Long now one of the older guys, ready for leadership role
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When West Virginia linebacker David Long says that all he does is football, you tend to believe him.
His actions more than show it in how he has worked his way back onto the field.
So it doesn’t come as a surprise that sitting out this past spring as he recovered from shoulder surgery took a toll on him even more mentally than it did physically as he worked his way back.
“It was long because I had just got done sitting out during the season for four games so it just really prepared me mentally,” he said.
Long has already proven a fast-healer after working his way back from a meniscus tear in the summer in order to finish the final eight games of the year. He has been plugging away in his rehab on the shoulder as well and is squarely on track to open fall camp back on the field.
“All I do is play football so any chance I can get to get out there I’d definitely take it,” he said. “It was long but I’m back now.”
The redshirt junior has gone from the young guy to the most experienced option for West Virginia at the linebacker position and will be charged with becoming a leader for the group. Albeit a different style than what his predecessor Al-Rasheed Benton did, as Long prefers to let his play do the talking.
On the field though, the time away from the game did have its benefits. It allowed him to familiarize himself even more with the defense and his responsibilities as well as those around him.
“I’m way more familiar with the defense and athletically I’m faster right now,” he said. “I’m getting stronger and trying to put some more weight on right now.”
The goal for Long is to remain healthy this season and play his role as a leader helping along a linebacker unit that will feature a number of new faces this fall. That means showcasing what to do in certain situations as well as learning how to work with his new running mates.
Last season Benton played an integral role in helping to cover up for Long’s assignments when he did what he is known for doing by shooting gaps and making plays in the backfield. This year Benton has moved on and finding somebody that can do that will be key in allowing him to continue to do what he does in such a strict gap-holding defense.
The main candidate is Dylan Tonkery, who now mans the middle, but Long won’t really have a grasp on how things will unfold in fall camp.
“New guys in different places and we have to get enough experience to gel together,” he said.
Long is hoping that he can play his role this season in helping to turn the defense around.
“I’m now one of the older guys on the defense and have to get these guys together,” he said.
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