Player News - A.J. Long On WCU Roster

Player News - A.J. Long On WCU Roster

A.J. Long (Friendship Christian, TN) is on the Golden Rams 2017 roster. Long spent his first two years of high school at St Pius X in Bethlehem, throwing for 2,852 yards and 28 touchdowns as a freshman. In his sophomore season, he threw for 3,700 yards and 46 touchdowns while rushing for 931 yards and 16 touchdowns in leading the Royals to the District 11 Class A championship. He then transferred to Friendship Christian School in Lebanon, TN for his final two years of high school.

As a junior at Friendship Christian, Long threw for 2,476 yards, 37 touchdowns, and just one interception, while rushing for 669 yards and 12 touchdowns and guided the Commanders to the Class AA state championship. Scholarship offers rolled in from UCLA, Arizona, Syracuse, Ohio and UMass. He followed that up in his senior year with 1,168 yards and 15 touchdowns passing, 466 yards and 12 touchdowns rushing, and another state championship. Long graduated in December and enrolled at Syracuse for the spring 2014 semester.

As a true freshman at Syracuse, Long started five of the team's final six games of the season, completing 89 of 165 passing attempts for 935 yards and four touchdowns against eight interceptions. Although he tallied two touchdowns rushing, he ended the season with -4 yards net rushing. He was named ACC Rookie of the Week when he became the first true freshman in Syracuse history to win his first career start at Wake Forest. However, he has not played collegiate football since the end of the 2014 season.

In the middle of October of 2015, Syracuse medically disqualified Long from participating in any contact sports at Syracuse due to multiple concussions. Later that month, Syracuse granted Long his release. Six weeks later, a neurologist cleared him to play football and in early January 2016, the 6-1, 195lb signal caller enrolled at Wagner College on Staten Island. After the spring game, Long expected to vie for the starting quarterback job that upcoming fall, but a back injury during camp prevented him from seeing the field that entire season.

- 2013 DII Mr. Football Finalist
- 2013 Tennessee Sports Writers Division II-A All-State
- 2012 Tennessee Sports Writers Division II-A All-State
- 2011 Second Team MaxPreps Sophomore All-American
- 2011 First Team Associated Press Class A All-State

STAT - Sidelined by three concussions, former Syracuse quarterback still can’t get in the game

lehighvalleylive.com - Former Pius X QB AJ Long back in football, signs with Wagner after medical DQ

STAT - Disqualified after concussions, college football players recruited back onto the field

Syracuse.com - Former Syracuse QB AJ Long details concussion history after medical disqualification

cuse.com - Football Adds Four to the Program

Varsity Preps - Top Dual-Threat, Elite 11 QB AJ Long Has Five Offers

The Express-Times - AJ Long officially enrolls at Friendship Christian School in Tennessee