Welcome Russel your gonna look great in maize and blue.It seems like every day we get more recruits.Great job coach Hoke and staff. go blue
...says Denzel Valentine of Big Ten Tourney favorite MSU, which is 5-7 in its last 12 games. Cumong, man.
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Hello: Russell Bellomy
Expect a sight delay in getting this post 100% uploaded, as the malware issue is giving me all types of trouble - UPDATE: Images should be good now.
Suck it, Purdue. Brady Hoke has extended the recently-established Michigan tradition of yanking commits from the Boilermakers by landing TX QB Russell Bellomy, according to both premium sites.
INFORMATIVE PORTION
GURU RATINGS
| Scout | Rivals | ESPN |
|---|---|---|
| 3*, #39 QB | 3*, 5.5 | 3*, 78, #35 QB |
Rivals is the least optimistic on Bellomy, as they rank 30 pro-style and 30 dual-threat QBs, with Bellomy nowhere to be found. The other two sites have him ranked in their top 40 combined QBs.
As for size, Rivals says he's 6-3, 178, Scout says 6-3, 185, and ESPN credits him with 6-3, 180. That's some consistency, right there. ESPN's evaluation:
He is a very good athlete with a tall, but gangly frame that has a ton of room to fill out and develop strength... Is a riverboat gambler that looks like a pocket passer, but is a deceptively good overall athlete with good foot speed and quickness for the position... Shows the ability to keep a play alive, evade within the pocket and make plays on the move. This is the area that surprises you the most about him-- he is a very good runner and improviser. Shows quickness, elusiveness and top end speed to be a guy that you have to contend with as a runner on the perimeter or the zone-read keep...
So that's his athletic ability, but how about his passing?
While his mechanics can be a bit wild and inconsistent, Bellomy displays toughness, grit and a competitive demeanor... Gets the ball out quickly and with good zip to short and intermediate areas of the field. Gets set quickly, shows very good feet in his drop and can anticipate routes and throws to a spot very well... Throws a soft, catchable ball that has the necessary zip to fit into tight windows when he has to... He has a good arm, but not great power or the ability to consistently stretch the field vertically.
The National Underclassmen Combine has an uninformative update:
Bellomy is a very versatile QB who does far more than throw the ball accurately. He's a terrific rusher and plays the game at a fast pace, making him perfect for today's style of play.
There's precious little else out there on his game, and the subpages on RussellBellomy.com seem to be busted. A horribly coiffed columnist from the Dallas Examiner caught up with Bellomy and asked him a few questions:
I have played baseball since I was little. I kept with it and played on select teams. Here at Martin, we have a big school and I made varsity as a sophomore which was pretty cool. I also played for a Kansas City Royals scout team. In the end, I gave up baseball for football so I could focus all of my attention on it.
That definitely speaks to his athleticism. Continuing with his style of play:
Some people say I look a little like Tom Brady. I'd like to think I play similar to him too. He doesn't run much so we are different in that aspect, but some of the throws he makes are crazy.
Nice Michigan connection.
OFFERS
No offense to the Boilermakers, but I had assumed that as a Purdue commit, Bellomy didn't have many other options prior to his senior year (he committed in June), but that's not the case. According to Scout, Boise State, Colorado, Michigan State, Minnesota, and South Florida had all offered scholarships, along with a host of MAC/CUSA-level offers.
That's no murderer's row, but Boise State and Michigan State have recent history of QB success, and have done so by developing under-the-radar recruits. This guy could be a serious steal.
STATS
ESPN has junior stats:
Completed 121 of 202 attempts (59.9-percent) for 1,546 yards, 13 touchdowns and three interceptions. Rushed for 438 yards and six more scores
Thanks to our pals at Hammer and Rails, we have periodic updates from Bellomy's senior season:
So far he has Martin high off to a 1-2 start, but he is 26 of 49 for 281 yards and a touchdown against an interception. He has also rushed for 253 yards and four touchdowns in the run based offense. 210 of those yards came in Friday's 58-48 win over Flower Mound.
Round 2:
Bellomy has led Martin High to a 6-2 overall record and, more importantly, is actually healthy. He has thrown 994 yards and nine touchdowns against two picks, while running for 533 yards and seven scores. He has even caught a touchdown pass. Martin is on a 6-game winning streak and should make the state playoffs.
In addition to a link to the Martin High School football website, which has season-long stats. Russell finished 114/194 passing for 1584 yards (58.8%, 8.16 YPA) 15 touchdowns and 3 picks. He also rushed 120 times for 805 yards and 9 TDs. He made the All-District First Team.
FAKE 40 TIME
Rivals is the only premium site with a listed 40 time for Bellomy, crediting him with a 4.63. Though he's expected to be mostly a pocket guy in college, he's a pretty good runner at the high school level, so that's not unrealistic. A mere two FAKEs out of five.
VIDEO
Senior highlights:
PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE
So. Bellomy is far from a polished prospect, but Michigan only has two other scholarship quarterbacks on the roster for next year. I would guess that the staff does whatever they can to redshirt him, unless they need him to play a bit. That gives him a year of separation from Devin Gardner, and provides a good start to QB depth going forward.
HOWEVA, if Bellomy will agree to being primarily a depth player throughout his career, the staff will give him a bit of playing time as a true freshman. Michigan needs three quarterbacks with game experience - plus walkons.
So Bellomy's career arc, then, depends on the fates of Michigan's current quarterbacks. Either Denard Robinson or Devin Gardner may leave Michigan early for the NFL, and there's not even a guarantee Robinson sticks around after spring practices this year. Michigan will target top quarterbacks for next year, so unless there are extenuating circumstances, Bellomy should be a backup who occasionally plays significant minutes.
UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS
The Wolverines desperately needed a quarterback in this class, and they have their man. He's skilled enough that he can contribute - possibly even as a freshman - but not highly-touted enough to scare off bigtime prospects in the next couple classes.
Now that the Wolverines have filled the majority of their needs for the 2011 class, defensive line, linebacker, offensive line and tight end are the only remaining positions that must see more commitments. Any prospects in addition to those are icing on the cake.
January 25th, 2011 at 8:41 PM
#2
Welcome Russel your gonna
January 26th, 2011 at 11:01 AM
#3
Watching Bellomy's highlight reel
I am pretty surprised this kid is only a 3-star. He looks like an absolute stud. He has a rifle for an arm and is very fast and elusive. His HS film is more impressive than Tate Forcier's.
Furthermore, I'm incredibly excited and optimistic that Hoke/Borges have decided to recruit such a mobile, dual-threat QB like this and not some 6'-5" tall statue.
Welcome aboard! You made a great decision, Mr. Bellomy.
January 25th, 2011 at 8:45 PM
#4
Suck it, Hope.
Suck it, Hope.
January 25th, 2011 at 8:45 PM
#5
Awesome
Hoke is killing it
January 25th, 2011 at 8:46 PM
#6
Hoke is pulling out the ye olde
Well done, sir. Suck it Danny Hope!
January 26th, 2011 at 10:25 AM
#7
Please play this during Purdue's pregame stretching in AA
January 25th, 2011 at 8:47 PM
#8
Hey!
I got the Comment box!
Congratulations Russell and welcome to Michigan. Normally we'd have dozens of replies wishing you the same, but the site's barfed and only people with Chrome OS (I think) can get through to post. On behalf of those locked away behind virtual walls, we're happy to have and you're going to love AA.
January 25th, 2011 at 8:52 PM
#9
So is this...
a tall version of Tate?
January 25th, 2011 at 8:53 PM
#10
With grades.
With grades.
January 25th, 2011 at 9:17 PM
#13
Based off the highlight film,
Based off the highlight film, I'd say yes. Only with less hype and a little more flutter on his passes.
I think this is a great recruit and a nice addition to the Maize and Blue.
January 25th, 2011 at 9:26 PM
#14
Faster
I wouldn't put a lot of money on it, but I'd say he's faster too...
January 26th, 2011 at 9:25 AM
#15
Tale of two Tates
Bellomy reminds me of two different Tates:
Robert "Tate" Forcier (formerly of UM) and Drew Tate (former Iowa QB). Both were guys with average arm-strength but decent zip and a good knack for keeping a play alive with their feet. The thing that scares me a little bit is that both of those QB's were "gamblers": guys who would thrill you with a mind-blowingly awesome throw on one play and reduce you to a quivering mass of tearful jelly (Can jelly cry?) on the next with a completely uncalled for risky throw.
I hope Bellomy doesn't follow the same pattern as the two Tates. Fortunately his TD to INT ratio in HS was a very solid 4-1 with only 7 INT's in two years as a starter. I sincerely hope that trend continues for him at UM.
Side note: I was impressed with his speed and vision (particularly his cuts near the line of scrimmage in traffic) as a runner. He looks to be a little bit faster than TForce in straight-line speed to my eye.
January 26th, 2011 at 6:15 PM
#16
That's actually who I was
That's actually who I was reminded of while watching his highlights. Does anyone know why he isn't ranked very high?
January 26th, 2011 at 10:11 PM
#17
Truthfully, a big part of it
Truthfully, a big part of it is probably due to his longtime Purdue commitment.
January 25th, 2011 at 8:53 PM
#18
Whoa! I have the comment box
Whoa! I have the comment box back!
Welcome Russell! Definitely think they need to red shirt him.
January 25th, 2011 at 8:55 PM
#19
I'm sure glad we installed
That cobra pit in Schembechler Hall. We'll have an endless supply of oil now.
January 25th, 2011 at 9:01 PM
#20
Good choice Russell.
You
Good choice Russell.
You will win a national championship before you graduate.
January 25th, 2011 at 9:01 PM
#21
OK, key terms I heard
"Grit," "gritty," "scrappy" and "gunslinging" are all adjectives used to describe Mr. Bellomy.
We may have found our "moxie" replacement.
January 26th, 2011 at 1:51 AM
#22
beat me to the punch. I was
beat me to the punch. I was actually concerned that he had "toughness" and "grit", but lacked "moxie".
January 25th, 2011 at 9:02 PM
#23
I got the comment box back too
and I'm on (don't make fun of me, guys) Internet Explorer, and just in time to welcome Russell too, in case more people can't post to let him know that yes, he does look a bit like Tom Brady, so he should feel right at home.
However, listening to the interview video posted on the Faux Hello, I could swear he said more than once that he wasn't into big stadiums. Perhaps he meant that he didn't require big stadiums. Or he's willing to put up with all those fans and noise and stuff since Michigan has so much else to offer.
Interesting also that he's a good runner and in the video he says his high school uses many styles of QB'ing. Does that mean that Hoke is going to put things in for Denard and Devin that he may actually keep in the repertoire?
Glad he's on board.
January 25th, 2011 at 9:09 PM
#24
Thanks TIM
Tim... many thanks for the work you did on this and others...it is appreciated.
However I want to give my educated opinion here... Bellomy is a bigger recruit than you think, and I think you need a better perspective on the historical Purdue QB, a program who historically has had a keen eye when it comes to qb, like danielson, brees, everett, orton, etc. This is a monster get... and Bellomy won't be relegated to backup here as you infer. Look at his clips. This guy it appears is about to break out big time. I will give him props equal to Gardner, going forward, because his highlight video, believe it or not, has shown me more than Gardner's did as a senior, and that is NOT a knock on Gardner.
Hoke saw the intangibles in Tom Brady and landed him. He just did the same with Bellomy. Watch his video again.
Thanks again Tim.
GO BLUE
January 25th, 2011 at 9:18 PM
#25
With all due respect to you and Mr. Bellomy
His highlight tape is nowhere near as impressive as Gardner's. His arm strength is questionable, his mechanics are shaky at best, and he doesn't look all that comfortable in the pocket. I like this pickup, but Gardner is better.
January 25th, 2011 at 9:25 PM
#26
I agree, not as good as
I agree, not as good as Gardner, but could be a very good back-up in a few years and a solid starter if need be down the road. I agree he should be put in the break-in-case-of-emergency box (redshirt).
January 25th, 2011 at 9:27 PM
#27
Absolutely should be headed
Absolutely should be headed for a redshirt but we definitely needed a 3rd schollie QB on hand and he looks like he could be a starter down the road. Depth purposes only at this point though.
January 26th, 2011 at 9:26 AM
#28
You have a better eye for this
than I do, but there are plenty of positives. He looks big/strong and plenty fast enough...a real long-strider. I realize we won't be asking our QB's to run quite as much, but having the ability to pick up 1st downs is huge. He also seems to be able to make the quick read and decide where the ball is going. Grain of salt b/c it's his highlight reel of course. Arm strength and mechanics can be worked on.
Also, #8 is available now that Mouton is gone! Welcome aboard Russell!
January 26th, 2011 at 9:48 AM
#29
As of right now, I believe
As of right now, I believe TRob still has #8 on offense, so he might need to settle on a new number.
Anyway, I'm curious to find out what this means for the offense we're running. At SDSU, the offense was one that liked to stretch the field vertically, but Bellomy seems to be the opposite of that type of quarterback. I guess there's nothing we can do but wait and see.
January 26th, 2011 at 1:33 PM
#30
I forgot
I forgot about the duplicate number on offense, probably because TRob didnt get much PT.
January 25th, 2011 at 9:21 PM
#31
Is that you?
Russell? Is that you?
Great pick up though, hard to to argue with Purdue's success w/ QB's given what a crap box that school is.
I kid, Purdue is totally a good school if you can't get into Michigan and aren't into having fun.
January 25th, 2011 at 9:08 PM
#32
I love this
If only for the fact that Hope's mustache must be absolutely beside itself with anger.
January 25th, 2011 at 9:16 PM
#33
Oh nice, guy beat my old Alma
Oh nice, guy beat my old Alma Mater in the state playoffs this year
January 25th, 2011 at 9:25 PM
#34
Danny Hope has chewed off half his mustache by now
I look forward to his midfield antics after the next game.
January 25th, 2011 at 9:29 PM
#35
No need to make predictions about RB's future right now
He's got a lot of athletic potential, he's apparently pretty damn smart, and we've got two excellent QBs already in the system. This is a great pickup, especially this late in the game.
How 'bout we chill until the time comes for him to play on the field before we pronounce him the second coming of Tom Brady or a waste of a scholarship.
January 25th, 2011 at 9:33 PM
#36
Yay!
28 TDs to 6 INTs and can take off and run with great vision and balance, awesome.
January 26th, 2011 at 2:01 AM
#37
I'm more optimistic than you
I'm more optimistic than you Tim. I think with some grooming this kid could be very serviceable. Kirk Cousins esque.
January 26th, 2011 at 2:08 AM
#38
If you recall my posts in the
If you recall my posts in the thread a couple days ago (when word first got out about Russell visiting) this is a good kid and one that has succeeded at the highest level of Texas high school football. He has great work ethics, grades are there, and his ability and humilty serve him well. I'm proud of him and excited about him deciding to flip over to Michigan.
Edit: Russell even apologized to me when we talked tonight b/c he won't be at church tomorrow. Coach Hoke is coming to Arlington to see him. Good kid.
January 26th, 2011 at 2:40 AM
#39
Only two weeks of recruiting
Not serious at all here but I like what I've seen from Coach Hoke so much that I propose after this year that all coaches must wait until 2 weeks before LOI day to begin recruiting. I like our chances of have 15 - 5* super athletes. I'd put Coaches Hoke & Mattison against any pair of coaches in the country. Just kidding...or am I?
Seriously happy at what the coaches have done with such a short amount of time. If this is any indication as to product we could expect to see next fall, it wont be any time before we see Michigan back on top again.
January 26th, 2011 at 3:44 AM
#40
Ceiling of
Mobile Ricky Stanzi...betting career backup.
January 26th, 2011 at 3:47 AM
#41
Any names
of potential QBs next year?
January 26th, 2011 at 8:12 AM
#42
The ones that the new staff
The ones that the new staff likes right now is unclear, but there's going to be many good ones to pick from
January 26th, 2011 at 5:15 AM
#43
no DR
This kid is no Denard Robinson *sigh*. We will never recruit another QB like Denard ever, ever, ever again. No Dennis Dixons. No Antoine Randle Els. At least he's not Lurch.
Since the onset of Hoke-a-mania, Michigan has made zero offers to kids with dreads. I shall miss them greatly.
January 26th, 2011 at 9:49 AM
#44
Hoke offered Floyd Raven
Hoke offered Floyd Raven
January 26th, 2011 at 11:10 AM
#45
I stand corrected!
Maybe we can get some Samoan studs now that the Hokester is here. That would be refreshing.
January 26th, 2011 at 5:17 AM
#46
double post
Server difficulty effect.
January 26th, 2011 at 7:44 AM
#47
You guys can say what you will about RR,
but imagine how Hoke must have felt when he opened that drawer and saw that RR left the snake oil bottle for him.
January 26th, 2011 at 1:28 PM
#48
And the wizard hat.
Don't forget the wizard hat. I hear it looks absolutely dashing on Coach Hoke.
January 26th, 2011 at 9:12 AM
#49
He will be a utility QB
Used as a reserve on the playing field throughout his career. Not a bad thing, seems like the kid is smart, focussed on education, and mature (ie. not Tate) - valuable traits in the locker room. As an upper classman he will provide consistency and stability in the QB ranks and has a good shot at play if he red-shirts this year. Good pickup for the program. We were not going to get a high profile QB in this class. Good luck RB.
January 26th, 2011 at 9:27 AM
#50
I can see him as a starter
at some point in his career.
(so good to have the comment box back)
Edit: FYI, I just got a notification from Norton security that an attack on my computer was blocked.
January 26th, 2011 at 9:42 AM
#51
More important recruit...
than most of you are admitting to.
Denard was in and out of a LOT of games last year, and Devin was hurt most of the year. With both QBs demonstrating an early injury history, we're going to need a decent back-up, and Bellomy is a steal this late in the recruiting process.
I'm pleasantly surprised with Hoke on this one. I don't get the pessimism. Yes, his value right now is as a back-up; however, it's stupid to sit there and claim, "This guy's a career back-up" before he sets one foot on the practice field here.
