Sammie Long IV had to fight himself a bit to get in a position to challenge others on the football field, a lesson he really started to learn last year from a rather prominent teammate: Rashard Higgins.
“A mentality. Always wanting to be No. 1, competing at any level, no matter who it is,” Long said. “Good competition, bad competition, you’ve got to make yourself better. And just the thought of getting better every day. Thatap what he preached to me every day is get better every day, if itap blocking, if itap motivating your teammates. Itap something you’ve got to get better every day.”
Higgins and Long came to Colorado State in the same recruiting class, the same as Xavier Williams and Elroy Masters Jr. Higgins played right away and vacated early for the NFL draft, while the rest of the trio of big receivers — a need the roster had at the time — have battled to earn playing time.
Williams has earned the most, with 49 receptions for 661 yards and five touchdowns, but CSU coach Mike Bobo has made it clear he wants more. Masters has 13 receptions for 191 yards and a touchdown, posting a 112-yard day against UC-Davis as a freshman. But he missed most of last year with an injury.
Long has but five catches to show for his time here, good for 50 yards. Yet early in spring, he was being talked about by Bobo a little more, and after Thursday’s scrimmage, drew praise from him.
Definitely a nice change.
“It felt really good, especially for the last couple of years playing behind Rashard and some big names,” he said. “It feels good to actually get your name out there and just be the light of the show for once.”
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