MALCOLM LONG As last year's "Mr. South Carolina Football" winner, Gaffney quarterback Malcolm Long will receive more than just passing interest as an incoming South Carolina State freshman.

In fact, it has not taken him Long (no pun intended) to make a "big" impression with his new Bulldog teammates as he arrived earlier this month for the start of voluntary summer workouts

carrying 270 pounds on his 6-3 frame.

"When I first saw him, I was like 'Man, you're a quarterback?'" wide receiver Trey Young said.

Other Bulldogs wasted little time playfully ribbing him with a nickname - Fatboy. Upon watching Long move deceptively fast around the pocket and effortlessly display his quick release to make pinpoint passes both on short plays and long bombs during 7-on- 7 drills, they also quickly realized why he earned the state's top honor for high school football.

"He can really throw the ball," Young said. "He's got a nice strong arm. The fact he can read coverages and is learning the offense is good also.

"I see him as doing very good on the college level seeing that he's catching on very quickly."

JULIUS WILKERSON As Long makes strides in his weight count (he's currently down to 257 lbs.), SCSU head football coach Oliver "Buddy" Pough remains unflinching in his support.

"I think he's fine and the fact that we got him down here early, got him started, kind of took the shock out of him," he said. "I'm excited by the fact that he's here and getting ready to go and learning the system and all of the other things besides size and conditioning.

"We've got confidence - that's just his body style. He's just a big guy that who when you're trying to run the football with him, you won't have to worry about him being so tentative. So I'm excited about the fact that he's a big ol' scrapping athlete who's not scared to go after it a little bit."

Strength and conditioning coach Thomas Stallworth, whom Long has credited with incessantly pushing him during summer workouts, sees the issue as a "media thing."

"When he came in, he had a lot of baby fat on him," he said. "He came in, he had a successful high school career, but he didn't understand the transition from high school to college. So that's part of the reason that we got him and some of the other freshmen in so that we can go ahead and get them acclimated, so once we get to camp, guys can hit the ground running.

"I'm just trying to get my weight down. My agility and speed is where it needs to be. Everything else will fall into place." - S.C. State freshman quarterback Malcolm Long "The weight thing is not a problem because if you look at some of our defensive linemen, they're undersized, but yet they still perform and produce on the field. So the weight is only a media thing. People will see a number, but people can play better than that number."

Long's quarterbacking skills during the last two seasons at Gaffney catapulted the Indians to national prominence. Over that span, he completed 60.1 percent of his passes and threw just one interception in 153 attempts and finished his career with 6,437 yards and 63 touchdowns and rushed for 15 scores.

In the process of posting these numbers, Long guided Gaffney to back-to-back Class 4A Division I championships, winning the first one in dramatic fashion when he capped a rally from 19 points down against Summerville with a 11-play, 90-yard scoring drive in the final 2:12 to lift the Indians to a 33-32 victory.

Last season, Long threw for 3,077 yards and 32 touchdowns as Gaffney repeated by going 15-0. Two of the victories came against defending Class 4A Division II champion J.F. Byrnes and Clemson freshman quarterback Willy Korn, the first one snapping the Rebels' 33- game winning streak before a national audience.

SCSU freshman and Gaffney teammate linebacker Julius Wilkerson saw this firsthand and also believes, like Stallworth, that there's more to Long than just his size.

"It's hard to read him and he's getting the ball in there very fast and he can throw the deep ball."

Long has recognized early the work he needs to do to reach what he believes is his effective playing weight which he said is 235 pounds.

"I'm just trying to get my weight down," he said. "My agility and speed is where it needs to be. Everything else will fall into place."

Stallworth also acknowledged he would prefer to see Long play at around 240 and plans to have a more intense conditioning and nutritional program for him after this season.

"He's a naturally thick individual, but he's not an out-of-shape individual," he said. "When we got here, yes, he did struggle. He knows that. Our team knows that. The way I talk to our team, we make sure everything everybody knows. But, he's made it a point to get that weight off him, which he has done. All of the guys are supporting him on that. And then, also, it's a pride thing. Being a S.C. High School Player of the Year, whatever the accolades were, he doesn't want to look bad back in Gaffney, here at South Carolina State or wherever. So he's put in his work during second (summer school) session to get that weight off him."

As Long continues to make progress physically and learns under senior quarterback Cleveland McCoy, Stallworth believes he'll become even more prolific in college.

"Great teacher," said Long about McCoy. "I love to play under him any day."

"His passing game is still, if not the same, it's actually gotten better from now working out on a regular basis," Stallworth said. "Having the ability to be able to work with his college teammates, former All-Conference quarterback like Cleve, to be in this atmosphere has basically helped him step his game up."

If Long lives up to expectations, teammates and Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference opponents may have to conjure up a more respectful nickname for Long. With homage being paid to another former MEAC quarterback from Gaffney (Bradshaw Littlejohn), perhaps "The New Big Show" may do.

Long took time to answer five questions with T&D Sports Editor Brian Linder.

Five Questions for ... MALCOLM LONG

Q: Do you have a nickname? A: Fatboy.

Q: How are you liking Orangeburg?

A: I think this is a real good city and a real good place to be. It's hot down here, but you know, that is part of the summer in the lower part of the state.

Q: What's been the biggest adjustment in coming to college?

A: Just being away from home, living a new life style and adapting to the system down here.

Q: What's been the biggest adjustment in moving from high school football to college football?

A: The system here is similar to the one we had in Gaffney. We have a whole lot of different calls for certain plays, but I think I am catching on good.