Where did Nick Bosa go to college? Ohio State star DE enjoying similar success with 49ers
Through five NFL seasons, San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa has been utterly dominant in the trenches, reminiscent of his time in college football with the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Joining the Buckeyes in 2016 as a highly sought-after five-star recruit, Bosa made an immediate impact as a true freshman. He earned a starting spot on the defensive line in 2017, where he went on to have his best season with the Buckeyes.
He leveraged his impressive three-year career, which included a All-Big Ten and All-America selection in 2017, into a high draft selection in the 2019 NFL Draft, where he has been similarly dominant in San Francisco. A four-time Pro-Bowler, Bosa also won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award in 2022 after his best season as a pro, leading the league with 18.5 sacks and earning first team All-Pro honors for the first time.
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Ahead of the 2023 NFL season, Bosa signed a five-year, $170 million contract extension with the 49ers, including $122.5 million guaranteed, making him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history. Bosa now gears up for his second appearance in the Super Bowl, once again tasked with stifling star Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes on the biggest stage.
Here's what you need to know about Nick Bosa's collegiate football career.
Where did Nick Bosa go to college?
Nick Bosa played for Ohio State football from 2016 to 2018, appearing in 29 games over three seasons. The Buckeyes went 36-5 during his three-year stint in Columbus, with the Buckeyes' best season, record-wise, coming in 2018: They went 13-1, won the Big Ten championship and defeated Washington in the Rose Bowl.
Nick Bosa Ohio State stats
Tackles: 77
Tackles for loss: 29
Sacks: 17.5
Fumbles forced: 2
Bosa terrorized opposing offenses as a Buckeye, accumulating 77 tackles and 29 tackles for loss to go along with 17.5 sacks.
His best statistical season came in 2017. In 15 games, he racked up 34 tackles (16 for a loss) and had 8.5 sacks, earning unanimous first-team All-Big Ten Conference honors and the Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year award.
Bosa appeared set for a similarly dominant 2018 season, accumulating in three games six tackles for loss, four sacks, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble. He undersent core surgery in September of that year, however, preemptively ending his season and college career. On Oct.16, he withdrew from Ohio State for the remainder of the season, ultimately opting to skip his senior year and declare for the 2019 NFL Draft.
Here's a year-by-year look at Bosa's three-year stint at Ohio State:
2016: 29 total tackles (seven for loss), five sacks, three quarterback hits
2017: 34 total tackles (16 for loss), 8.5 sacks, two pass breakups, nine quarterback hits, one forced fumble
2018: 14 total tackles (six for loss), four sacks, one quarterback hit, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble
When was Nick Bosa drafted?
Despite his 2018 injury, NFL scouts had seen enough from Bosa to determine he was one of the top talents available in the NFL draft. He ultimately went No. 2 overall to the 49ers, trailing only Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray, who went first overall to the Arizona Cardinals.
Curiously, Nick Bosa's went one pick earlier than older brother Joey Bosa, who was drafted third overall in the 2016 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Chargers.
More: Report: Former Ohio State DE Chase Young traded to 49ers, teams up with Nick Bosa
Nick Bosa 49ers stats
Career: 209 tackles, 72 tackles for loss, 53.5 sacks with 10 forced fumbles
2023 season: 53 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks with two forced fumbles
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Nick Bosa college: Ohio State football star's Buckeyes career, revisited
