retaining one of his veteran lineman come next fall.

Defensive end Jonathon Cooper announced he'll be redshirting this season in order to return to the team as a fifth-year senior in 2020.

Cooper was originally expected to line up opposite of Young for the duration of this campaign, giving the Buckeyes a potent one-two combination of pass- rushers off the edge, but his season thus far has been marred by injuries.

He originally missed the first four games of 2019 due to an ankle injury, then re-aggravated it later on and had to sit out up until this point. However, since Cooper's only played in three games this season, he could potentially suit up for a fourth later on while retaining his redshirt eligibility.

In three years, Cooper's accumulated 5.5 sacks and 46 tackles while serving as a team captain this year. He'll have his chance for a true breakout year next season, especially with Young out of the picture.

For now, the Buckeyes are focused on protecting their College Football Playoff berth as the No. 2 ranked team in the entire nation.