MORGANTOWN — Linebacker David Long continues to be a rarity.
West Virginia’s first player to ever be named the Big 12 defensive player of the year — and the first Mountaineer to be named a conference defensive player of the year since 1996 — became the rare junior invited to participate in the Senior Bowl.
Long, a junior in eligibility, is eligible to participate because he redshirted during his freshman year and earned his degree. Long declared for the NFL draft Sunday and was invited to the Senior Bowl on Tuesday.
Long is the fifth Mountaineer to participate in this year’s game. The others are quarterback Will Grier, offensive tackle Yodny Cajuste, tight end Trevon Wesco and wide receiver David Sills.
The game is on Jan. 26 in Mobile, Ala., but the week leading up to the event is considered to be the most valuable week of evaluation for incoming players outside of the NFL scouting combine.
