We would like to welcome our next Diamond In The Rough to Gridiron, Caderious Singleton Jr, a 5’6″, 125-pound Class of 2028 Wide Receiver out of Northwest High School in Opelousas, Louisiana. Singleton is exceptional in the classroom, with a 3.6 GPA, and recently attended the Breaux Bridge Gridiron Football camp. He performed very well with a 5.29 40, a 4.65 shuttle, and an 8’10” broad jump. Those numbers do not tell the story about how skilled he is and how good he is with the ball in his hands. What’s crazier is that he has only been playing receiver for 2 years, and he will only get better as time goes on. He also played basketball when he was younger and runs the 400, 800, and 1600 in track. He dreams of playing for LSU one day, but really just wants to play college football, no matter where, if it’s D1, D2, JUCO, anything he desires, he will accept.
Here is my conversation with Caderious Singleton Jr:
What has your football journey been like? At what age did you start playing football, and what inspired you to play football?
I started playing football around peewee, but I wasn’t really that good, so I only played until sixth grade. I was playing DB all the time. It was fun, but when I got to high school, I had to switch to receiver, so in ninth grade, I was learning how to play it and all the little things about it. This year, I was just trying to play a little bit of varsity. I did play some of the games, but I spent most of my time on JV, and this year I’m really looking to play and get quality reps.
Was the transition from DB to receiver smooth for you?
It was a little hard; I’m still trying to figure it out. I had to go through the basics, watch videos, and get help from many coaches.
Who have been some of the biggest influences in your journey? Family members, coaches, etc?
My coach at Northwest and one of my homeboys for sure. He’s a quarterback, so every time I wanted to practice, we would work on routes together and try to figure things out.
How would you describe the football culture at your school, community, and in Louisiana?
It’s amazing. Louisiana has a lot of great football players, and we in particular have a really big fanbase.
Do you have a core memory of playing as a little kid, like when you first started playing?
Yes. I scored a touchdown when I was wide open. I ran a fade, and I just got that open, and I scored that touchdown, and everybody was very happy celebrating with my dad and me.
Was playing WR something you always wanted to do, or did you have another position in mind at first?
I wanted to play receiver, but they already had enough in sixth grade, so I was put at DB. I was actually doing well, so I stuck with that. Then, in high school, I moved to receiver, as I said, and I’m still learning a lot.
What’s something about your game that you think separates you from other players at your position?
I have quickness that confuses defenders, I have great ball skills, and very good catching. I have been doing a lot practices on releases, getting off the ball. People that we have played at Northwest, they really can’t go it as well as I can.
What part or parts of your game do you feel like have improved the most over the years, and what would you like to improve on?
Route running, I have greatly improved at, being able to break down, and get out of the break. Releases and being shifty because I’m undersized, so I’ve got to do something about that. Really, what I need to work on is speed; I need to get fast.
Do you do track as well to help with that speed?
Yes. I run the 1600, 800, and 400. I’m third in the parish at the 1600. I really want to do the 100 and 200. In practice, I’ll do them, but at the meets, unfortunately, I’m just not as fast as most of the guys there, and they’re running 10-second times. The 400 has been helping me a little because that’s like a full-on sprint the whole lap. I did it in like 53 seconds.
Walk me through your preparation during a typical game day.
Wake up, get ready, pack all my gear, look in the mirror, make sure I look good. Get to school, get to class, talk with my friends, do some work up until after school, get out there, put on the gear, making sure I look good on the field. Listen to music. If it’s an away game, I have my headphones in for most of the time since I’m trying to lock in. Then I just get to the game and just do what I do.
What were some of the toughest challenges you faced over the years of playing thus far?
I’m undersized, so, like, freshman year, I was around 5’3″. I was really short, and nobody thought I could be as good as the players on the team because the starting receivers are like 6’3″ and all big. This whole time, I have just been watching what they do, practicing and working on things so I can do it better than them when I get that opportunity, when it comes like this year.
What was the most memorable game you played, and why did it stand out?
In one of the JV games, I was starting, and I jumped up and caught a ball like over two people, and then I scored a touchdown two plays later on the corner, so that was my first high school touchdown in general. I made a big play, so it was memorable.
How would you describe yourself as a leader to your teammates?
I’ve been working hard to become a good leader. I’ve been watching the people above me a lot to learn from them. This year, I want to prove I can be a real voice and show I can do many things for the team. In track, I am a leader, but in school, I get some honor roles.
When people look back at your high school career, what do you hope they say about you as a player and person?
That no matter if everyone doubts you, you’re small, you didn’t get enough playing time right now, you look like you don’t have an opportunity, you keep working and grinding. I want to become a great leader in the next few years, so that everyone sees me as that, and others can become leaders too.
Did you play any other sports when you were younger, or do you do any others now?
I played basketball when I was younger too.
What was the Breaux Bridge Gridiron Football camp experience like?
It was a good experience because last year I went to some of them and tried to win MVP. This year, I’m really trying to be the best, and when summer hits, I’ll definitely be going to more. It really helps because it tells me where I’m at, since there are always other people coming from different schools, and some of the schools you’ve probably already played.
What were some of your biggest takeaways from it? What is something you learned the most?
Some of the coaches really taught me how to read defenses and see where I have to be to get the ball, because sometimes you can’t run into somebody; you’ve got to find a hole in the coverage and get the ball. They also taught me some different drills to work on, like getting out of your break and catching the ball more effectively.
How much has playing college football been on your mind recently?
I really want to play like I’ve been planning it all out and see what I have to do. It doesn’t matter if it’s D1, D2, JUCO, anything.
What has the recruitment process been like for you? Are you getting in contact with any college coaches?
Not yet. I’m just a sophomore, so I don’t think you can get recruited until like your junior year or so. This year, I’ll be getting in touch with a lot of coaches and trying to get some varsity film so I can have something to go off of.
Is there a specific college or colleges you have in mind that you want to play for?
I really want to play for LSU, but you’ve got to be like really good, so it doesn’t matter if I go to a small college, learn, play, and get some film, because college coaches want players that can play.
Why do you believe you can be a difference maker wherever you end up?
I know everybody says they will work hard or whatever, but I’m not a quitter type of person, like no matter who’s doubting me, I always want to show that I can be a game-changing type of player just from being over there, and I’ll show them that I want to be on the field.
67
0
24.77k
20
