With so much hype surrounding newcomers Jacob Cowing and Tetairoa McMillan, it’s easy to forget about fellow receiver Dorian Singer.
That would be a mistake.
Coming off a promising freshman season, Singer is running right alongside Cowing and McMillan with Arizona’s first-team offense during spring practice. Since he arrived on campus as a preferred walk-on last year, Singer has played his way into a prominent role. He caught 18 passes for 301 yards last season, accumulating all those numbers in the final five games.
“He just kept working,” UA receivers coach Kevin Cummings said. “We got to a point in practice where he just kept making plays and making plays, and as a staff we were like, ‘We gotta give this guy a chance.’”
The first opportunity came against USC. Singer caught three passes for 65 yards in his collegiate debut.
“It really wasn’t too overwhelming,” Singer said. “I got in and took a deep breath: ‘OK, I can do this. I’m out here for a reason.’”
Singer didn’t expect to play for Arizona. He had moved to Phoenix from St. Paul, Minnesota, to increase his exposure. After a stellar senior season at Pinnacle High School in which he earned all-state recognition, Singer was ready to commit to Texas. But Tom Herman and his staff got fired. That left Singer in something of a state of limbo.
Jedd Fisch and his staff offered Singer a preferred walk-on spot. He wasn’t interested at first. But his high school coaches convinced him it would be a good idea. Less than a year later, Singer earned a scholarship.
He’s far from satisfied.
The Wildcats didn’t just add Cowing and McMillan to the receiver room. They also signed three-star prospects Kevin Green Jr. and AJ Jones. All have impressed during spring camp.
“It pushes me to be the best I can be,” Singer said. “Because if I see a freshman coming in working, it’s like, ‘What are you doing?’
“To get to the next level, there’s something that has to be done different. Everybody can go to practice. What are you doing outside of that?”
Singer said he wakes up at 5:30 a.m. every day and spends as much time in the football facility as his academic schedule will allow. Singer’s work ethic since returning from winter break reminds Cummings of the way Stanley Berryhill III approached last offseason. Berryhill earned the No. 1 jersey and finished second in the Pac-12 in receptions.
“When we got back (he had) a whole different mindset,” Cummings said of Singer. “He’s out there as much as he can. He’s in the office as much as he can. He’s in the weight room, training room as much as he can – really that Stanley-like work mindset that has elevated his game.”
‘Next kick’
Tyler Loop served as Arizona’s part-time kicker last season, and the second-year freshman took advantage of every opportunity he received.
Loop attempted 12 field goals and 12 extra points. He made them all.
But as he enters this season with an expanded role, Loop understands that his past accomplishments don’t matter much.
“It’s kind of a cool thing to be like, ‘Oh, I went 12 for 12.’ However, it is always next kick,” Loop said. “That’s one of the biggest things I work on. ‘OK, I made it. Cool, whatever. Gotta make the next one. Miss? Cool, whatever. Gotta make the next one.’”
Loop also isn’t taking his position for granted – even though he’s the only kicker currently on the roster, and if Arizona adds another, it’ll be a walk-on. Chasing veteran Lucas Havrisik kept Loop motivated the past two seasons.
“Just because he’s gone, I can’t back off and be ... comfortable now,” Loop said. “There’s always an opportunity for them to bring someone in. So staying on my game, focusing on the little things, really honing in on my craft even more now.
“Trying to beat myself every day. That’s the biggest thing.”
Laces out
Loop is working with a new holder in punter Kyle Ostendorp. Arizona’s snapper for the fourth straight season is Seth MacKellar. MacKellar, who came to Arizona as a walk-on before earning a scholarship in September 2020, is one of the best in the Pac-12.
“He is a machine,” Loop said. “He is elite at what he does. It gives me a lot of confidence.”
MacKellar is a detail-oriented player who believes he can deliver the ball to the holder in such a way that he doesn’t have to spin it to make the laces face the goalposts. That makes the entire operation smoother and more efficient.
“You just get a camera and see how many spins it’s taking,” MacKellar said. “So if it’s maybe just the laces are a quarter (turn) to the left, then you would switch it in your hands a quarter to the right.”
MacKellar has it down to a science. But Ostendorp, an aerospace engineering major, isn’t completely buying it.
“It’s not like that. You just snap the ball,” Ostendorp said with a smile. “All snappers are gonna say it’s the most complex thing.”
Extra points
Ostendorp on following up a season in which he was named first-team All-Pac-12: “That’s something I’m gonna be happy about, but that’s not something I want to be satisfied with. I definitely look at every single punt after every single game and see things I could have done better, some things I could have improved on to have even a better year.”
UA special teams coach Jordan Paopao on young players buying into special teams: “We talk about it being the price of admission, to be able to get (a) seat in the team room. Nobody was recruited to ‘R5’ on kickoff. Nobody was recruited to be the left guard on punt. Nobody sits in the living room and says that. But ... that’s your gift to the team. You show what kind of commitment you have. You show what kind of person you are by how important those downs are.”
Paopao said safeties Isaiah Taylor and Dalton Johnson and receiver Jalen Johnson have been among the standouts on special teams.
Receiver Ma’jon Wright and defensive lineman JB Brown returned to practice Friday after missing Wednesday’s session. Linebacker Anthony Solomon appeared to be a full participant after being limited earlier in the week.
Linebacker Jerry Roberts, who got banged up Wednesday, did not participate and is expected to be out for the remainder of spring. Roberts, who missed the end of last season because of a broken leg, should be fully available for the fall
Others who did not participate included offensive linemen Paiton Fears and Jacob Reece and defensive back Gunner Maldonado. With Fears out, Josh Donovan moved to right tackle, JT Hand shifted to left guard and Grayson Stovall worked at center.
