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Kyle Long may have committed to Florida State for baseball but the Kyle Long story isn’t going to go away.

Long, a 6-foot-7, 280-pound lineman from St. Anne’s-Belfield in Charlottesville, was rated the No. 1 junior football prospect in Virginia by The Roanoke Times.

Presumably, he is going to play football for STAB in the fall. Presumably, he is going to go to UVa football games and watch his brother, Chris, a preseason All-America defensive lineman for the Cavaliers.

Players have changed their minds in the past. In the spring of 1987, highly rated quarterback Matt Blundin backed out of an oral commitment to Penn State in order to play football at UVa.

What are the chances that Long could revisit his decision?

“You don’t know me,” STAB baseball coach Alan Swanson said, “but I’m old enough to try and avoid a word like ‘never.’ I’ve worked with high-school kids for years and I’ve tried to avoid words like ‘never again’ will he do something or ‘absolutely’ will you do something.

“One of the luxuries of youth is, you get to change your mind. He’s committed right now to baseball. But I also know that, in the fall, he loves football. In the spring, he loves baseball. And, he’s an enthusiastic kid who’s energetic and gives 100 percent.

“This kid is awesome and, on the football field, I would never talk to him about baseball. And, on the baseball field, the football coach [John Blake] would never talk to him about football.”

From all appearances, a commitment is not something that is taken lightly in the Long family. Chris Long committed to Virginia in the fall of his junior year at STAB in 2002 and never wavered before signing in 2004.

“Kyle is a very honorable kid,” Swanson said. “He had a lot of offers in football and a lot of offers in baseball. And, he carefully considered what he was doing. So, I would say it’s a solid commitment to Florida State baseball but I would avoid using a word like ‘never’ in referring to football.

“But, you’re right about the Long family. They are people of their word. Chris is coming back for his senior year at Virginia, which is indicative of how the family feels about education and how they feel about commitment and how they feel about honoring that commitment.”

UNFORTUNATELY, somebody is destined to look bad in the whole Kyle Long scenario and, if Long becomes an impact baseball player for the Seminoles, it would be Virginia, which didn’t offer him a scholarship.

The same would apply if Long “blows up” as a prospect over the next year and becomes a prime target for the 2008 baseball free-agent draft.

“Absolutely, I think there’s a chance,” said Swanson, using one of his forbidden words, “but I can’t speak for Kyle. Sure, a kid’s 6-7 and 280 and hits the ball like he does, absolutely there’s a chance.

“All I can tell you is, major-league scouts come to a lot of [STAB’s] practices and a lot of hitting sessions and games. We are well-scouted. Two other kids signed Division I scholarships out of our school this year and those were seniors and Kyle already has committed. We have a lot of kids who get looks.”

If Long does not become an impact player at Florida State, then the Seminoles will have erred in extending a 70-percent ride to him. For an incoming player in a sport where almost everybody gets a partial grant, that’s a lot.

On the other hand, what if Long gets to Florida State, doesn’t like the way his baseball career is going and elects to play football? You couldn’t fault him for that, except that he’s only gone on record as saying that he wouldn’t play football for a school that competes against Virginia.

In the long run, you have to question Virginia for coaches and athletic administrators not finding a way to keep Kyle Long in town. The Longs, including youngest son and lacrosse phenom  Howie Jr.,  are a local treasure.

Let’s say the Cavaliers had offered him a 50-percent scholarship in baseball:

If he’s as good as Swanson thinks, then it’s a good investment. If he’s not, he turns to football and, as soon as he plays in a football game, his scholarship counts against football and baseball has its money back.

Maybe the Longs aren’t wild about Al Groh’s system. I’ve heard that, too, but here’s a kid, Kyle Long, who has been known to stop by the McCue Center and walk unannounced into Groh’s office for chats. The dad, Howie, was glowing in his praise of Groh and UVa football in a multi-part series by Charlottesville sports editor J’Hootie Ratcliffe.

I’d need a lot more evidence than I’ve got right now to think that the Longs have a big problem with UVa football.