MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia redshirt junior linebacker David Long made history Wednesday, becoming the first player in program history to be named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.
Long is just the second Mountaineer to be named a conference’s defensive MVP, joining Canute Curtis, who was the Big East’s top defensive player in 1996.
Long led the league with 18.5 tackles for loss and ranked fourth with 8.8 tackles per game.
“He’s, in my opinion, the best linebacker in the country, and people need to take notice of it,” head coach Dana Holgorsen noted prior to the Oklahoma State did.