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Former South Medford standout Mitch Singler embracing role as Duke graduate assistant courtesy Duke Athletics Duke University graduate assistant Mitch Singler surveys the field during a recent spring football practice. Singler, a former South Medford High standout who also played and coached at Oregon State University, where he had worked as a quality control coach on offense for the Beavers since 2014, assisting with running backs, receivers and special teams. Singler embarked on a five-day road trip across the country from Oregon to North Carolina earlier this month to begin the next chapter of his coaching career. Wednesday Mar 28, 2018 at 5:57 PM Mar 28, 2018 at 5:57 PM Dan Jones Mail Tribune @danjonesmt Social media can be colossal waste of time. It can also be the link to your next job. Just ask Mitch Singler. The former South Medford High football standout and Oregon State University walk-on used Twitter to connect with the coaching staff at Duke University. One thing led to another, and now the 27-year-old is a graduate assistant with the Blue Devils. Singler embarked on a five-day road trip across the country from Oregon to North Carolina earlier this month to begin the next chapter of his coaching career. He had worked as a quality control coach on offense for the Beavers since 2014, assisting with running backs, receivers and special teams. Looking to expand his knowledge and network, Singler recently turned to Twitter. “I have always been a fan of (head coach) David Cutcliffe,” says Singler, who played receiver at OSU before graduating with a marketing degree in 2013. “So I started following guys on the staff. I followed the corners coach, Derek Jones, then my main connection was the running back coach, Re’quan Boyette. He followed me back. We started talking and sending ideas back and forth. This last January, we went to Charlotte, North Carolina, for the NCAA coaches convention. I hit up Boyette and we met. Somehow, someway, I made an impression.” When the graduate assistant spot opened, Boyette let Singler know. That’s when Singler began fielding a series of phone calls from Blue Devils staffers. Co-defensive coordinator Ben Albert FaceTimed him. “The whole staff was there,” Singler recalls. “We talked and it turned into a little bit of an interview. He asked a simple question: ‘Why Duke?’ That kind of hit me. I guess I gave him a good response and that following Monday, this was really cool — I get a FaceTime call from coach Cutcliffe. Here I am FaceTiming with a legend. It was just surreal. At the end of the conversation, he said he’d heard enough and said we want you here.” Singler and his wife, Janae, packed up and hit the road in separate vehicles, making stops in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Oklahoma. In Oklahoma City, Mitch connected with cousin Kyle Singler, the former South Medford and Duke star and current Thunder player. After that, there was one more break in Tennessee before they arrived in Durham, North Carolina. Going from offense to defense, Singler is now working with the Blue Devils’ linebackers. Schools can have four graduate assistants, Singler says, with two on offense and two on defense. It’s an on-field position, which is different than his previous spot at OSU. He can also recruit and, starting next fall, he’ll pursue a master’s degree. Spring practices began last week. The Blue Devils went 7-6 last season, and have been a program on the rise under Cutcliffe. He helped Duke break an 18-year bowl drought and, in 2013, he guided the Blue Devils to the Atlantic Coast Conference Coastal Division championship and the first 10-win season in school history. Cutcliffe said he’s excited to have Singler join the staff. “You can tell right away that Mitch is the son of a coach, and that’s a good thing, and that he comes from a family where both academics and athletics are important,” Cutcliffe says. “His experiences as a student-athlete and member of the staff at Oregon State will help our program grow as he takes another step in the coaching profession. On the front end, I had really good conversations about Mitch with Mike Riley, who is a close friend of mine, and Jonathan Smith. And of course, with Kyle, there is the family connection to Duke.” Mitch is studying diligently to learn all things Duke football. “I’m learning all the finer details,” Singler says. “It’s crazy how much football you thought you knew but didn’t. If you want to be a successful coach in the Power Five conferences, you have to learn obviously both sides of the ball and be position specific. Spring ball began (last) Wednesday, and we just got done with our third practice (last Saturday). Monday was my first official day. It was definitely a thrown-into-the-fire type thing. I’m sitting here thinking I want to learn coach’s culture, his style, obviously the schemes being on a new side of the ball. I want to be able to teach the linebackers. Two days later, I’m right into practice. “The coaches are really cool — they have been super helpful in teaching me their defense. They do a really, really good job of teaching players and giving different methods of learning. Everyone learns in a different way. They have brought me in as a freshman football player and are teaching me Day 1 stuff. When I get home, I get out the iPad they issued and study everything. I’m trying to be an absolute sponge.” Singler’s time at OSU was invaluable, he said. “I learned so much,” Singler adds. Family has been the constant source of inspiration for Singler. Janae, his wife since July, is “a trooper” for her support. And Singler’s dad, Bill, is the primary reason he got into coaching in the first place. Bill, the South Medford High football coach, has an extensive history at the college ranks as an assistant with stops at Long Beach State, Cincinnati, Kansas State, Oregon Tech, Oregon State, Rutgers, Southern Oregon and Stanford. He also served three years as head coach at Pacific University. “I see the impact he’s had on kids’ lives,” Mitch says. “I saw the impact he had on my teammates. All the guys text me every now and then asking to tell him hi. It kind of warms my heart in a way. You see how much they care about him. That just came from the simple game of football.” Reach reporter Dan Jones at [email protected]. Find him online at twitter.com/danjonesmt