If you spotted Alex Singleton in a neutral environment — at a bus stop, a shopping mall or a movie theatre — you wouldn’t necessarily guess he was a football player.

Sure, at six-foot-two and a solid 235 lbs., he certainly has the build of an elite athlete, but with his soft-spoken manner, ever-present smile and long flowing brown locks, Singleton doesn’t seem like someone who belongs in the rough-and-tumble gridiron world.

Maybe a dramatic arts student who works at the local upscale coffee shop in his spare time.

Perhaps one of those cheerful tech guys who drops by your house and helps you get rid of that virus on your computer.

Or . . .

“You might think he’s a rock star,” suggests Stampeders defensive lineman Zach Minter, who was also Singleton’s teammate at Montana State. “A bass player or something.

“But when he puts the pads,” Minter continues, “he fits the part pretty well.”

That’s certainly true.

Zach Minter and Alex Singleton were teammates at Montana State.

The sixth overall pick of this year’s draft, Singleton started the season as a special-teamer and situational defensive player but he quickly earned a bigger role. An injury to starting middle linebacker Taylor Reed gave him his first professional start in Week 3 at Ottawa and his continued strong showing in limited duty resulted in a shot to claim the position for keeps heading into the Labour Day Classic.

In back-to-back starts during the sweep of the home-and-home series with the Eskimos, Singleton continued to show a knack for always being around the ball as he recorded seven defensive tackles and two pass knockdowns.

Getting Singleton into the starting lineup has a double advantage for the Stamps. Besides being able to make use of his considerable talents, Singleton’s status as a Canadian — the California native qualifies as a national because his mother was born in Toronto — gives Calgary a ratio advantage.

But regardless of citizenship, Singleton can play.

Minter, who preceded Singleton in the CFL by one year, was confident the linebacker would get the job done in Canadian football.

“I thought he would do pretty well,” he says. “Overall, Alex is a good football player, so he’ll do well wherever you put him. It doesn’t matter if it’s CFL, AFL, NFL. Anywhere. He studies hard, he’s a smart football player, he’s gifted athletically so anywhere you put him, he’ll play.

“I’m just excited to watch him grow as a football player and as a leader. As a person, too.”

Singleton during a game in Winnipeg on July 21, 2016 (Photo by David Moll)

Singleton’s California-cool personality disappears once he sets foot on turf.

“Oh yeah, you’ve got to turn the switch on,” says Singleton. “Off the field, it is a game. On the field, it’s a game but this is our job. This is what I do. I go home and I study for this. So when I get on the field, that’s the playtime. That’s when you’ve got to turn that switch on and you’ve got to go hit somebody for a living. That’s awesome. I love that.”

So don’t let the smile fool you — Singleton has the football mindset through and through.

“Playing tough gets me excited,” he admits. “That’s how I’ve always strived to play, to be the aggressor. Be the hammer and not the nail. Just go set a tempo that people can follow.”

Singleton hadn’t set a timetable for himself to become a front-line player in the CFL, but that was always front and centre in his game plan.

“You want to be a starter,” he says. “No one strives to be a backup. I’ve prepared every game, every week, every day like I’m going to start or I’m going to get a lot of playing time. So I’m just going to continue doing that.”

As for the hair, even though it’s the target of locker-room ribbing — “Oh geez,” groans Minter. “That man-bun is ugly” — it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

Singleton thought about doing it during his college days — “It’s Montana in the winter,” he reasons, “you might as well grow your hair out” — before finally committing.

“It’s just about three years now,” he says. “I sucked it Whatup for two summers and it’s finally getting to where I like it. It’s part of me now.”

Just like that easy grin.

“When people see me away from the field,” says Singleton, “they think easygoing guy. Nice guy. Hopefully, a polite guy.”

Between the white lines, however, it’s a very different story.

“Off the field,” says Minter, “he just hangs out. Nothing crazy. But on the field, he’s confident about how he can play football.”

Singleton in the locker room before the 2016 Labour Day Classic (Photo by David Moll)