Morgantown - David Long is a pie in the face of those bestowing honors on high school athletes.
He's the kick in the shins to those doling out recruiting stars.
Yet beyond that, David Long has a special story. And to a treasure seeker like WVU defensive coordinator Tony Gibson, he's turning into pure gold.
See, Long, the Mountaineers' starting weak-side linebacker, wasn't easy to find. If you go back and check his place on the Associated Press All-Ohio Division II list, you'll finally find him among the honorable mentions.
Heck, he wasn't even easy to find among his family members as one of 12 children.
But when WVU's coaches found Long, it's easy to understand why they never let go.
"I knew when he was in the eighth grade he was special," said Long's high school coach, Andre Parker. "He had a maturity about him. He was a relentless worker. And he made sacrifices. So many kids in this day and age hit adversity and don't know how to deal with it. He did."
According to Parker, Long's parents are divorced and travel back and forth to Winton Woods High in Cincinnati, where the player attended, was a 30- to 45-minute drive.
"Transportation was an issue," Parker said. "So he ended up living with one of our coaches [Arthur Wilson] and going home on weekends. He had a great, great relationship, though, with Coach Wilson."
On the field, there was no questioning Long's ability.
"We've never had a kid get from Point A to Point B like David," Parker said. "He was a tackling machine for three years for us."
Parker said Long wasn't bestowed many honors because Winton Woods isn't in a conference. "But he had a really, really good senior year," said the coach.
So recruiters found their way to Cincy. Although he was but a three-star recruit across the board, offers were put forth by Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisville, Missouri and Marshall, in addition to WVU.
"My recruiter at first was [Shannon Dawson]," Long said. "That's who really got me up here. Then, when he left [to go to Kentucky], me and Gibby really hit it off. I just connected with him after my official visit."
Understand that Gibson had to re-recruit Long after Dawson went to UK. And he did so with passion.
"Very instinctive," Gibson said of Long's high school days. "Very explosive. Tough kid. The blood lines. ... His dad was a heavyweight boxer, so I think his toughness comes from him."
It was evident the Mountaineer defensive coordinator wanted Long. It was also evident Long wanted to be in Morgantown.
"I was really just stuck on West Virginia," said the 5-foot-11, 228-pound redshirt sophomore. "It was because of the Tavon Austin era. Basically, every kid was liking West Virginia. That's what got me into it."
Once at WVU, though, Long sat out as a redshirt player - when he was honored for his scout team play.
"That year was pretty tough on him," Parker said. "He wasn't the guy all of a sudden. But I think he learned patience."
That patience paid off last season, specifically on Oct. 1, the fourth WVU game of the season.
"My first start, the Kansas State game, that's when I really got the feeling," Long said. "My first three games I didn't get to play much. I had to sit back and watch. Then, after I learned everything, I got a chance to go out and showcase it."
Indeed, Long ended up starting 10 games and finishing as the team's sixth leading tackler with 65, including 37 unassisted. He also had a pair of sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss in addition to a forced fumble. Not bad for a redshirt freshman in a Power 5 league, eh?
"Fast and physical," Long said of his game. "Get ball, see ball. See ball, get ball."
"He's a very, very, very good player," Gibson said. "He's tough. He loves to play the game. Just all the qualities you want in a guy."
The DC shook his head, then continued.
"Every single day he does something that makes you go 'Wow, who was that kid?' And then you think, 'It must be David' - because he's just that kind of kid."
Long exited last season in style, recording 11 tackles against Miami in the Russell Athletic Bowl.
"Special kid," Parker concluded. "And he's a special kid because he wants to be special. I've been here [at Winton Woods] 13 years. I've had a lot of good kids. But he's very special. He's a leader that wants to do things the right way."
And so far in Morgantown, so very, very good.
Contact Mitch Vingle at 304-348-4827 or mitchvingle@wvgazettemail.com. Follow him on Twitter @MitchVingle.