ONE AND DONE FOR KYLE LONG; NCAA Say’s No to Second Year of Eligibility

It’s one and done for Oregon senior offensive guard Kyle Long.

On Tuesday, the NCAA denied Longs request for a second year of eligibility after requesting the additional year based on a medical hardship due to chemical dependency.

Long, ( 6’7 – 305 ) from Charlottesville, Virginia, came to Oregon earlier this year after transferring from Saddleback Community College in Southern California.

After an alcohol related run in with the law in 2009 while attending Florida State as a highly touted baseball recruit, Long decided to leave school to take time away from sports and academics to refocus his energy on family and getting healthy.

Shortly after that break, Long decided football was in his blood and enrolled at Saddleback College in 2010 where he initially played defensive end.

Long eventually moved to offensive guard in 2011 where he began attracting attention from FBS schools, including Oregon.

After the 2011 season, Long accepted a scholarship offer to play his senior season in a Duck uniform with hopes of gaining an additional year due to his medical hardship.

“He had a great impact on us,” said Oregon coach Chip Kelly.   “Great kid.   Really just a good person to be around.  Great teammate.  A tremendous football player.”

Long took the disappointing news in stride while also appreciating the friends and fans he’s met while being at Oregon.

“Just very appreciate of all the people in the Eugene area and all Duck fans across the country for their support over the last few months (and) for everybody adopting me as one of their own” said Long after Wednesday’s Fiesta Bowl practice.

“The main thing is I want to keep working toward my degree.   I wouldn’t have been finished until next year regardless.   So I need to come up with a plan to keep my academic focus intact.”

While the news is disappointing to Long, he remains focused on playing well and helping the Ducks win their upcoming Fiesta Bowl game with Kansas State on January 3rd.

“All I’m thinking about is going down to Glendale and winning a Fiesta Bowl with my teammates,” Long said.

“It would be a great way to top this thing off.”