Freshman QB Ethan Long eager to compete for his dream school
Freshman quarterback Ethan Long remembers the first time he set foot in Tempe, Arizona, around seven years ago. It was then that he first thought about how cool it would be to attend Arizona State University.
“I would come down and visit my grandparents every summer with my siblings and my mom,” Long said. “My grandpa took me here- I think it was sixth grade- and I was like regardless or not if I play football this is where I want to go to school.”
The three-star recruit out of West Linn, Oregon, now finds himself competing with three other QB’s- two of them freshmen- to start for ASU this upcoming Fall. This opportunity to lead the Sun Devils on Saturday nights is one he couldn’t have expected throughout most of his high school days.
“This school was kind of in the back of my head of ‘man that’d be really cool but I don’t really think I would get a chance,’” Long said. “I did well at the Nike opening, and (graduate assistant) coach Anderson reached out…he’s like ‘hey, I’d love to get to know you’ and things like that and so it just started from there.”
Although Long is exactly where he wants to be, some may say he's the proverbial dark horse candidate for the starting QB spot going into Spring practice next week. He’ll compete against fellow freshmen who are four-star recruits, Joey Yellen and Jayden Daniels, in addition to Dillon Sterling-Cole, who has two seasons of college experience backing up Manny Wilkins.
Still, Long hasn’t seen any lack of camaraderie in the quarterback room thus far.
“Actually, we get along super well,” Long said. “I don’t think there’s any cancer in the group or any negatives that I’ve seen so far so I’m super excited to compete against these guys.”
“Iron sharpens iron so we’re all just going to better each other as football players and hopefully individuals as well.”
The 6’1, 205-lb newcomer may have come in as the lowest rated signal caller recruit amongst the three, but it seems an injustice to overlook what he can do.
In fact, a high-ankle sprain in week two of his senior season limited him for the remainder of the year, rendering him a pocket passer in spite of his ability to scramble and run when healthy.
This was after a junior season in which he averaged 258.5 passing yards per contest and threw for 32 touchdowns with 10 interceptions.
“That (injury) is all good now,” Long said. “I’m back, I feel really good now and I’m excited to get on the field on Tuesday.”
An inconsistent offensive line only made matters worse, but Long looks forward to the opportunity to play behind ASU’s veteran unit of blockers to whatever extent he can.
“It’s really a blessing to be around such good athletes, especially up front because my line wasn’t super great in high school so I’m super excited to be behind a wall instead of swiss cheese,” Long said.
While the offensive line he’ll play with is a significant upgrade from high school, Long will see some continuity in the attitude of his coaching staff. Specifically, he noted the similarities he saw between offensive coordinator Rob Likens and his high school coach- former NFL QB Chris Miller, whom Long holds in high regard.
“(Miller) was just one of the best coaches I could’ve ever been around,” Long said. “Positive guy, Christian, loved the Lord, had great morals and I loved going to practice every single day.”
“When I would talk to coach Likens on the phone, I just felt that same kind of positive energy and just not a lot of negativity, and that can be tough, coming off a tough practice or a tough day of school, or anything in life just having someone to be able to go to and see the best in things is what I really saw from him.”
With Spring practice around the corner, Long made everyone aware that Likens will alternate between quarterbacks in groups of two from day-to-day as far as who gets the chance to compete with the offense in the scrimmage portion of practice.
The days off is where Long sees the greatest opportunity to get ahead or fall behind in the quarterback depth chart competition.
“I think getting mental reps on my days off will be the most crucial for learning in this offense,” Long said of his goals for Spring practice. “Just trying to better myself in every rep even if I’m not in and work on the small details.”
ASU’s first Spring practice will take place next Tuesday at 9 a.m. at the Kajikawa Practice Fields. It is open to the media and the general public
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