Boston College redshirt junior Hunter Long, one of the nation’s top tight ends, has decided to forgo his final year of eligibility and enter the 2021 NFL Draft.
A native of Exeter, N.H., Long excelled at Deerfield Academy, receiving seven scholarship offers before deciding on BC.
After redshirting his freshman year, Long appeared in 12 games in 2018, recording two touchdowns and 103 yards on four receptions. In 2019, the 6-foot-5-inch, 253-pounder tallied a team-high 509 yards and two touchdowns on 28 receptions. And in 2020, Long led all tight ends nationally with 57 receptions and 685 receiving yards.
In a virtual news conference, Long explained that his productive junior season made him feel ready to make the jump, but also made it difficult to leave a rising program.
“At the end of the season I knew I was ready to take the next step, but the culture and the team here is so strong,” said Long. “Leaving this team and what we were building here was a hard decision.”
Long finishes his collegiate career with 89 receptions for 1,297 yards and nine touchdowns. His 57 receptions this year were the second-most by a tight end in program history, trailing only Pete Mitchell’s 66 catches in 1993.
Long is meeting with agents and said his plan to is to stay home through the holidays before deciding on where he wants to train for the draft, which is scheduled for April 29-May 1 in Cleveland.
“We could not be happier and more supportive of Hunter’s decision to enter the NFL Draft,” said BC coach Jeff Hafley. “Hunter has been a terrific ambassador on and off the field for our program and we can’t wait to watch him play on Sundays.”
Playing in two systems, under former coach Steve Addazio, and then in Hafley’s first season, has helped Long develop a more versatile skill set.
“In my mind I got the best of both worlds,” said Long. “I got to play in a more run-heavy scheme [under Addazio] where I had to develop as a blocker, and this year we definitely opened up the playbook a little more and started throwing the ball, which was a lot of fun. I feel in both systems I developed different aspects of my game.”
Nate Weitzer can be reached at nweitzer7@gmail.com. Follow him on X @nweitzer7.