Longa lived in Yaoundé, Cameroon before moving to the United States at the age of 12.[2][3][1] His family then settled in Saddle Brook, New Jersey, where Longa attended Saddle Brook High School and was recruited to play American football, a sport he had never played before.[2] He began playing football his freshman year of high school.[4][5][6]
In the class of 2012, Longa was rated a four-star athlete recruit, the No. 31 athlete in the country and the No. 9 overall prospect in New Jersey by ESPN.com:[26][27][28] a three-star outside linebacker recruit, the No. 33 outside linebacker in the country and the No. 8 overall prospect in New Jersey by Rivals.com:[29][30][31] a three-star outside linebacker recruit, the No. 42 outside linebacker in the country and the No. 11 overall prospect in New Jersey by 247Sports.com:[32][33][34] and a two-star recruit and the No. 110 outside linebacker in the country by Scout.com.[35][36] He was also rated both a three-star recruit, the No. 59 outside linebacker in the country and the No. 17 overall prospect in New Jersey on 247Sports.com's composite rating, which takes into account the ratings of all the other major recruiting services in the country.[32][37][38][39]
He moved to weakside linebacker during spring practice in 2014.[15][51] In June 2014, he was named Second Team Preseason All-Big Ten Conference by Athlon Sports and First Team Preseason All-Big Ten by Phil Steele.[52][53] He appeared in 13 games, all starts, at weakside linebacker in 2014. He again led the team in tackles with 102.[15] He also had two sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one pass breakup.[15][46]
In June 2015, he was named Preseason First Team All-Big Ten by Phil Steele and Third Team Preseason All-Big Ten by Athlon Sports.[54][55][15] In July 2015, he was named to the watch list for the Lombardi Award, which is given to the best lineman or linebacker in the country.[56] Longa played in 11 games, all starts, in 2015 at weakside linebacker.[15][41] He missed the game against Army on November 21 due to injury.[57][15] He led the team in tackles with 117 and in forced fumbles with two.[15] He also recorded two sacks and two pass breakups.[15][41] He had a career-high 19 tackles against Ohio State on October 24.[58][15] His 19 tackles was tied for the most by any Big Ten player in a game that season.[59][15] He was named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten by the coaches and Third Team All-Big Ten by the media.[60][15] He was also named the team's defensive MVP.[15][41]
Longa started 37 career games for the Scarlet Knights and recorded 342 tackles, which was the third most in school history.[61][62][58] He became the second player in school history to have three seasons with at least 100 tackles.[63][6] He also had seven career sacks, seven pass breakups, five forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.[63][58] He majored in labor studies and employment relations at Rutgers.[15] On December 22, 2015, Longa announced that he would forgo his final year of college eligibility and enter the 2016 NFL Draft.[64][65]
Professional career
Pre-draft
Longa was rated the 17th best inside linebacker in the 2016 NFL Draft by NFLDraftScout.com.[66]Lance Zierlein of NFL.com predicted that he would be drafted in the sixth or seventh rounds. Zierlein stated that "Longa could factor in as an eventual starter at some point, but he might have to prove himself on special teams early in his career to earn his initial roster spot."[67]
Longa signed with the Seattle Seahawks in May 2016 after going undrafted in the 2016 NFL Draft.[69] He was released on September 3, 2016.[70]
Detroit Lions
On September 5, 2016, Longa was signed to the practice squad of the Detroit Lions.[71] He was promoted to the active roster on October 8 and made his NFL debut on October 9 against the Philadelphia Eagles.[72][73] He was released on October 11 and re-signed to the team's practice squad on October 13, 2016.[74][75] He signed a reserve/future contract with the Lions on January 9, 2017.[76]
On August 31, 2019, Longa was waived by the Lions and re-signed to the practice squad.[78] He was promoted to the active roster on October 26, 2019.[79] The Lions released Longa on April 15, 2020.[80]
Personal life
Longa's father, Etienne Longa, played soccer in Cameroon.[4][6][81]
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