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When it comes to the 2021 Michigan recruiting class, the names that tend to get the most buzz are those at the skill or traditional on-field positions — like five-star quarterback J.J. McCarthy, four-star wide receiver Xavier Worthy or four-star VIPER Junior Colson.
But, the Wolverines do have a five-star kicker/punter in the class.
To truly understand where specialists — kickers, punters, longsnappers — rank, you have to go to sites that are more nuanced, as the major recruiting sites just have them all two or three stars or unranked entirely. However, these prominent special teamers are important to the game — and the better ones you have, the more you can flip field position, get three points with regularity when drives stall out and get an overall advantage that can benefit both the offense and the defense.
And in 2021, Michigan has a special one in Tommy Doman Jr.
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The Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary’s pledge is ‘the best overall combo K/P in the (2021) class and is a D1 scholarship player with a bright future in college,’ says Kohl’s Kicking, an organization that runs camps and ranks the specialists in any given class. Kohl’s has Doman as the No. 2 punter in the country and No. 6 kicker, and this week, he showcased why the service is so high on him.
Having taken to his Twitter, Doman posted a clip of him absolutely booming the ball at a camp in Tennessee — which earned him a spot in the Under Armour All-America Game.
60 yrd, 4.94sec punt to win the UA All-America spot in the @KohlsKicking punt final pic.twitter.com/UMWHluVfEA
— Tommy Doman Jr (@tdoman36) August 1, 2020
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So while the stargazers will pay closer attention to the top end of the 2021 class, the man listed at the very bottom of the traditional recruiting service rankings could be a pivotal cog in the coming years once he gets to Ann Arbor.