Ashton Youboty

CB, FS · Ohio State
Youboty is another in a long line of athletic cover cornerbacks to excel in the Buckeyes' secondary in recent years, following the likes of Shawn Springs, Antoine Winfield, Ahmed Plummer, Nate Clements and Chris Gamble. Based on his performance in 2005, he should enjoy similar success as his fellow OSU alumni at the NFL level. Youboty was born in Liberia and moved to Philadelphia when he was four years old. He moved to Texas when he was in eighth grade and attended Klein High School, where he was a standout cornerback. Youboty recorded 60 tackles with three interceptions as a senior. He averaged more than 10 yards per punt return as a junior. He also competed in track, recording a personal-best long jump of 22 feet. He finished second in the 100 and 200-meter dashes at the district track meet as a junior. Youboty enrolled at Ohio State during the 2003 Winter Quarter, participating in spring drills. He played in twelve games behind Chris Gamble as a true freshman that year, producing 14 tackles (13 solos). He started three games at weak-side cornerback and six more on the strong side as a sophomore in 2004. Youboty tied for the Big Ten Conference lead with four interceptions and also deflected fourteen passes. He ranked fifth on the squad with 61 tackles (47 solos), including a sack and three stops for losses. Youboty was awarded first-team All-Big Ten honors in 2005. He helped the team rank fifth nationally in total defense (281.33 ypg) and scoring defense (15.25 ppg) while coming up with 56 tackles (43 solos), ranking fourth on the team. He added one sack, six stops behind the line of scrimmage and a fumble recovery. He blocked a kick, intercepted one pass and deflected nine others. In 36 games at Ohio State, Youboty started 22 times. He was in on 131 tackles (103 solos) with two sacks for minus-8 yards and nine stops for losses of 22 yards. He recovered a fumble and blocked one kick while deflecting 23 passes. He gained 79 yards on five interception returns and also had a 2-yard punt return.