CU recruiting notes: Jeremiah Doss could be hidden gem for CU Buffs

In between classes one day during his freshman year at Hinds (Miss.) Community College, Jeremiah Doss dozed off on the couch in his coach’s office.

It was during that nap when Jimmy Brumbaugh, then the defensive line coach at Maryland, walked in.

“I was half asleep,” Doss said. “When (Brumbaugh) walked by he asked my head coach, ‘Hey, who is this guy on the couch over here?’ I got up and we introduced ourselves.”

Thus began a relationship that has led both to Boulder.

CU has yet to officially announce Brumbaugh as its new defensive line coach, although he’s been on the job for a few days and has already made an impact in recruiting. Doss and Hinds teammate Janaz Jordan were two of the 17 players signed by CU during the first day of the early signing period Wednesday.

Brumbaugh didn’t know about Doss, a 6-foot-4, 260-pound defensive end, the day they met, but the two remained in contact. Doss thought he might one day join Brumbaugh at Maryland. Then, Maryland went through a coaching change this offseason. Doss committed to Old Dominion, but then found out late last week that Brumbaugh would be hired at CU. Doss took a last-minute official visit to CU last weekend.

“I have a lot of faith in coach and I really like him and I really want to be coached by him,” Doss said. “No matter where he went, I was going to consider it. When I came on the visit and met the other guys, and I felt so comfortable around them, too, that made my decision even easier and made me want to come to Colorado even more.”

Born and raised in Mississippi, Doss said he got to Boulder and “I probably looked at the mountains for 10-15 straight minutes.”

Hosted by linebacker Davion Taylor, a Mississippi native who joined CU through the JUCO ranks last year, Doss said he was impressed with the entire package CU offers. More than anything, it was how CU’s coaches and staff treated Doss, his mother and grandmother on their visit.

“You can easily be impressed and wowed by the things that a school like this has, but it was more of the feel I got from the people,” he said.

Coming out of Northwest Rankin High School, Doss had one Football Bowl Subdivision offer — sort of. Idaho was FBS at the time, but was in the process of dropping down to the Football Championship Subdivision.

Hoping for a bigger offer, Doss went to Hinds and then spent most of his freshman year injured. He put together a strong sophomore season, however, and kept Brumbaugh’s eyes on him. Now, he hopes to make the most of the opportunity.

“I like to think I’ve been slept on for a long time,” he said. “I’ve always seen guys around me in areas I knew and I feel like I was better than them, but they got better opportunities than I did. I feel like I can do the same thing, but better.”

Doss said CU believes he can be a versatile player on the defensive front. Hinds head coach Larry Williams believes CU is getting an impact player.

“Not only are they getting a great football player; he’s a great person and he’s a true student-athlete,” Williams said. “He’s a guy that takes care of business in the classroom, on the field and comes from a good family.

“He really started to develop down here. I think his best football days are way ahead of him.”

With his best days ahead of him, Doss is eager to play for Brumbaugh and is thankful for their chance meeting a year ago.

“I’m definitely glad I took a nap on my head coach’s couch,” he said with a laugh.

Surprise, surprise

Just after 6 a.m. on Wednesday, CU announced the signing of Jordan, leaving many wondering, “Who?”

Some analysts who are plugged into what’s going on in recruiting with CU and around the country had never heard of Jordan.

The 6-foot-4, 305-pound defensive lineman is an intriguing addition, however. A former running back in high school, he signed with Old Dominion out of high school and certainly adds depth and size to the Buffs’ defensive front.

Notable

Offensive tackle Valentin Senn, from Austria, was the first player to sign in the class. Prospects could sign as early as 7 a.m. local time. Senn sent his letter of intent to CU at 11:03 p.m. on Tuesday night — which was 7:03 a.m. in Austria. … So far, CU’s class does not include any players from Texas, although there’s still plenty of time to change that. Since 1984, CU has had only one class (2007) without at least one Texas player.