BERKELEY, CALIF. – Spoiler alert for fans of HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” because Alameda native and former UC Davis star wide receiver Keelan Doss, who was featured heavily on the reality TV show, was released by his hometown Oakland Raiders on Sunday.
The Raiders trimmed their squad to the final 53-man roster for the start of the NFL season and the 23-year-old Doss was among the final cuts made by the team.
“Stuff happens; it’s just part of the business,” Doss told ABC10 while attending Saturday afternoon’s season opening college football game at California Memorial Stadium between the Cal Golden Bears and his UC Davis Aggies. “I’m feeling good, I’m confident in my abilities, you know, we’ll see what happens.”
The fifth and final episode of the "Hard Knocks" series that chronicles this season's training camp with the Raiders will air on Tuesday evening.
Doss went undrafted out of UC Davis after he put up record numbers as a receiver for the Aggies. He was featured prominently by the reality series, and seemed to catch the eye of Gruden, who raved about his ability to play all three receiver positions. He had 17 receptions for 162 yards in the four preseason games, including a memorable touchdown in the first exhibition game at the Oakland Coliseum, which Doss said was the most memorable moment he experienced.
Should Doss clear waivers by not getting picked up by another NFL team, Raiders fans can expect him back with Oakland soon.
“They said ‘we really want you on the practice squad and we think you’ll be a great player in the here’, so we’ll see how it works out,” Doss said. “I can’t control any of it all. All I can do is go out there and perform, and play football, and the rest will take care of itself. And if a team out there wants me, (I’ll) work it out there, and if I end up on the Raiders again on the practice squad, (I’ll) make that work there too.”
While Doss is optimistic about his NFL future, his former UC Davis head coach Dan Hawkins sounded much more disappointed in his former star being released by Oakland.
“Somebody will take him, and they’ll get a great guy and a great player” said Hawkins. “(I’m) kind of disappointed that (the Raiders) roped him into going there and then turned him loose, but I know there’s plenty of teams out there that want a good chemistry guy; a smart guy. The guy can play special teams all three (receiver positions), so he’ll have a long future he just needs to get with a good club. He’ll be alright.”
Follow Sean Cunningham on Twitter: @SeanCunningham
