Long Named Second-Team AP All-American

Boston College tight end Hunter Long has already collected All-ACC First-Team honors and been named a John Mackey Award semifinalist. Monday afternoon, he added another accolade.

The redshirt junior earned a spot on the AP All-American Second Team, becoming the third Eagles tight end to ever be tabbed for an AP All-American squad.

Pete Mitchell was named to the first team in 1994 and to the second team in 1993. A few years before that, in 1991, fellow BC Hall of Famer Mark Chmura got the nod for the second team.

Long thrived in Frank Cignetti Jr.’s offense, piling up a nation-leading 57 receptions, the second most by a tight end in single-season program history (Mitchell had 66 in 1993). The 6-foot-5 New Hampshire native tallied six or more receptions in five games this season, including the Eagles’ first four contests of the year.

Prior to the 2020 campaign, Long had yet to catch more than four passes in a single collegiate game. And while his reception numbers declined as the season progressed, the attention he attracted in the middle of the field created opportunities for wideouts Jaelen Gill, CJ Lewis, and Jehlani Galloway.

As far as receiving yards are concerned, Long is second only to Florida’s Kyle Pitts—the First-Team AP All-American selection and projected top-10 pick. Long’s 685 yards shattered his previous career high of 509 that he recorded in 2019 when he led the Eagles in receiving.

Long moved the chains for BC 35 times this year, registering the second-most first downs of any tight end (behind Pitts), according to Pro Football Focus. He capped the season with the highest PFF offensive grade (83.3) of any Eagle in 2020, and ESPN Draft Analyst Mel Kiper Jr. lists him as the fifth-best tight end among the 2021 NFL Draft prospects at the position.

All in all, Long logged 89 catches for 1,297 yards and nine touchdowns in his BC career.