How K/P Tommy Doman Jr. joined ranks of nation’s elite

Though he’s a kicker, the Wolverines specialist commit in 2021 is arguably the most elite player in the class outside of J.J. McCarthy.

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It’s been a long road for Michigan’s 2021 specialist commitment Tommy Doman Jr.

The Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary’s kicker/punter has been working since he was very young at his craft, and only recently has he started to see the accolades.

He’s been going to camps for nearly his whole life, working towards this moment. He’s Michigan’s sole inclusion in the 2021 class on USA TODAY Sports’ preseason All-American list and he’s earned a spot in the Under Armour All-American Game.

But, for a moment, it didn’t look like it was going to pan out quite as well as it’s had. Of course, though, hard work pays off.

“My commitment timeline – at the beginning of my recruiting process, I went to Michigan specialists camps early on in seventh and eighth grade so I got familiar with the specialist staff and Coach Tyler Brown,” Doman told WolverinesWire. “Developed that relationship and heading into high school, I always saw Michigan as a place I wanted to offer me a scholarship. It was a no-brainer.

“I got offers from other schools and I had a walk-on from Michigan – it was my first offer. To be honest, I was really gonna choose that walk-on offer over a scholarship anywhere else, but things with my family situation, I needed a scholarship. But once they gave me a scholarship, I wanted to put it out there on social media for everyone to know, because in my mind I was already kinda committed to Michigan but (was) seeing how everything would shake out.

“It was really a no brainer. Close to home, great academics, great staff. Just a place I feel like I could succeed and help the team win as many games as possible.”

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Particularly surreal was Doman’s selection to the UA All-American Game. To secure his spot, all he had to do was make an incredible punt in a pressure-filled situation.

But everything he had worked for had backed him up, put him in an opportunity that there was no way he was going to waste. He had spent his entire life watching others take advantage of similar situations, but with his turn up next, Doman was determined to make the most of it.

At the Kohl’s Kicking Punt Finals, his 60-yard, almost 5-second punt helped him secure something of a dream, as it was that which propelled him into the prestigious post-season game.

And he did it in sub-optimal conditions, no less.

“That was huge, because I’ve been going to all of those camps since fourth grade and watching all of those promo videos of those guys hitting those big (kicks) in those pressure situations,” Doman said. “I’m always looking up to that opportunity and trying to join those groups of guys. Going into it, I was like, ‘Hey, we had a couple good days thus far to get me into the finals.’ I had the opportunity and was just having fun with it, you know? And just progressing through the rounds and it started to rain in the middle and I was like, ‘Oh, of course!’ Bad conditions, but just continued to have fun. To hit that type of punt on that stage in those types of conditions, I mean – it was kind of a lot of elation and a lot of pride to finally be recognized in that elite group of guys that gets chosen every year to go to that game.”

At this point, it’s undebatable that Doman is among the elite in the nation, but it’s funny — specialists rarely get that distinction from the fans, at-large.

Kohl’s Kicking has their own rankings for specialists outside of the mainstream of Rivals and 247Sports. Given that kickers, punters and longsnappers essentially have their own brand of football, it makes sense that there would be a separate system. But currently, the traditional recruiting rankings don’t differentiate the skill positions and linemen from those who are in a more specialized — but equally as important — field.

Even when we here at WolverinesWire posted that Doman, a five-star according to Kohl’s Kicking, had committed to Michigan, there were naysayers, accustomed solely to judging a prospect on the mainstream recruiting services’ rankings.

It’s something Doman has paid attention to, those who have belittled his ability because he’s not a wideout or a cornerback. He uses it to fuel his ambitions, but doesn’t let it get to him negatively.

“I kinda laugh about it,” Doman said. “A bunch of other of my kicking friends in the kicking world, we – especially the committed ones, we see it all the time. People commenting on articles and whatnot. ‘Oh no, he’s a three-star, I don’t know where you’re getting your information from!’ I just kinda laugh at it and keep it like a chip on my shoulder, staying humble and realizing that you’re going in there as a kicker to get the job done, you’re not trying to be flashy or anything. I just kind of use it in that way. I don’t really care to be honest. Like I said, continuing to get better and better and maybe be seen as a five-star after college, like, ‘Hey, they should have put him as a five-star as kicker on those sites.’ Just to keep me humble, I don’t care, to be honest. I’m just excited to be a part of the Michigan recruiting class here and to try to build something special.”

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