Singer a studious student for the Blue and Gold

Dorian Singer is proud of his path.

For the Winnipeg Blue Bombers receiver hopeful, those twists and turns included the decision to leave Minnesota for Arizona for his final year of high school football.

A two-way player that was turning heads as a receiver and safety, Singer felt the move would lead to more scholarship opportunities at a Power 5 school and the sacrifice was one he was willing to make — even if it meant his parents had to sign over legal guardianship to the Dampier family at the time.

“My journey is different from everybody else’s, which I love,” said Singer. “I take pride in what I do because I know it hasn’t been easy for me. The easiest way is to give up and I haven’t given up. I keep taking those steps forward to elevate myself.”

Those steps included a strong showing in the Blue Bombers pre-season game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday, making three catches for 59 yards and adding 82 yards on three kickoff returns.

To suggest it hasn’t been a straight line for Singer arriving in his first CFL camp is a massive understatement.

Singer was a star player at Pinnacle and ended up playing two seasons with the University of Arizona Wildcats (where he had 66 catches, 1,105 receiving yards and six touchdowns as a sophomore), then entered the transfer portal and joined the University of Southern California Trojans, where the quarterback was Heisman Trophy hopeful Caleb Williams, who was the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears.

“The biggest takeaway I got was that he can extend any play, so don’t ever think the play is over with because he’s going to escape the pocket and make a ridiculous throw,” said Singer. “So, always be quarterback friendly. Making sure you know what the quarterback is going to do, so you can be aware of his decisions.”

Singer entered the transfer portal one more time, spending his final season with the University of Utah Utes, where he had 53 receptions for 702 yards and a touchdown.

Although he was passed over in the 2025 NFL Draft, he was signed as a college free agent by the Jacksonville Jaguars and joined the practice roster after a steady training camp where he turned heads as a returner.

Singer, who is now 23, ended up getting released by the Jaguars prior to Week 1 of the NFL season, but the experience helped prepare him for this current chance to show what he can do in the three-down game with the Bombers.

“I learned a lot and learned to be where my feet are,” said Singer. “I’m a good receiver, I can run routes and catch the ball, but what can you do after that?”

Well, the early returns for Singer have been favourable as he’s caught the attention of Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea.

“He’s a guy who came in and was trying to learn the CFL game and he worked hard at it — and it’s paid dividends for him because the quarterbacks are finding him every single day,” said O’Shea. “He’s walking the field, with the script in his hand, lining up, moving into the plays and getting that extra work in after. Generally speaking, he brings some other guys with him to do it. So, he’s learning and teaching by learning and teaching at the same time. Then, he’s obviously a skilled returner and a very good receiver, too.

“But what I notice is the amount of work he’s doing when nobody is watching.”

By his own admission, Singer didn’t know much about the CFL before signing a contract with the Bombers but his classroom work began well before arriving in Manitoba.

“I did a lot of YouTube study. I watched almost every single Bomber game from last year,” said Singer. “I looked up the rules that are different from the NFL. I just did a lot of research for three months before I arrived, so I could be kind of up to date. I’m still learning as we go every day, learning new rules about the punt returns and the kickoffs and stuff like that.”

Not only has Singer been immersed in learning the playbook, he’s keeping his eyes on the veteran receivers in camp to see what he might be able to add to his growing bag of tricks.

“Certain moves that I haven’t done in the past, where I think, ‘Let me at least try it to see if I can incorporate that into my bag,’” said Singer, noting that Blue Bombers ace returner Trey Vaval has been offering helpful hints on special teams as well. “Being a student of the game, I can also be a teacher of the game. But being a student is what makes me a good teacher.”

Another important thing Singer is in the process of doing is earning the trust of Bombers starting quarterback Zach Collaros.

“He’s a great athlete. They’re all great athletes but he catches the ball effortlessly,” said Collaros. “He runs good routes and he’s been really able to apply what he’s learned in the classroom on the field. There hasn’t been a huge drop-off. Usually, you see guys drop off on Day 6, 7 or 8 but he’s done a good job of really grasping it.

“It’s great. There have been years where there’s not one guy like that. But we have three or four this year. They all have really good attitudes, but three or four (receivers) have really stood out.”

Collaros’ words only reinforce how slim the margins are when it comes to trying to separate yourself from the pack and trying to nail down a roster spot.

But given what Singer has endured just to get to this point, it’s no surprise to hear he’s not putting any additional pressure on himself leading into Friday’s final pre-season game against the B.C. Lions (7:30 p.m. kickoff).

“Yeah, I’m trying to secure a roster spot, but I have that in the back of my mind,” said Singer. “I’m just trying to go out there, play football and be the best player I can be out there for the team, do what the team needs and show up every day with the same energy and big-play ability, to show my ability and what I can do on and off the field.”

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