FAU Football: 5 reasons Devin Singletary is nation’s best running back

1. Elusiveness

Last, but certainly not least is Singletary’s elusiveness. Vision is nothing without elusiveness, and the ability to outsmart defenders and make them miss, and Singletary excels at that.

He has a devastating jump cut that he uses almost exclusively at the line of scrimmage to avoid slower defensive lineman or blitzing linebackers. When in open space, he has strong enough legs to plant his feet and make up three to four yards in a split second with a cut.

Those strong legs come in handy for outside runs as well. Singletary is as good as anyone and turning runs up field and becoming a downhill runner on every play. He cuts as soon as he has the edge, and forces defensive backs to play him aggressively instead of waiting on him.

His patience still needs work, as he occasionally gives up on plays when his blocks aren’t there, but when he has even an inch of room, he can make a play.

Singletary is not without issues. The patience, as I mentioned, needs improvement, but it’s not surprising to see a young back struggle with that. He also had some injury issues last season, missing three games, and struggling with a hamstring issue this offseason.

Next: Way-too-early 2019 NFL Mock Draft

Both of those issues are fixable, and if Singletary stays healthy, he’ll be even better than he was last season. That means that FAU could and should be on their way to a second C-USA title, and Singletary could very well be the best back in the country. The trick is getting people to notice what’s happening in Boca Raton. Hopefully this year, they do.