Name: Tommy Doman
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 215 lbs.
High school: Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary’s
Position: Kicker/Punter
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #19
Last year: I ranked Doman #20a and said he would be the starting punter (LINK). He punted 53 times for 2,345 yards (44.5 yards/punt), forced 26 fair catches, and pinned other teams inside their 20 a total of 18 times; he also kicked off 99 times with 68 touchbacks.
TTB Rating: N/A
Doman was a Third Team All-Big Ten selection in 2023 after playing multiple roles for the Wolverines. It's not often that someone punts and kicks off and holds for extra points/field goals, but those were Doman's roles last year. Holding is often done by a backup quarterback, and kickoffs can be handled by placekickers or dedicated kickoff guys. So it's impressive that Doman was able to master all those things at once. What else can he do?
Pass the ball?
Kick 55-yard field goals?
Decipher opponents' signals?
Michigan has an array of special teams guys to handle the various kicking and holding duties, so it's not clear what roles Doman will handle this year outside of punting. Hudson Hollenbeck dabbled in holding last year, so he could be the answer there. Dominic Zvada was brought in from Arkansas State to handle place kicking. Hollenbeck and Adam Samaha were both in the running to handle kickoffs. But this is bound to be a tougher season for Michigan than 2023 was, and Michigan's defense and special teams are going to have to make up for taking some steps back on offense. So Doman will be a key piece of those field position battles.
Prediction: Starting punter; Second Team All-Big Ten
Unfortunately Doman maybe a lot busier than he was last year so his importance may elevate.
ReplyDeleteAs with placekicker, I think our backup options are quite strong so while it's awesome that we have such a proven and talented player here I dunno about the ranking.