Wide receiver Dorian Singer ready to step in at USC
LOS ANGELES — Dorian Singer doesn’t need to look far to remember his roots. A quick glance down at his thigh pad and he can see the outline of his home state of Minnesota.
Growing up there, he received 14 offers from FCS-level programs. But he thought he deserved a shot at Division-I college football. So he moved to Arizona, a decision that saw him lose his previous opportunities. As the pandemic hit and took away opportunities to showcase his talent, he found himself a high school graduate with no college team to join.
Two months before the preseason, the University of Arizona offered him a preferred walk-on spot. Singer took that chance and by the time his sophomore season was over, he was the Pac-12’s leading receiver with 66 catches for 1,105 yards and six touchdowns.
“This whole process for me has been different than for everybody else,” Singer said. “If you believe, then things just happen.”
Singer’s journey has now brought him to Los Angeles. He entered the transfer portal after the 2022 season and committed to USC in December.
Even as a sophomore at Arizona, Singer monitored the Trojans in their first year under Lincoln Riley. With the Wildcats relegated to so many night games, he watched USC as he waited for kickoff. He liked the deep shots the offense took, the trust Riley put in his receivers and quarterback to make those plays.
When he got to see the Trojans up close, Singer stole the show for long portions of the game, catching seven passes for 141 yards and three scores, each more logic-defying than the last.
“I remember my family came,” Singer said. “I remember I think it was my second touchdown, I pointed at my family.”
When he entered the transfer portal in December, he was looking for a new opportunity in a winning culture. The day the portal opened, he received a call from USC receivers coaches Dennis Simmons and Luke Huard.
He wasn’t the only Wildcat to get that call. Defensive lineman Kyon Barrs posted his offer on Twitter, and Singer reached out to see what he was thinking. Soon after, Arizona corner Christian Roland-Wallace got in the mix, too.
“We all three came in together. We had a good bond at Arizona,” Singer said.
Singer is working at the X and Z receiver spots for USC this spring. He’s finding that because Riley’s Air Raid is so conceptually focused that if he knows what he’s doing on a play, he also understands what his teammates are doing.
He’s a long way from where he started three years ago, with no offers and nowhere to go. But he doesn’t need to look far for a reminder.
“Hard work goes a long way,” Singer said. “I just believed in myself and the results showed.”