St. Thomas Aquinas alum, 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa named defensive rookie of the year
It was a goal Nick Bosa set not long after the San Francisco 49ers selected him with the second overall pick in the NFL draft.
On Saturday, goal became reality.
Bosa, the stud pass rusher and Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas alumnus, is the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year, as announced at the league’s NFL Honors ceremony at Miami’s Ziff Ballet Opera House at the Adrienne Arsht Center. He’s the second Bosa to win the award, as his brother Joey won it with the San Diego Chargers in 2016.
Bosa, 22, is one game away from finishing a spectacular rookie season with a Super Bowl title as his 49ers face the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium. He recorded 47 tackles and nine sacks during the regular season and then tacking on three more sacks in the playoffs.
He overcame an ankle and hamstring injury — “stupid, nagging injuries” as Bosa called them — early in the year to turn into one of the top edge rushers in the league.
Bosa’s rise to NFL dominance began at St. Thomas Aquinas, where he racked up more than 65 tackles for loss and 24 sacks over his final three prep seasons en route to becoming the No. 8 overall prospect in the 2016 recruiting class according to the 247Sports composite rankings.
Bosa was a two-time Miami Herald first-team All-County selection as a sophomore and junior.
His success translated to his college career at Ohio State, where he was a first-team All-American and the Big Ten defensive lineman of the year as a sophomore. He played just three games as a junior before declaring for the NFL Draft and shutting himself down to deal with a core muscle injury.
And now, he’s quickly morphing into one of the top defensive linemen the NFL has to offer.
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