Marcus Singletary was a starting defensive back on Bradwell Institute’s last top 10 team, one that outscored opponents 321-96 and nearly upset No. 1 ranked Camden County at home in the regular season finale.

He hopes to bring some of that style of defense back to BI as the school’s defensive coordinator. But it’s been a circuitous trip back to Hinesville for Singletary, who left Hinesville in 2005 to play basketball and football at Rainy River Community College in International Falls, Minn.

Singletary had to go the JUCO route after falling two points short of the necessary score on the science portion of the Georgia High School Graduation Test.

Fast forward to now and Singletary is a science teacher at BI. This after he went from making the Deans List at Rainy River to graduating from – and playing football for – the University of Minnesota.

“If you would’ve told me back then that 20 years later I would be defensive coordinator and a physical science teacher at my high school, trust me, I absolutely would not have believed that,” Singletary said. “I’m still processing everything.”

Since graduating from Minnesota, Singletary has gained plenty of experience. He worked a bit for Nike in Atlanta, then joined up with former Liberty County football standout Cedric Dickerson at Lassiter High, where Singletary was an assistant coach for football, track, basketball and even served as a strength and conditioning coach for lacrosse. He then spent a year on the staff at Walton High before becoming a coach with Cam Newton’s C1N 7-on-7 league.

Singletary spent five years with C1N, and said he “had the privilege” of helping coach players such as Denver Broncos quarterback Box Nix, Dallas Cowboys receiver George Pickens and Travis Hunter, who recently became the No. 2 pick in the NFL draft.  Then came a stint working for Jay Johnson as a personal coach to Johnson’s son, Florida State standout running back Jeremiah Johnson, a stint Singletary said he is thankful for.

Meanwhile, Bradwell coach Deshon Brock said he’s glad to have Singletary on his staff, and believes he can help bring the Tigers back to where they once were. During Singletary’s senior season, the Tigers got to 9-0 and were ranked in the top 10 before suffering a narrow 14-12 loss at home to then No. 1 Camden County to end the regular season.

Bradwell then fell to Houston County in the opening round of the state Class AAAAA playoffs.

“Coach Singletary possesses a wealth of knowledge, having played the game at the Division 1 level and previously being part of some pretty good programs, whether that’s high school football or C1N,” Brock said. “He has a passion and a drive for seeing his alma mater get back to the heights it once was at and an even greater desire to see young men succeed. I think it’s a winning combination.”

Singletary, an avid reader who among others quotes motivational speaker Zig Ziglar, recalled taking a class at Minnesota about becoming a “citizen-athlete,” and being a servant leader. He said he’d begun thinking of coming back to try to make a difference in the community he grew up in.  That led him to return to BI last August, where shortly before the 2024 season started he took a job coaching the safeties while also teaching science all as part of what Singletary called “a crash course for this moment.”

He said he saw the play of his unit improve over time last season and believes the Tigers can again be competitive, and recalled an old chestnut from his former defensive coordinator, Jeff Miller.

“We’re going to be a blue-collar defense,” Singletary said. “We’re going to be disciplined, we’re going to play nasty, we’re going to be consistent and our goal is to take it one play at a time. We want to win that down, and the next one.”

It won’t come easy, Singletary added, saying players will have to work to reach their goals.

 He knows that first hand. There’s a story in the Courier archives from his signing with Rainy River in which he tells the reporter he’s ready to do what it takes to be successful.

“Everyone is going to go through adversity. Either let it make you or break you,” Singletary said in 2005. “When you do go through it, you got to focus. You have to stay focused, grounded and keep your eyes on the prize. If you have determination and strive for better things, then better things will come to you.”

Twenty years later, Singletary reiterated that approach.

“I didn’t just say it,” he said. “I lived it.”

Bradwell will play its spring game this Friday night against Portal at Olvey Field/Hokey Jackson Stadium.