Vernon Gholston (born June 5, 1986) is a former American football defensive end. He played college football at Ohio State and was drafted sixth overall by the New York Jets in the 2008 NFL Draft. Gholston was also a member of the Chicago Bears and St. Louis Rams. Early years As a senior at Cass Technical High School, Gholston emerged as one of the top prospects in the Midwest after registering 75 tackles, including six sacks, as a linebacker and also earning an All-State selection as an offensive guard. College career Gholston attended Ohio State University, redshirting in 2005 after suffering a broken left hand in the season opener. In his freshman season he played defensive end, though recruited as a linebacker. He eventually moved up to the number 2 spot behind Mike Kudla. In 2006, he earned Second-team All-Big Ten honors from both the league's coaches and the media while starting 13 games. Gholston had 49 tackles and his 18 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, which led the team, included 7.5 quarterback sacks, which ranked second on the team. He also intercepted his first pass in the win over Bowling Green. On November 3, 2007, Gholston tied two Ohio State team records for quarterback sacks in a game when he dropped Wisconsin quarterback Tyler Donovan four times for a total loss of 32 yards. Two weeks later, he recorded three sacks against the Michigan Wolverines to lead Ohio State to its fourth consecutive win over the Wolverines. During the 2007 season, Gholston recorded 37 tackles (15.5 for a loss) and set a school record with 14 sacks in 13 games, breaking the former record of 13 sacks in a single season set in 1995 by Mike Vrabel. He was named All-America by Pro Football Weekly and was First-team All-Big Ten. During his tenure at Ohio State, Gholston started 25 games. He finished with 87 tackles (47 solo) and 30.5 stops for a loss. He also had 22.5 sacks, which ranks sixth in school history. Statistics Awards and honors National 2007 College Football All-America Team (Pro Football Weekly) Conference 2007 Big Ten Conference Defensive Lineman of the Year (coaches) 2007 All-Big Ten Conference First-team (coaches and media) 2006 All-Big Ten Conference Second-team (coaches and media) Professional career 2008 NFL Draft Gholston declared for the 2008 NFL Draft and was projected as a top 10 pick. He tied the highest