GTK: Singleton will be counted on to help shore up secondary

DeShon Singleton was one of three junior college signees during the early NCAA signing period for NU that began classes in January. He will be counted on to provide immediate depth in helping to replace multi-year starters Deontai Williams and Marquel Dismuke. He will have three seasons of eligibility left on the Division I level, and he also still has his redshirt year to utilize if needed.

Husker head coach Scott Frost gave his signing day comments about Singleton:

“DeShon is a junior college safety from Hutch (Hutchinson CC). He is a kid originally from Louisiana who came up on a midweek visit last week. We actually started watching him over the course of the fall semester and during the season, and we are really impressed with him. We just needed to get around him and make sure that he was our kind of guy. (Coach Fisher) drove all the way to Hutch to watch a game the weekend before he came up. He was here on a Wednesday-Thursday visit. We are really excited about him. Safety is one spot on our roster where we are a little short on numbers, and I think he is going to be a really good addition that will hopefully come in and compete right away.”

Below is another in our series of “Getting to know you” features which we will be running on the members of Nebraska’s 2022 recruiting class. We will be doing the GTKs of all the early enrollees first, and then completing the rest of the class.

DeShon Singleton

Position: Safety

Hutchinson (Kan.) C.C.

Current size: 6-foot-3, 200-pounds

Rankings: Singleton is rated a 5.5 three-star by Rivals.

Statistics: Singleton helped lead Hutchinson CC to a 9-2 record, a top-10 ranking and a victory in the Salt City Bowl this past season. It was his only season as a Hutch Blue Dragon. In 2021, he had 21 total tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and two pass breakups.

Other schools offering scholarships: Kansas State, Kansas, Louisiana-Lafayette, Tulane, Hawaii, Buffalo, Toledo and Akron.

What do you do in your spare time?

“I like to hoop and ride horses. I play hoops at my old high school. I ride horses around my area of Amite, Louisiana. I own a horse and my cousin has one, too. My horse is named ‘Blaze’. My little brother named him. He’s a new horse that I’ve had for a couple months, but I had another one for like two years. I’m kind of a country boy, but not really. No.”

What food do you like the best?

“I’d say crawfish prepared the Louisiana way.”

What is your favorite television show?

“I like Hunter x Hunter. It’s anime. I watch it on Netflix.”

Do you have a favorite movie?

“Well, my favorite movie is Coach Carter. It’s a basketball movie and I grew up watching it.”

What type of music do you listen to and who is your favorite musical artist?

“I listen to rap and my favorite artist is Lil Baby.”

Who is your celebrity crush?

“No, I don’t think [I have one].”

Who has provided great inspiration to you in your life?

“My dad and a couple of my past coaches.”

What person(s) from history or alive today would you most like to sit down and have dinner with?

“I’d say Deion Sanders. I would just like to talk to him about his life and his game. That’s it.”

Do you have a nickname?

“Nah, I don’t have a nickname.”

What is something very few people know about you?

“People don’t know that I ride horses.”

If football wasn’t an option, what would your dream career be?

“I would own my own business. That way I could work for myself.”

Do you have a major picked out yet?

“Yeah, I’m going to do exercise science.”

Have you met all the academic requirements to enroll at Nebraska?

“Yeah. I have three years and a redshirt year left.”

Who is your favorite football player of all-time?

“I’d say Deion Sanders. Man, he just brought so much energy to the game of football and he was an athlete, too. He was amazing! He stood out, you know?”

Who is the best football player you’ve personally played against in a game?

“I’d say Cameron Henderson. He’s from Amite and went to a different high school. He plays receiver now, but he was a quarterback then. He was electric!”

What has been the most memorable moment on the football field so far in your career?

“Getting a big interception in our conference championship game for Hutch. It was in the second quarter and I returned it for like 40 yards.”

Which school are you most looking forward to playing against in college?

“I would say Michigan. I grew up watching these teams, so it’s exciting that I will be able to play against these teams in these stadiums. Really, all of them.”

Do you have a pre-game ritual?

“No.”

Did you play other sports growing up or in high school?

“Yeah, I played basketball my whole life until I went to college.”

What is the one thing you most need to work on to play at the next level?

“I mean, I really can’t just point out one thing because you have to work on everything. So, I would say everything.”

How often do you work out and what is your routine?

“I work out twice a day. In the mornings I will hit the weight room, and then in the evenings I will do some field work.”

What did you know about the Nebraska football program before they offered and started recruiting you?

“I didn’t know much about it, to be real. I didn’t know a whole lot.”

Do you have any family ties to the Husker football program or the state of Nebraska?

“No.”

How did you inform the Nebraska staff of your commitment?

“I talked to Coach Fish. I told him that I wanted to be a part of this atmosphere and I am committing. That’s what I told him. He said, ‘Are you serious?’ I told him I was dead serious.”

What were the major determining factors in your picking Nebraska and signing with the Huskers?

“It was really how I connected with the people there and how I connected with the team.”

Did the Nebraska coaches do anything unique when they were recruiting you that other colleges didn’t?

“No, I wouldn’t say that.”

Which Nebraska coach do you feel especially close to?

“Coach Fisher because he’s the one I communicate with the most.”

What was the best feature of your official visit to Nebraska?

“It’s when they took me to the [athletic performance center]. I loved that! It was so cool because they can track your body movements, and they were doing all kinds of stuff that I hadn’t even thought about. I didn’t even know this stuff existed. You know?

Did Nebraska’s weather factor into your recruitment?

“Nah, it didn’t affect it at all. When I went on my visit there, it was like 27°. The weather is what it is.”

Did you make friends with any current players at Nebraska or incoming freshmen during the process?

“I haven’t really made friends with nobody yet, but I’ve met some people.”

What did you think of Nebraska’s season?

“I mean, I feel mostly all of those games could have been won. I feel like next year can be different. It really can because they lost every game by a possession. That’s something you can work on and I feel like last season as the past right now.”

What’s the funniest or craziest thing that happened to you during the recruiting process?

“No, nothing like that.”

What was your favorite moment during the recruiting process?

“Me signing those papers, that letter of intent, and making it real.”

What was the worst moment during the recruiting process?

“I didn’t really have a worst moment. It was all good.”

What is one thing you learned that you would share with a recruit going through the process now?

“Just be honest. Be honest with the coaches.”

Which schools tried to get in the picture with you and wanted you to visit after you committed to Nebraska?

“Colorado, Tulsa, Utah, Fresno State. There were a couple of schools.”

Which school would you have chosen if you hadn’t decided in favor of Nebraska?

“KU. When I went on my visit there I loved it and my mom loved it. Something just felt right about KU. If Nebraska wasn’t in the picture, I probably would have went there.”

What position will you be playing at Nebraska?

“I’m playing safety.”

Are you expecting to redshirt your first year at Nebraska?

“No.”

What number would you like to wear at Nebraska?

“7.”

What are your goals for your first year in college?

“I want to be an All-American.”

What will you bring to Nebraska as far as a strong point?

“You’re going to get a competitor. You’re going to get somebody that wants to win and be a good teammate.”

What would you like to say to the Nebraska fans?

“You’re going to get somebody that likes to work and work hard. Someone who will compete and not quit. Go Huskers!”