Jun 15, 2023 3 min read

Football is in Kaeden Singleton’s blood.

The Canon-McMillan senior’s father, Matthew, played football at Pitt, and Kaeden wanted to follow in his dad’s footsteps ever since he first stepped on the gridiron.

“I have been playing football since I was five, and my dad played defensive end at Pitt, and he pushed me a lot,” Singleton said. “It is nice to be able to talk to my dad about football and what is needed to play at the next level.”

Singleton’s dream of playing collegiate football took a big step in becoming a reality on June 7 when he announced on his Twitter account he will suit up for the University of Delaware in the fall of 2024.

“When I went on a visit about a month ago, I knew I wanted to go to Delaware,” Singleton said. “It really felt like a family. They told me I will probably be a rush defensive end or true middle linebacker.”

Singleton is also a strong student, as he had offers from Ivy League schools, including Princeton, but felt like Delaware gave him the best chance to get to the next level.

“I liked Princeton and the program, but at Delaware, it seems like they really care about the athletes, and helping them get to the pros,” Singleton said. “I really liked the weight room at Delaware and how they treat their football players.”

Singleton’s passion for football is evident, but he will not be taking any gimme courses, as he is considering studying business or engineering.

The 6-2, 228-pounder played linebacker and tight end last season for the Big Macs, who went 5-6 and lost in the WPIAL Class 6A semifinals to North Allegheny, 7-0. Singleton had 29 tackles and four sacks and pulled in 14 receptions for 155 yards and scored two touchdowns. He was second team all-conference.

“I think my class has really matured,” Singleton said. “I believe we have a shot at winning this year.”

Mike Evans has seen what Singleton can do on the football field as the Big Macs’ head coach, and knew Singleton had the tools to be a Division I football player but needed to believe in himself.

“I’ve known Kaeden since he was in fifth grade and knew he could do it, but he is a shy kid and had to grow over the years,” Evans said. “Kaeden has gotten confident, but he is not arrogant and never showboats. He takes hard coaching and criticism and never misses a practice. I am extremely happy for Kaeden.”

Evans stated Singleton had 21 or 22 offers, including six or seven Ivy League schools, and some Power 5 conference schools were starting to show interest.

“Manny Rojas (defensive coordinator) recruited him at Delaware, which is a premier FCS program,” Evans said. “Kaeden is a terror on the football field, and he is an outstanding kid with a 3.6 or 3.7 GPA. It is a perfect mix.”

Singleton could be the first of several Canon-McMillan football players that head to a Division I program in 2024, which is something Evans takes great pride in as he enters his eighth season at the helm.

“We may send four kids to Division I schools this year,” Evans said. “We really work with our kids in teaching them to not only be good football players, but good people because college coaches look at that, too. I coached college for 16 years and kids need to have that combination of being outstanding academically and athletically and being a good person.”