Going Long! All-American Punter commits to Virginia Tech

Going Long! Marshall Long commits to Virginia Tech

Well, if the Hokies are going to get an Army All-American commitment, there's some degree of ‘yeah, that makes sense' to said commitment being a punter. After a week in silence, China Grove, North Carolina punter Marshall Long has made public that he's committed to Virginia Tech for the 2016 season. Despite being an Army All-American, Long is unranked on all major recruiting services. Such is the life of a punter/kicker, unfortunately, even the very good ones.

After much prayer and thought, I am blessed enough to say I've committed to Virginia Tech… https://t.co/BwSwtbXYWh

— Marshall Long (@marshall_long) January 15, 2016

Marshall Long (China Grove, NC. 214lbs. 6'-2". Punter.)

Long is a right-footed punter with a lot of leg. His two best traits are the angle of attack of his punts and his hangtime- the two being somewhat related. The angle of attack on his punts seems to be around 70-80 degrees, which makes them more difficult to field as they come in while you're looking up and away from the punt coverage team. This also makes them more likely to bounce in a controllable fashion. I'd like to see him speed up his delivery- it's a bit deliberate for my liking, but look, you can't deny a 46-yard average. We'll see how he does with the college ball and against college pressure, but I'm not going to say no to an obvious field possession weapon like a solid punter. Nothing against Long or any other punter, but obviously we hope never to have to use the punter- numbers show that you shouldn't, but that's a story for another day. Right now, we'll celebrate the fact that we've got a genuine All-American on board, and he's got a shot to contribute from Day 1 replacing AJ Hughes, who graduates after a couple good years of service. Long is the 18^th commitment to the class.

Welcome to VT, Marshall!