Get to Know Your Orange Man: #21, WR Kendall Long

Can the big wideout break through early?

Name: Kendall Long

Position: Wide receiver

Year: Freshman

Height: 6’2”

Weight: 210 lbs.

Hometown: Lexington, S.C.

High School: River Bluff

2020 stats: Syracuse.com pointed out some reported numbers from The State that said Long caught 28 passes for 432 yards and six scores last year.

2021 projections: Long would probably redshirt this year for the Syracuse Orange. But at the same time, there’s inexperience at receiver and it seems like anyone could potentially break out. Hopefully this staff provides a lot of opportunities for new and returning players to do that.

How’d he get here?: SU was in on Long pretty early, which is at least part of why he only has a handful of offers — mostly of the Group of Five variety. Among those, Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern and Georgia State (plus others).

What’d recruiting sites say?: ESPN and 247 saw the light and handed him three stars. Rivals did not, for reasons.

Money quote: If the numbers above didn’t peak your interest, well consider the fact that Long was playing in a triple-option offense. So the fact that he put together decent receiving numbers like that is actually no small feat. From Syracuse.com:

“With me being in the offense, I knew that we weren’t going to throw the ball as much. So every opportunity I had to get the ball and score, I had to try my absolute best to get the most yards I can.”

Twitter feed: @Kendall_Long02

Tweets of wonder: Long has some track and field experience, and fares pretty well here compared to other ACC wideouts.

What movie would Dino recommend for him?: While it’s not talked about as much as other teen comedies of that generation, 2006’s Accepted was an entertaining movie starring Justin Long. The basics: Long’s character can’t get into a real college, so creates a fake one — the South Harmon Institute of Technology — and the scheme takes on a much larger life of its own.

Interesting nugget o’interest: Perhaps you don’t watch The Bachelor franchise, but (a different) Kendall Long is a former contestant on the show, and she was also on Bachelor in Paradise, where she met “Grocery Store Joe” Joe Amabile. The two had a relationship for nearly two years, that unfortunately ended — a topic that’s already come up several times as Amabile has returned to this year’s season of Bachelor in Paradise.

Let’s get a look at ya: Here’s some junior year highlights that may peak your interest.