Jerry Singleton will transfer from Colorado State University next fall with a good chance to be the starting quarterback now that the historic career of Jay Fielder '94 is over.
While Coach John Lyons would not say that Singleton will get the starting nod, he did say that "we think he's a pretty good player" and that "we think he has the possibility of being a real good one."
Singleton, who is 6-foot-1 and 197 pounds, will be a junior, and will be able to play immediately, Lyons said.
Lyons has not seen Singleton play live, but said he was very impressed by films he saw of Singleton playing junior college football. Lyons said Singleton "throws the ball really well."
Singleton had 16 starts in junior college, winning 12 of them. According to Dartmouth's sports information, in 11 games two years ago he threw for more than 2,400 yards with 14 touchdowns and only six interceptions.
Singleton said in a telephone interview from CSU that he wanted to go to a school that had more of an emphasis on academics. He was on the second team at CSU, and said he would not get a chance to play until his senior year.
"I wanted to go to a school where I could play right away and one that had a good academic environment," he said.
His final choice came down to Dartmouth and the University of Pennsylvania. He said his choice of Dartmouth was "a gut feeling," but he pointed to Dartmouth's strong football tradition and good coaches.
Singleton listed experience and a knowledge of how to win as his two biggest assets. He also said he has a "pretty good" arm.
He said he wasn't sure if he would be a starter, but said he would do everything he could to help the team win.
Dartmouth recruited Singleton out of high school, but he wanted to go to a Division I scholarship school, Lyons said.
When no opportunity panned out, Singleton went to El Camino Junior College in Torrance, Calif. and led El Camino to the Northern Division junior college conference championship two years ago. He also was named to the all-conference team that year.
Last year, running back Pete Oberle '96 transferred from CSU and ended up being an honorable mention selection on the all-Ivy League team. When Singleton visited Dartmouth in January, he stayed with Oberle.
"It certainly helped," Singleton said. "He's a really good guy and he has a lot of positive things to say about the program."
Lyons said there was no "CSU Connection" between Oberle and Singleton because the two did not go to school at the same time.
