Paul Klee: How a Colorado School of Mines engineering student became an Alabama football player

Have you heard the one about the Colorado School of Mines mechanical engineer whos going to play football at mighty Alabama? Standby.

Its a good one.

I mean, it didnt feel real at first, Blake Doud is telling me of his commitment to play for the Crimson Tide.

It kind of still doesnt feel real.

Oh, its real alright.

Really wild.

Really cool.

See, Doud last week became the first Mines player to enter the NCAA transfer portal in the portal era and the first Oredigger to make the leap to a Power 4 program.

Even that part is wild; it was Mines coaches, specifically punting guru Scott Groner, who encouraged him to go.

Blake would be the first to admit he didnt want to leave Mines, Groner tells me.

Its true.

He didnt.

Mines football players dont leave Mines football.

They love Mines football.

Coming to school here was the best thing that ever happened to me, Doud says.

But thats the thing about Mines.

You opt into long study hours and brutal exam weeks to jump start your life whether thats building rockets or bridges as an engineer...

or chasing an NFL dream with your lead foot.

At the end of the day its our duty to send these guys off and better their lives, Groner says.

If he can play in front of those SEC crowds and get three meals a day and work with an SEC strength program, I truly felt that could be the edge that would allow him an NFL opportunity.

Friggin Alabama was never a thought in Douds mind.

Shoot, punting wasnt much of one, either.

Mines was the only program to recruit Doud as a punter instead of a wide receiver, where he excelled at Legend High in Parker.

So he chose Mines to punt balls and hopefully build some stuff, because Ive always liked building stuff, he says.

Its not easy here (at Mines), says Doud, who will dual-enroll at Mines and Alabama next semester to complete his engineering degree.

But this place has truly shaped who I am.

Doud redshirted his first year at the Division II powerhouse.

He didnt appear in a single game in his second season.

He exploded in 2023 and 2024, winning RMAC Special Teams Player of the Year and first-team All-American honors.

He led Division II last season at 46.1 yards per punt.

I saw it straight away, says Groner, a former All-American punter, who spent eight years working with the Kansas City Chiefs and now works part-time with the Broncos equipment team.

I saw his 6-foot-5 frame.

Being 6-foot-5 as a punter is kind of a cheat code long levers, powering through the football, good hang time.

Then his coach-ability took over.

Its rare a single punt turns heads in college ball.

But in Week 1 this season Doud launched an 80-yard boomer that went viral with over 2 million views on social media.

A couple Power 4 assistants even asked me if he would consider transferring to play Division I ball for a year.

Doubt it, I said.

Mines football players dont leave Mines.

They love Mines.

Blake kind of came out of nowhere a little bit.

He was this scrawny 6-foot-5 kid, Groner says.

But hes extremely coachable, which most Mines kids are.

Everything Id say, he wouldt question it.

Hed try it, then come back at me if something didnt feel right.

Those are the best kinds of kids to work with.

And I can tell hes really invested and driven and wants to be great.

That makes it fun as a coach.

Then came the transfer portal.

I know the portal is frowned upon in college football, Groner says.

But this is different.

This is potentially life-changing.

Groners first call went to Dustin Colquitt, a close friend from their time with the Chiefs, who works with specialists at the University of Tennessee.

The Vols didnt need a punter.

The University of Texas-El Paso was Douds first scholarship offer in the portal.

Then the University of Missouri.

Once Missouri offered, Alabama special teams analyst Jay Nunez called Doud with a scholarship offer.

Roll Tide.

Hes moving to Tuscaloosa in early January.

Alabama, they were always No.

1 when I was growing up, he says.

Always in big games.

Building stuff is still on the table.

But career plans have changed.

Doud studies Los Angeles Rams punter Ethan Evans, who played at Wingate University, another Division II program.

A man named Lloyd Madden was the last Mines player to play in a regular-season NFL game, the school said.

That was in the 1940s.

I asked Groner, who knows NFL punters: Is Blake one? He is, Groner says.

He has the body and hes only getting stronger.

If he doesnt have the NFL leg now, he will.

The hard work is there.

The desire is there.

And hes a gamer.

He is.

Before he left the Mines campus, the Orediggers had one request for their All-American punter.

When youre playing on Monday Night Football, Groner says, you have to say, Blake Doud, Colorado School of Mines.

Roll Mines..

This article has been shared from the original article on gazette, here is the link to the original article.