HATTIESBURG, Miss. - You only get one chance to make a good first impression, and Southern Miss wide receiver Eelijah Singleton did just that during the Golden Eagles ' first fall camp scrimmage on Saturday.
There were many observations that came from that scrimmage, but one of the biggest was Singleton showing off his playmaking ability early and often en route to racking up 175 receiving yards. The twitchy redshirt-junior receiver repeatedly showcased the kind of explosiveness that can turn ordinary touches into something more dangerous for opposing defenses.
With Southern Miss still sorting through roles in a revamped offense and having a wide-receiver room that could go nine deep , according to offensive coordinator Kyle Cefalo, Singleton made sure his name was difficult to overlook in the team's first game-like environment. Let's take a look at what he could bring to the Golden Eagles this season.
Southern Miss wide receiver Eelijah Singleton (#0) makes an explosive play during the Golden Eagles' fall camp scrimmage on Saturday. | Southern Miss Athletics
That explosiveness Singleton gave us a preview of on Saturday didn't just suddenly appear when he arrived in Hattiesburg.
The 5-foot-10, 190-pound Tampa, Florida, native earned first-team All-MACCC honors at East Central Community College last season after hauling in 61 passes for 618 yards and two touchdowns in nine games. Now, he's attempting to have that kind of production translate to the Division I level with the Golden Eagles.
"I started in JUCO. I went to East Central Community College. Played two years there, set multiple records there. Had an amazing two years, learned a lot under a great OC, Coach Foss [Devin Fosselman]. Got me prepared for college really well," Singleton said during Monday's media availability.
"I had 20-plus Division I offers [and] was committed to Toledo, [but the] head coach ended up leaving. I needed a new home. That's when [Joe] Bolden called me immediately after Huff went to Memphis, talked about how open the room is, how they were building everything, and how it's an air raid offense. So I just took the opportunity to play early, get experience and hit the ground running. That's what I came here to do."
The Rock awaits the Golden Eagles' Sept. 5 season opener against Alcorn State. | Josh House
Hit the ground running, he has, as that impressive first scrimmage performance is still fresh on everyone's mind who was in attendance at The Rock on Saturday. Although he wowed everyone who saw that kind of production from him for the first time, Singleton says it was just another day at the office.
"That's just what you do in practice every day," Singleton said of his scrimmage performance. "I try to be consistent with knowing what to do and being in the right place, and I feel like if you do that well, then the ball will find you. Literally just before Saturday, I think it was Friday, we went in the pad-and-go, and our head coach wasn't pleased with how we weren't holding the line and things like that. So, just taking that coaching into Saturday and putting it on tape, it's a real good plus.
"But that's just what I'm used to doing. If you watch my tape in JUCO, you'll see I do a lot of things like that. I make a lot of plays, and that's just a routine day for me."
Mario Sanders (#1), MJ Brown (#3), and Kanden Saunders (7) | Josh House
As much potential as Singleton has, he knows he's far from the only playmaker Southern Miss has in its receiver room. It's a room that Cefalo said could end up having a nine-player rotation this season, and that's not hyperbole .
"I'm not going to lie, man. I feel like we can be the most explosive unit on the team," Singleton said. "That just comes with our mindset and how we come every day. We hold our destiny in our hands. ... If we come out there and we're on 10, I think we could do a lot of special things. If you go out there and watch us practice, you'll see what I mean. When we're on it, the offense is on it. When we're off it, we got to work a little more. But like I said, it's all in our hands. It's all what we want to do."
With position battles ongoing during this final week of fall camp, Singleton would love to work his way into a starting spot. At the same time, though, he realizes how deep this receiver group is and that there will be plenty of opportunities for everyone, starter or not.
Southern Miss receivers have stood out as one of the deepest groups the Golden Eagles have during fall camp. | Josh House
"We're a very talented room. From Dirty, and that's Davis [Dalton], to young Jay Rock [Jaylen Himes] to Grant Page , a veteran. To me, sky's the limit," Singleton said. "We got MJ [Brown], we got Rio [Mario Sanders] in the slot. We got Kayden [Saunders] in the slot from Penn State . Talent's endless, man.
"Of course I want to start. Who doesn't want to start? But I have no problems with splitting reps with those guys at all. They're my brothers, man. They work just as hard as me. They can make plays just like me, and we're going to hit the ground running when it comes to that."
Every fall camp produces a few players who begin forcing their way into the conversation. For Southern Miss, Singleton looks like he could be one of them, not only on the field but also as a great locker-room presence with that kind of positive team-centric attitude.
There is still another scrimmage to be played this Saturday to officially wrap up fall camp, and things can certainly change between now and when the Golden Eagles open the season against Alcorn State on Sept. 5, but whether he starts or is part of a deep receiver rotation, look for Singleton to be a name Southern Miss fans know much better by the time November rolls around.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/southernmiss as Southern Miss Finds Another Explosive Playmaker in Eelijah Singleton .
