The past year has been a real test in patience for major college football recruits, particularly in the class of 2022. For those prospects, visits with player and coach interaction have been off the table for about a year now during what would normally be a critical time for information gathering on the schools that are recruiting them.
The uncertainty has led to a lot of early commitments around the nation which may or may not hold up once the flood gates are opened at some point this off-season. Four-star running back Nicholas Singleton is one prospect who has tried to stay patient throughout the whole ordeal. The Shillington (Pa.) Governor Mifflin star posted an outstanding junior season which saw him help his team to the state semi-finals.
“I’ve picked up a few new offers, but I’ve really just been talking to coaches (the past few months),” Singleton explained. “I’m trying to cut my list down in the spring and make a decision in the summer.”
The key to Singleton’s plan is likely in the hands of the NCAA. The Dead Period currently is running through April 15th. Singleton would like the opportunity to make another round of visits before cutting his list, followed by some official visits. Getting all of that accomplished by the end of the summer could depend upon how the NCAA moves forward with allowing visits.
“I’m probably going to visit some schools first, try to visit some potential cut down schools before I have to make that decision,” he stated. “I want to take my officials for sure.”
Singleton and his family did take matters into their own hands a little bit this fall. They were able to stop by both Ohio State and Penn State again, two schools at the forefront of Singleton’s recruitment over the past year. There was no interaction allowed with any coaches during those trips, however, so all communication with those programs has been virtual/digital since last March.
“We went up to Ohio State and Penn State to look around and see the stadiums and everything but we’re probably going to wait now (to take more visits) until we can actually talk to the coaches and go through the facilities and everything,” he added.
Ohio State was one of the first major programs to get involved with Singleton and the Buckeyes have forged strong relationships with the powerful back.
“I’m talking to coach Alford a lot,” he said. “We’re really close. We’ll talk about anything, really. He’ll text me just about every day, just checking up on me. He really wants me to come back up so he can see me and my family.”
Head coach Ryan Day was actually the one to offer Singleton last winter on a trip through the high school during the open period in January. Since then, Day has stayed involved in Singleton’s recruitment.
“We have a real good relationship with coach Day, too,” he continued. “He wants me to come play for him and to come back up for a visit as soon as we can.”
After sending J.K. Dobbins off to the NFL last year, Ohio State’s ground game was once again a strength this past season, especially down the stretch when Trey Sermon caught fire.
“They had a great season with Trey Sermon, Chris Olave,” he explained. “The whole offense, they had a really good season. The national championship didn’t go as planned but they had a great season.”
While Ohio State has made a strong and lasting impression on Singleton, he still lives in Penn State territory. Like the Buckeyes, the Nittany Lions have put together a strong foundation to their 2022 recruiting class and it has been very heavy on Pennsylvania prospects, including several from the same area as Singleton.
“I have good relationships with all of the coaches and it’s obviously not too far from my house,” Singleton said of Penn State. “There are just real good people there. I know a lot of (the PSU commits). They text me a lot, just telling me to come play with them and that they are going to have the best ’22 class.”
While much of the talk with Singleton has revolved around Ohio State and Penn State, those aren’t the only two schools involved. Notre Dame and Wisconsin have made strong pushes and new offers from Auburn and Iowa State have caught the four-star prospect’s attention.
“The SEC offer, Auburn (stood out),” Singleton said of some of his new offers. “They had been sending me stuff but it was kind of out of the blue. Coach (Mike) Bobo had been recruiting me at South Carolina and I had a good relationship with him when he was at South Carolina. So when he got to Auburn he kind of told the other coaches about me and they offered me.”
Singleton rushed for 1,303 yards and 24 touchdowns in just eight games this past season, averaging 12.5 yards per carry.