Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa is heading to the NFL.
Head coach Urban Meyer told CSN Chicago’s JJ Stankevitz that the junior is turning pro following the Buckeyes’ Jan. 1 matchup against Notre Dame.
Urban Meyer says DE Joey Bosa will turn pro after the Fiesta Bowl.
— JJ Stankevitz (@JJStankevitz) December 31, 2015
The news shouldn’t come as a surprise, as Bosa was pegged as a top-five draft pick and the best defensive lineman available. Dane Brugler of NFLDraftScout.com, writing for CBS Sports, ranked Bosa second in his latest mock draft, while RotoWorld‘s Josh Norris had him ranked No. 1 back in May, also later ranking him as the top edge rusher.
“Joey Bosa is outstanding,” Norris wrote in November. “He is explosive and presses blockers back or uses strength to shed. I bet he is a #ForcePlayer by qualifying with jumps. Do not expect a bendy, speed rusher.”
Bosa had an elite junior season in 2015, finishing fourth in the Big Ten in tackles for a loss with 16.0, while leading the category with 21.0 in 2014. In three years with the Buckeyes, he racked up 144 tackles, 26 sacks, and five forced fumbles in 37 games. He’s compiled a laundry list of accomplishments including a CFP National Championship, a Sugar Bowl Championship, two First Team All-Big Ten nods, two Smith-Brown Defensive Lineman of the Year awards and was the 2014 Nagurski-Wooden Defensive Player of the Year.
You can watch Bosa in his final college game on ESPN Friday as Ohio State faces Notre Dame from University of Phoenix Stadium at 1 p.m. ET.
