He led Syracuse to its first win in over a month. He’s thrown more touchdowns in two games than Terrel Hunt did in five. And he became the first true freshman in team history to win his starting debut.
Even at a young age, AJ Long has shown the traits of a successful college quarterback – the strong arm, the quick feet and the mental confidence.
But Long admits that back in high school, he started thinking he wouldn't be good enough to play Division-I football. There was always that one trait missing: the height.
“In my seventh grade year, right before I hit my growth spurt, I was like 5-3,” Long said. “I was just, like, this is not good.”
Long’s growth spurt came midway through that year. He grew to about 5-foot-9.
Now at 6-0, Long is slightly bigger than the average male. But he’s still shorter than any other quarterback on Syracuse’s roster. He’s three inches shorter and 57 pounds lighter than Hunt.
Long may not stand quite as tall as the prototypical passer. But through a pair of games, Syracuse’s new quarterback has fit in just well with the Orange offense. With strong performances in back-to-back weeks, he’s proven the old adage that good things can come in small packages.
Long has completed about 64 percent of his passes, thrown a pair of touchdowns and ran for another. He’s ignited a Syracuse offense that was inconsistent during its four-game losing streak. In his first game, he matched up with Jameis Winston and the top-ranked Seminoles. He sat behind Austin Wilson for the first few drives, but kept the Orange even with the Seminoles in the second half. All 20 points Syracuse scored in the game came on drives that Long was in for.
His play caller, offensive coordinator Tim Lester, enjoys having a short quarterback. Lester says that he doesn’t develop a game plan any differently because of Long’s size. One common concern is if shorter quarterbacks can see over the offensive line. But Lester, a former QB, believes that’s more of a misconception than reality.
“Most quarterbacks throw in lanes anyway,” Lester said. “I didn’t have any trouble seeing. They’ll be maybe one or two plays a year where he’ll miss a guy because the guy is hidden behind the offensive linemen.”
Lester was an undersized passer himself when he played at Western Michigan and, then, the XFL. But that’s where the similarities end, Lester said.
“I was very slow and non-athletic,” he joked. “I sat in the pocket and threw it. That’s all I did. He’s more of a Russell Wilson type guy. And I was more of a Drew Brees sit there and throw type. If I ran, it was ugly. We’re similar in stature, but not in skill set at all.”
Long studies what Brees and Wilson do, but compares himself more to Wilson. Both are dual-threat passers, who use their feet to move outside the pocket. For Long, seeing those two NFL quarterbacks succeed eliminated his earlier doubt that his height would hold him back.
Said Long, “What does it matter if you’re not 6-3 or 6-4 if you can throw with the best of them? At the end of the day, if you’re going out and competing the best that you can, who’s to tell you that you can’t do something?”