Spencer Long Tabbed as Preseason All-American

Senior offensive guard Spencer Long was named a second-team preseason All-American by Sports Illustrated on Thursday. Long was one of only 10 offensive linemen nationally to earn the preseason recognition.

As a junior in 2012, Long was named a second-team All-American by the Associated Press and the Walter Camp Foundation. He was the first Husker offensive lineman to earn first- or second-team All-America honors since 2001. Long also garnered first-team All-Big Ten accolades to become just the second Husker offensive lineman since 2001 to earn first-team all-conference honors. This fall, Long gives Nebraska a returning All-American on the offensive line for the first time since 1997.

A former walk-on, Long helped pave a way for a Nebraska offense that led the Big Ten Conference in both rushing (253.4 ypg) and total offense (460.8 ypg) in 2012. I-back Ameer Abdullah and quarterback Taylor Martinez both rushed for more than 1,000 yards last season, and the duo will become the first pair of returning 1,000-yard rushers in school history this fall.

In addition to his work on the field, Long is one of the nation’s top student-athletes. A strong candidate to earn CoSIDA Academic All-America honors this fall, Long is a two-time academic all-district honoree and a two-time member of the academic All-Big Ten team. He also earned a spot on the Brook Berringer Citizenship Team in 2013.