The University of Virginia football program’s big March 7 Junior Day has yielded a verbal commitment. Langston Long, a 6’3”, 205-pound rising senior athlete prospect out of Christ School (Arden, N.C.), announced his pledge to the Hoos one day after his latest visit to Charlottesville.
“I would first like to thank God for allowing me to have the opportunities that I am privy to,” Long wrote in the tweet posted below. “I’d like to thank my family for the endless support, and all the friends and teammates that have made an impact on me along my journey. I’d like to thank every coach that has truly supported me in my athletic and academic endeavors. I’d also like to thank every school that I’ve went to being a military child. I thank all the coaches and programs that have recruited me. With that being said, I’m extremely excited and blessed to announce that I have COMMITTED to further my academic and athletic journey at the University of Virginia!!! GO HOOS!!”
10,000% COMMITTED 🔶⚔️🔷 #GoHoos #Wahoowa #TNGS@UVACoachBronco @hotohunt09 @Coach_Popp #TNGS pic.twitter.com/ceIxKSSF3A
— Langston “Lex” Long (@ll_03forever) March 9, 2020
Long, who plans to enroll in January of 2021, chose UVA over offers from Virginia Tech and Kansas, among others. He landed the scholarship opportunities from the Hokies and Jayhawks in January of this year.
Virginia has been in contact with Long as far back as the fall of 2018. Then a junior at Hylton High School (Woodbridge, VA), the promising prospect took in a game at Scott Stadium. He followed up with an unofficial visit in April of 2019.
“[Virginia] was the first power five [team] to offer and the first FBS school to reach out and invite me up,” Long said in an interview in January. “I feel like my connection there runs deep. UVA has always been good to me. They’ve been in touch, and when I got my offer, I got the offer from Coach (Shane) Hunter. He was talking to me, and he’s a really cool guy, down to earth and just keeps it 100. I appreciate that from any staff.”
In addition to Hunter and Poppinga, Long has a relationship with new Virginia defensive line coach Clint Sintim, who recruited him at Delaware.
Originally a member of the class of 2020, Long announced in July of 2019 that he was transferring from Hylton to Christ School and reclassifying to the class of 2021. He played wide receiver and strong safety his final year at Hylton in 2018 and played the same positions this past season at Christ School. Virginia’s pursuit has been led by Inside Linebackers Coach Shane Hunter and Co-Defensive Coordinator/Outside Linebackers Coach Kelly Poppinga, an indication that the staff may be pursuing Long to ultimately play linebacker.
Virginia Football’s Class of 2021
The pledge from Long boosts UVA’s class of 2021 haul to three.
– Amaad Foston, Running Back, John Milledge Academy (Milledgeville, GA)
– Langston Long, Safety/Linebacker, Christ School (Arden, N.C.)
– Jay Woolfolk, Dual-Threat Quarterback, Benedictine (Richmond, VA)
Long has the frame and versatility reminiscent of current Virginia starting inside linebacker Zane Zandier and class of 2020 recruit Sam Brady. With Hunter and Poppinga serving as main recruiters, look for the talented northern Virginia native to likely end up playing linebacker for the Hoos. We will be sure to clarify potential positions, though.
