Belinda McDoom had heard people say it before, but it never really sank in until her first trip to Michigan Stadium this fall. Youth coaches and friendly parents on the sideline would always tell her and her husband, Morris, that with a name like McDoom their son Eddie was destined to do some big things. It was, they said, the perfect name for football.

Still, the first time she heard 100,000 people bellowing their last name in baritone unison it was a bit of a shock.

"I was like, 'Are they booing him?'" she remembers. "And then I realized, 'No, oh my god, they’re screaming his name. That first game was just amazing. There are no words to describe it."

Eddie McDoom has become a Michigan fan favorite nine games into his career with the third-ranked Wolverines. The true freshman has whittled out a slowly expanding role for himself as the team’s jet sweep specialist from his spot at wide receiver. He’s won the attention of the Big House crowd thanks in equal part to his ability to leave defenders and the dust and, of course, a name made for football.

It didn’t take him long to figure out what they were yelling the first time he sped up the sideline for 19 yards in his college debut against Hawaii.

"I was just like, well, that’s pretty sick," he said.

Morris McDoom was born in Jamaica and moved to Florida shortly after his 18th birthday. He’s not exactly sure of the genealogy that produced his surname. He imagines that the Irish and English who came to the Caribbean had some influence on the spelling, which can be found on many islands in the area and in parts of South America’s northeast corner. One theory posits that the name is an anglicized version of a village in Guyana.

Belinda tried to research its meaning many years ago when she married into the family. But the best she could come up with was to laugh and say it just meant she was Doomed for life once their wedding made it official.

What matters more now for Michigan football, and perhaps the College Football Playoff race, is not where McDoom came from but where he is headed. And how fast he’ll get there.

The competition to be considered the fastest player on the Wolverines’ roster is heated this fall, but the freshman has no problem throwing his hat in that ring. He’s run the ball 13 times for 150 yards (11.5 yards per carry) in an effort to prove it.

"I feel like I’m the fastest guy here," McDoom said. "That’s how I’m always going to think, because speed is my thing. When they give it to me I try to make the most of it. So far I’m doing well."

McDoom stayed true to his Jamaican roots as a championship-caliber sprinter during his youth in Florida. His older brother, Greg, was an all-state striker on the soccer team in high school and now plays at Johnson & Wales in North Miami. Both spent some time using their quickness in martial arts, following in their father’s footsteps.

Morris had not been in the U.S. for long when he poked his head inside the Kung Fu school a couple of miles from his new home in Miami out of curiosity. A few years later, he had adopted the Eagle Claw style of Shaolin Kung Fu and was winning international competitions in a Chinese version of kickboxing. Yes, he heard plenty of the jokes about his name back then, and Mr. McDoom the Kung Fu master is well aware that he essentially is a comic book villain come to life.

The McDooms moved north to the Orlando area a little more than a decade ago with plans of starting their own extension of the Kung Fu school in the area. Instead, Morris decided to focus more attention on helping his boys in their sports. He had already given them the best gift he could.

"When I first took the job here four years ago, Eddie’s brother was the talk of the town because he was first team all-state in soccer," West Orange High School football coach Bob Head said. "Those guys can run all [pause] day [pause] long."

McDoom played on a high school team that sent 16 players to Division I programs in the past two years, but his speed still stood out. Head said he can remember turning to an assistant coach after one of McDoom’s kick returns a couple seasons back and asking him to check if the turf was on fire.

He can only recall one other player during his coaching career who produced the same palpable whoosh as he cruised down the sideline. That was Marvin Bracy, who ran the 100-meter sprint for the U.S. Olympic team in Rio this summer.

The Michigan freshman hopes his receiving skills eventually earn as much acclaim as his speed. Offensive coordinator Tim Drevno said the rookie gives Michigan plenty of options when he’s on the field, and the package of plays where they can use him has grown steadily this season.

McDoom said he believes after a year of learning the ropes under veterans like Jehu Chesson and Amara Darboh he’ll be primed for a breakout season as a receiver next fall. Until then, he’s happy to have a role in the offense and maybe a little more time to figure out how he landed such a great name.

"I don’t really know the history of it, but I’m pretty sure I’m going to find out soon," he said. "I’m going to have to."