"Alabama offered me a couple weeks back," stated Tobias Singleton.
"And I think Oklahoma State is about to offer too. That is about it right
now."
Which brings his scholarship offer to?
"I do not know how many off of the top of my head, but Ole Miss, MSU, USM,
Alabama, and Texas Tech have all given me written scholarship offers."
How did the Alabama scholarship offer go down?
"They faxed it to the school like Ole Miss, MSU, and USM did, and then
Coach Hall got me on the phone with Coach Saban and he offered me. He told me
they needed a receiver like me. They watched my film, and they said they needed
a game breaker like me. He said he was looking for another Julio Jones, and
he liked my hands and ability to separate from the defenders."
What is going on with Oklahoma State?
"I talked to their coach, and they are looking for me to come in for a
visit. Coach (Gunter) Brewer said even if I do not commit to OSU, I need to
find the best college for me. He is a real cool coach to talk to."
Many of the prospects have been touring around attending various Jr Day events,
but the 2009 1st Team All-State selection is not one of them.
"I have not been anywhere yet. I have just been preparing for track and
getting back in shape. A lot of schools have invited me to their Jr Days. Schools
like Alabama, Ole Miss, Penn State, Southern Cal, Oklahoma State, Florida State,
Tennessee, MSU, USM, and Notre Dame, but I have just been busy with track."
Tobias made a name for himself in track his freshman season when he finished
3rd in the state of Mississippi in the 100 meter race and 2nd in the 200 event.
"I have always loved running track. It helps you with your explosion in
football and keeps you in a competitive mode."
Singleton's sophomore season saw him earn All-State in both football and track.
"I finished 2nd (in State) in the 100 and 200 meter events I think I ran
a 10.7 in the 100 meter race and a 21.00 flat in the 200. In football, I had
48 catches for 947 yards receiving and 13 TD's."
This past season Tobias totaled 1, 491 All-Purpose yards which included over
900 receiving yards and a 20 plus per catch average. He is hoping to win the
gold this time around in track.
"We get District started in a week so I am pretty excited to start the
journey. I feel like I am faster and quicker than I was last year so I am excited
to see how fast I can go."
The Madison Central head coach feels like Tobias is the best all-around athlete
in the state of Mississippi.
"Tobias is special now," added the always colorful Bobby Hall. "He
just has a different gear that most people do not have. I really think he will
be the top prospect in football and track out of Mississippi. He will be even
better next year because we are going to run him in the Wild Cat about a dozen
plays a game this year."
What makes Tobias so special?
"He just has great speed and explosion," added Hall. "He also
has exceptional hand eye coordination, but he has that great football speed.
Tobias is a true sub 4.4 guy that can go 80 or 90 on you anytime he touches
the ball. As just a sophomore for us, he ran back 3 kickoffs for TD's and 4
last year. I bet they do not kick it to him much this season (laugh). You know,
out of all of the great players I have coached in the past, I have never had
one that ended up starting in the NFL. Rufus French got hurt or he would have.
Vincent Brownlee and Joe Gunn were close, and probably the closest to make it
was Willie Evans. He had a great career for me at Wayne County and Mississippi State. I think Carlton Martin could be another Willie Evans. But out of all
of them, I would say that Tobias has the best chance to one day be a star in
the NFL. He has everything they are looking for."
Who are the main colleges involved right now?
"MSU, Ole Miss, USM, and Alabama are the ones that have told me they have
offered. Southern Cal is hounding us everyday about Tobias. We get a stack of
letters everyday as thick as your Sears catalog. It is amazing at the number
of schools who are interested in Tobias."
Which colleges are coming after the 4-Star WR the hardest right now?
"Right now I have to go with Ole Miss and Alabama," stated Singleton.
"They are like head to head with the way they talk. Those two are coming
after me the hardest."
What is going on with Ole Miss lately?
"They are writing me a lot of letters. They are telling me I am the only
person they want at my position. They want me to come to their last Jr Day on
March 27th, and I am planning on going to it."
The Rebels inked two of his good friends and teammates, Bryon Bennett and Carlton
Martin, in February. But there are other positives for Ole Miss with Singleton.
"I just like their staff. They are real cool people. I can talk about anything
with those guys. They just make me feel at home. I also like their offense.
They run a lot of Wild Rebel, and they are going to run even more sets of it
this season. That is what I like to do, run the Wild Cat. I think I would fit
in well with that offense."
Anymore Jr Days on tap?
"I am going to try and go see Alabama next month, and I want to try and
get over to MSU's Jr Day in a couple of weeks. They are wanting me to come over
there. I will be taking some trips this summer for sure. I am going to a lot
of camps. I plan on camping at Penn State, Ole Miss, FSU, and probably North Carolina, Mississippi State, and Southern Miss. I will be visiting a lot of
schools after track season is over."
What is going on with Mississippi State?
"I was supposed to go to their last Jr Day, but it was snowing that day
so I could not make it. Their coach called me, and we talked about me coming
over there soon. They said they need a receiver with my type of speed. He said
they have some playmakers at receiver, but they did not have anyone with my
speed."
Is there anybody who has not offered that looks to be getting close to offering?
"LSU has been sending a lot of letters. I think they are planning on offering
me pretty soon. They have been talking pretty good."
Which school would Tobias like to start recruiting him harder?
"Probably the Gators, especially the Gators. I just like the hype they
get and all of the skilled players that come out of there. I just like the atmosphere
down there."
Which schools does Singleton still have his eye on?
"Wow, I would have to go with Alabama, FSU, Southern Cal, Oklahoma State,
Oklahoma, Ole Miss, MSU, USM, TTech, and Vandy."
Yancy Porter is the Recruiting Manager for the State of Mississippi and he
can be reached at yporter@scout.com
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