MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — When three-star cornerback Jake Long flipped his commitment from Purdue to West Virginia on Monday night, the prospect gave the customary love to the assistants who recruited him, Brian Mitchell and Bruce Tall.
Nor did it hurt that he was coming off a weekend visit to Morgantown, or that he knew plenty about the Mountaineers considering he was born in Huntington.
Another factor apparently was the chance to face uptempo Big 12 offenses that challenge secondaries downfield. By comparison, most of the Big Ten offenses don’t carry the same swagger.
“I want to be in a conference where defensive backs are key,” Long told Rivals writer Keenan Cummings of WVSports.