Being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS), Longshore
is not unlike the millions of other young priesthood holders (so designated
within the LDS church structure) who will undertake their mission in the near
future. As some readers will undoubtedly know, former leaders of the LDS church
stated the unwritten policy, now adopted by Mormons worldwide, that 'every
worthy young man should serve a mission'. It's not only a principle for priesthood
holders but also an honor to serve.
For Nate Longshore, departing on a mission is something he will accomplish.
Due to his athletic talent, Nate fully understands that he has to be flexible
about his decision as to when to leave for his mission, not only due to personal
reasons but within the scope of the future Cal program he is committed to as
well. Since Longshore doesn't turn 18 until he graduates in June, Nate will
attend California for a year before he becomes eligible to serve (the minimum
age for a mission to begin is 19 years old).
So the current plan is for Nate to complete his freshman year at Cal and then
depart on his mission shortly thereafter. That's actually a very standard situation
for a number of LDS athletes, including Nick Longshore, Nate's older brother
by 4 1/2 years.
Nick played a full year at the now defunct Cal-State Northridge
program before departing on his LDS mission to the Philippines. The 6'5 300
lb offensive lineman
surely stood out in the Philippines due to his height and weight even though
lost significant weight during his two-year stint. Nick came back and regained
his original weight this past season though, playing a full season at College
of the Canyons (COC) located in Santa Clarita, California, not far from the
Longshore home in Canyon Country. Nick blocked for current Cal running back
J. J. Arrington there. Before the season started at COC, Nick was offered a
scholarship at Brigham Young University and promptly accepted the offer. "BYU
is the place I've always wanted to be," Nick said at the time of his verbal
commitment.
Nate comes from a very athletic background. His father played basketball and
baseball, his mother played softball. His younger brother Ben is now in the
middle of his freshman season in Canyon HS, and finished as one of the backups
to his elder brother on the varsity football team. Nate also has a younger
sister who is a good youth basketball player. His older brother Nick might
start at center for the BYU Cougars football team next fall, though anywhere
on the line would be great as well.
Nate brings a number of things to the table that make him one of the top quarterback
prospects in the nation. He has a very strong arm (he's been clocked at 93
mph on the baseball pitching mound) and has always flashed a gutsy style of
play. He is 6'5 230 lbs, and has a classic over-the-top release. He led the
Cowboys to an 11-2 record and threw for 3,448 passing yards (averaging 265
passing yards per game) and completed 34 TD passes. Longshore also added 3
rushing touchdowns to the totals. Though the season ended with a disappointing
loss in the CIF Division II semifinals to Mission Viejo, Longshore had a sterling
senior campaign. He capped it off with a solid performance in the Cali-Florida
football classic in Southern California just a week ago, where both scouts
and recruiting coordinators noted his height and strong arm.
Growing up in northern Los Angeles County, Nate admired several quarterbacks
he read about and watched both locally and in the NFL. Joe Namath was one of
his early favorites to read about. His list now includes both Peyton Manning
and Brett Favre. His brother Nick played against Hart HS star and former Cal
quarterback Kyle Boller, as Hart and Canyon HS are cross-town rivals.
"My brother Nick played on a local All-Star team with Kyle after their
senior seasons," Nate said. "I was able to get Kyle's autograph on
a hat - I still have it. It's in my room on the wall."
When asked about Cal and Coach Jeff Tedford, Nate made it clear that Coach
Tedford was a key to his decision to travel north to Berkeley. "I just
felt really comfortable around the coaches," Longshore said. "It's
a great system and the system I play here at Canyon is similar in that we go
all out. A final score like 45-28 is just fine with me."
When it comes to the decision on when he'll serve his mission, Longshore is
confident that it'll work out.
"I definitely plan on going on my mission and the staff has been great
as to that part of my situation. They've told me that when I go is when I go,
and that when I come back, they'll want me back. I am grateful for that. I
know it somewhat depends on how I develop and how hard I work as well."
As Cal fans already appreciate, Nate Longshore is a big part of the future
of Cal Football.
We want to express our appreciation to Nate for taking the time to speak with
us about his religious background and his future plans. We'd also like to offer
congratulations to both Nick and Nate on their respective collegiate choices.
We'll look forward to watching them both play in years to come.
©Copyright January 2004, GoCyberBears.com and The Insiders.
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