Dom Amore: This former CT college player hopes to be a pro football trailblazer

At SCSU, Singh, 6 feet 1 and 285 pounds, settled in as an interior lineman and played in eight games for then head coach Tom Godek and Eggerling, who is now at Fordham, getting in on 10 tackles, one for a loss. “That was one of the most talented rosters I’ve ever been a part of,” Singh said, “especially in the defensive line room. So I really grew as a player being surrounded by such talented guys.”

Then he moved on to Oklahoma Baptist, also a Division II program, getting in on 69 tackles in 22 games, making the all-conference team this past season, in which he played on 710 of 793 snaps, ironman stuff for a D-lineman. He found the scheme played more to his strengths, as position coach Tyler Roberts was instrumental in his development there.

“They gave me an opportunity to really show the world who I’ve been this whole time,” Singh said.

After the season, Singh signed with High Intensity Management and agent Willie Fowler and things have been happening. At Test Football Academy’s Pro Day in New Jersey, he achieved a 29 1/2 inch vertical jump, a 4.7-second time in the 5-10-5 (a 5-yard sprint to one side, a 10-yard sprint back, and a 5-yard sprint through the start line), and also did well in the three-cone agility drills.

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“He’s got some athletic ability for his size,” Eggerling said. “He’s got some strength, got some quickness, and for a guy his size he’s got good feet. That’s important for his position. He’s a smart football player and he uses his strengths to his advantage.”

Sanjay Beach, who played in the NFL in the late 1980s and 90s, and Brandon Chillar, who played in the 2000s, have Indian heritage. It’s believed Singh would be the first child of two Indian-born parents to play in the league, and his story has been covered by India’s international media. “That doesn’t create pressure,” he said. “It creates purpose.

“… It’s going to open up a whole new market for India and Indian-Americans who want to participate in this game,” Singh said. “It’s going to be an excellent venture for both sides. I’m going to be able to change people’s lives and make them dare to do something they thought they couldn’t or that’s viewed as taboo in their culture. I know there’s a bunch of kids who, deep down, would want to go through this process and achieve something even better than I can.”

At his pro day in New Jersey, he met with reps from the Giants, Jets, Patriots and 49ers. Singh’s NFL hopes, as a Division II player who bloomed so late, fall in the longshot category, but he’s been seen and and he brings some intangibles to go with the measurables. Once he gets on the field, he tends to show out, and now he has some film to back things up.

“I want (NFL teams) to know I embody a ‘last man standing’ attitude,” Singh said. “I may not be the most talented, the biggest, the strongest, but I know I am going to be the last man standing. That’s because of my durability and my will to win, because I have been in this college football journey for so long and I was able to thrive, toward the back end of my career when most people are on the way out. As the quarters wore on, I was even to pick up my motor a little bit in the fourth quarter, compared to dying out. The moment I walk into their facility, my sole purpose of existence is going to be to help them win.”