Post-OSU Update: Mike Doss was selected with the 58th pick (2nd round) of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts. Doss started four injury-riddled years with the Colts and won a Super Bowl with 2006 team. He also played with Minnesota and Cincinnati, finishing his six-year career with 276 tackles, seven interceptions, and six forced fumbles. After football, Doss has worked in medical sales and real estate. He is married with three girls. Doss was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2022. (updated: Sep. 2022)

Major: Communication (2001-02), Undeclared (1999-00)

Weight: 204 (2002), 203 (2001), 199 (2000), 185 (1999)

2002 Media Guide: Mike Doss seems a cinch to become just the seventh player in Ohio State history to garner first-team All-America honors three years in a row … will be a candidate for the Thorpe Award and possible National Defensive Player of the Year honors this season … crunching hitter who makes big plays when the team needs them most … combines speed, power and savvy with a fierce competitive nature … was rumored to be heading for the NFL at the end of last season, but opted to stay in school and get his degree, at the same time dedicating himself to helping the Buckeyes “win every game” … one of the top players in college football … also a two-time All-Big Ten pick … led the team in tackles each of the past two years …has played in all 36 games the past three years with 26 starts to his credit … named to several preseason All-America teams and to the 2002 “Thorpe Watch-List” … tried his hand on the punt and kick return units in the spring and could figure in that mix in the fall … also has expressed a desire to play offense in “special situations”.

2001 Season: Named to the Sporting News All-America team for the second-consecutive year and also landed a first-team berth on the Walter Camp squad … was a semifinalist for the Thorpe Award … finished the season with 87 stops and led the team in tackles-for-loss with 10 … blocked punts at UCLA and at Indiana and picked off a pair of interceptions at Michigan … scored on a 30-yard fumble recovery against Northwestern … led the Big Ten in fumble recoveries … had three games with 10 or more tackles – 15 vs. Northwestern, 12 vs. San Diego State and 13 at Penn State.

2001 Media Guide: Mike Doss is one of the top defensive backs in college football and a leading contender for the Thorpe Award … will be in his second year as a starter at strong safety and also will return kicks … won first-team All-America honors last year with the Sporting News and is that publication’s preseason pick as National Defensive Player of the Year in 2001 … also a consensus all-Big Ten pick in 2000 … combines speed, power and savvy with a fierce competitive nature … always comes to play … led Ohio State in tackles last year with a career-high 94, including 73 solos … also had 13 tackles-for-loss, three sacks, three interceptions, three fumbles recoveries and six passes broken up … seems to be at his best in “big games” as evidenced by his two interceptions at Purdue off Drew Brees and his career-high 16 tackles against Michigan … has played in all 24 games the past two years and has 14 starts … also a fine student, earning a 4.00 in the classroom last winter quarter.

2000 Season: Scored the first touchdown of the 2000 season when he recovered a fumble in the end zone in the season opener against Fresno State … added a second TD later in the year, scooping up a loose ball and racing 73 yards to pay dirt against Michigan State.

2000 Media Guide: Each year there seems to be one of the true freshman that catches the eye of the 93,000 fans in Ohio Stadium – one special 18-year old talent that seems to be playing like a veteran and bursting with potential. In 1999, that was Mike Doss. The favorable impression he left with Ohio State fans was nothing compared to the bone-crushing , helmet-jarring one he left with several opponents. Although his quiet demeanor allowed him to slip past most fans and media members through the first half of last year, everyone wanted a piece of Doss by November. He recorded double-figure tackles in back-to-back games and showed the tendency to attack ball carriers with a vengeance. “Mike is a great run player. He plays like a linebacker against the run. He’s worked on being a better pass defender. His knowledge of the game is improving and he’ll be an outstanding player someday,” Jon Tenuta, defensive backs coach, said. Doss, who dished out some of Ohio State’s hardest hits of the season on special teams in 1999, has been described as a strong safety with a linebacker mentality. He is Ohio State’s starter at the strong safety spot entering the year.

1999: Played in all 12 games and started the final two … the only true freshman to play every game … captured Ohio State’s First Year Defensive Player of the Year Award … played just 128 minutes, nearly 100 minutes fewer than any of Ohio State’s other Top 10 tacklers … clearly led Ohio State in minutes played-to-tackle ratio at 2.97:1 (the next closest was Jason Ott at just 3.39:1) … made a season-high 12 tackles as a reserve against Michigan State, earning him the starting spot the rest of the year … responded to the starting role with 10 tackles and a PBU against Illinois and seven tackles at Michigan … recorded five TFLs, including a season-high two against Illinois … was the first true freshman defensive back to start at Ohio State since Antoine Winfield in 1995.

1999 Media Guide: Selected first-team Division I all-Ohio by the Associated Press as a senior … A USA Today honorable mention All-American and the No. 6 prospect in the Midwest by the Detroit Free Press … Rushed for 143 yards and scored four touchdowns in the state championship game, helping Canton McKinley to its second-consecutive Division I state title and 12-1 final record … had a school record 14 career interceptions … Rushed for 1,454 yards with 22 touchdowns and had 111 tackles and three interceptions as a senior … Recorded nine interceptions and 97 tackles as a junior … High school teammate of Buckeyes Kenny Peterson and Jamar Martin … the son of Diane and Gene Doss.