Slippery Rock University quarterback Brayden Long was named Wednesday as one of the eight national finalists for the 2024 Harlon Hill Trophy that is presented to the NCAA Division II Player of the Year. The senior from Hanover, Pennsylvania, becomes the first two-time finalist in Slippery Rock program history, after he was a top-five finalist in 2023. Long also gives Slippery Rock its seventh finalist all-time, and fifth since 2017.
Seven of the eight finalists this year helped lead their teams to the NCAA playoffs. Long is one of four players who will still be playing this weekend, as Slippery Rock faces California for the Super Region 1 championship Saturday afternoon. Following the game, Long will head to Las Vegas, where he will be honored for being a national finalist for the William B. Campbell Trophy, the top scholar award in college football.
Hear Saturday’s Rock football game with California beginning at 12:30pm on The Rock Station 97.7fm.
This fall, Long has captained The Rock to the third-best record in the country at 11-1 and a second straight trip to the national quarterfinals. He ranks ninth in the nation in passing yards with 2,918 yards and has an impeccable touchdown to interception ratio of 22-to-4. Long has also rushed for a team-high six touchdowns to account for 28 of the team’s 42 total touchdowns on the year.
The most accurate passer in program history, Long owns a career completion percentage of 67 percent to rank second among all active passers in Division II. He also owns the SRU all-time record for completions (587) despite playing just 27 total games as the starting QB. He did not start a game until his junior season.