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After spending the past three seasons as a quarterback in the NFL, for BYU standout Brandon Doman returns to his alma mater as the quarterbacks coach.
“I have a lot of admiration and respect for Brandon,” Mendenhall said. “He is a fierce competitor, a natural leader and is very bright and energetic. He has strong ties to BYU and knows what it will take to help restore the winning tradition of this program. He will be a strong mentor for our quarterbacks.”
A unanimous All-Mountain West Conference selection and Heisman Trophy candidate in 2001, “The Domanator” led the Cougars to a 12-2 season as a senior with 3,542 yards passing. Doman, who is the only returned missionary to lead BYU to a conference championship, completed 64 percent of his passes as a senior, connecting on 261-of-408 attempts. As the anchor for the nation’s top-ranked offense, Doman was credited with 33 touchdown passes against just eight interceptions in his final season. As a senior, he also rushed for 503 yards and eight touchdowns. After assuming the starting job as a junior with two games remaining in the 2000 season, Doman led BYU to a 14-2 record as a starter, including a stretch of 14 wins over two seasons.
“I am so excited to come back to BYU and be a part of something that means so much to me,” Doman said. “I’m humbled and excited. Knowing that BYU has done so much for me, this is an incredible opportunity for me to give back and do all I can to help be a part of something I think is going to be very exciting.
“I know the potential this program has, and I want the players, the fans, and everyone associated with the program to be part of that vision. This is an awesome place, and I couldn’t be more excited about this opportunity.”
Mendenhall said Doman’s competitiveness and leadership is something he witnessed first-hand as the defensive coordinator at New Mexico during the 2001 season.
Trailing 20-17 with just over six minutes in the game, Doman and the Cougars faced a critical fourth-and-11 from the New Mexico 36-yard line. Doman called his own number, running up the right side for a 14-yard gain and a first down. Two plays later, Doman hit Andrew Ord over the middle for a 15-yard, game-winning touchdown to cap a 10-play, 84-yard drive.
“He made two critical plays in that game, even after we had put a pretty good hit on him,” Mendenhall said. “I made a personal note at that time—I wanted to find out more about him. He proved in that game, in those situations, that he is an outstanding competitor.”
Following the 2001 season, Doman was selected by the San Francisco 49’ers in the fifth round of the 2002 NFL Draft, where he spent the majority of the past three seasons. In 2002, Doman also played for the Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins before returning to San Francisco in 2004.
“I had a chance to be around Brandon in San Francisco, and really came to appreciate his love and desire to be a heck of a player and quarterback in the National Football League,” said current Detroit Lions Head Coach Steve Mariucci. “He’s a hard working guy, a dedicated guy, and is very loyal. These are all qualities we look for in choosing our coaches. I have no doubt he’ll be very successful. I wish Brandon well and know that he’ll be very loyal to BYU.”
Doman graduated from Skyline High School in 1995 where he led the Golden Eagles to the 5-A State Championship as a junior. In 1994, Doman led Skyline to a second-place finish in the 5-A State Championship game. Doman came to BYU in 1998 after serving a Church mission in Argentina, playing four games as a freshman. In 1999, he saw action in 10 games at both quarterback and receiver. As a sophomore, he had nine receptions for 83 yards and carried the ball five times for 32 yards. As a junior (2000), Doman started the final two games of the season at quarterback, guiding the team to its only back-to-back wins of the year. With a total of five appearances during the 2000 season, he was 51-of-92 for 782 yards.
“When we drafted Brandon at San Francisco, I was impressed with his intelligence,” current Atlanta Falcons Offensive Coordinator Greg Knapp said. “He is a good decision maker, both on and off the field. I think that translates into being a very good coach. I’m not surprised that Brandon has decided to go into coaching. Because of the way he approaches the game, he has the attributes to make a fine football coach. He’s very grounded, and has the entire game in perspective. He knows the game and will be able to understand how to make things work.”
In the Cougars’ final game of the 2000 season—LaVell Edwards’ final game—Doman hooked up with Jonathan Pittman on back-to-back completions of 34 and 36 yards late in the fourth quarter to set up one of the most memorable come-from-behind victories in BYU history. Two plays later, Doman was credited with the four-yard touchdown run that gave the Cougars a 34-27 win over Utah in Salt Lake City.
“I look forward to working with the quarterbacks, both on and off the field,” Doman added. “We’re going to work on their approach to the game; in terms of leadership, technique and in seeing the field. We’re going to work on all phases of the game.
“This is going to be a powerful, potent offense. We’ll have the ability to move the chains and score touchdowns. With Coach Anae, we’re going to have the type of offense that will keep the defense guessing. This is the most productive offense in college football right now. It’s going to be exciting.”
Doman, a 2002 graduate of Brigham Young University is married to Alisha Barker. The couple has two children; Sage (2), Isaac (2 months). A native of Salt Lake City, Doman served a Church mission to Bahia Blanca, Argentina.
