The Florida State football team has had its share of ups and downs this season and that is putting it lightly. There are still players on this team who are still giving effort and still believe in head coach Mike Norvell.
One of those players is Samuel Singleton Jr. and that may come as a surprise. If you know the Seminoles’ running back room, Singleton is maybe the fourth or fifth option depending on the availability of a few options.
In the era of the transfer portal and NIL, one would probably transfer if given Singleton’s situation after being at the bottom of the depth chart for multiple seasons. Singleton held multiple offers from Power 4 college football programs coming out of high school but chose FSU. Singleton has shown flashes throughout his career as a Nole, including a kickoff return for a touchdown in 2024 against Duke, but more was to be desired and the talented redshirt sophomore stayed the course.
“You got to stay the course,” Singleton said. “That's just part of the process. For me it was just trusting in the work and just coming every day with a high head and believing that my coaches were going to give me an opportunity and of course I got the opportunity last Saturday. So I took advantage of that.”
The steady course and development Singleton had been on finally came to fruition on Saturday night against Wake Forest as he ran for 94 yards on 14 carries with one touchdown.
“Obviously every player wants it all yesterday,” FSU coach Mike Norvell said. “Everybody wants the immediate, the fast, the feel-good, all those things. But, Sam, what I've really appreciated about his journey is, man, he understands exactly where he is. He understands the things that he needed to continue to grow and be better at. And every single day — he's been here for a few years, and I cannot think of a day where he hasn't showed up and just poured it in.”
Singleton isn’t the biggest of running backs, even though he weighs 201 pounds and stands at 5-foot-11. He showed on Saturday night his decisiveness in hitting his running lanes with authority. The Charleston, S.C., native has a compact running style but, once he gets a head of steam and starts gaining momentum, he is difficult to bring down.
The rare combination of power and speed were on display for the Demon Deacons to deal with on Saturday night, which was to no avail as they had trouble getting Singleton on the ground.
“Even the way that he's gone through practice, just the confidence that's growing in him for what he's being asked to do, how he's being asked to do it,” Norvell said. “He got to start, and he made the most of it.”
Singleton is now in the mix as a reliable option at running back is an interesting development moving forward. Ousmane Kromah, Gavin Sawchuk and Jaylin Lucas all ran well on Saturday, but none got the carries that Singleton did. Having a four-back rotation is a luxury most teams do not possess, but the coaching staff sees improvement and development with Singleton in practice and he produced vs. Wake.
“These last few weeks, and you can go back and you can look at spring, there's a flash. He would have his moments. Fall camp, there would be a flash,” Norvell said. “But now it's really starting to take hold. There was no hesitation tonight. He was confident. He trusted his eyes. He trusted his feet.
“I thought Coach (Gus) Malzahn and obviously the offensive staff put together a great plan of being able to create some space against a good Wake Forest defense, and the players took over from there, and Sam was a guy that definitely took advantage of it.”
Singleton’s teammates have seen his hard work in practices.
“I'm proud of him to be able to come in,” quarterback Tommy Castellanos said. “When his opportunity, when his name was called, he stepped up and he showed everyone what he can do. You guys will see a lot more of 28. ... Sam will be in there getting touches.”
Look for Singleton to continue to get more opportunities as a running back going forward when he returns to his home state of South Carolina where the Seminoles take on rival Clemson on Saturday.
“He knows there's still a lot of areas that he's got to grow and get better, but it's also a lesson to a lot of guys that are on our football team,” Norvell said. “It's just you stay the course and continue to control you and those areas of where you can get better, and great things can happen. It was a great game for him, but I think it's just the beginning for what's ahead.”
Thanks for reading the Osceola. Subscribe now for less than $70 annually to enjoy a full year of coverage of FSU athletics. You’ll also earn discounts at the Osceola’s merch store and Alumni Hall.
