2011 Recruiting: Russell Bellomy Comment Count

Brian

Previously: CB Greg Brown, CB/S Tamani Carter, CB Blake Countess, CB Delonte Hollowell, CB Raymon Taylor, LB Antonio Poole, LB Desmond Morgan, LB Frank Clark, LB Kellen Jones, DE Keith Heitzman, DE Chris Rock, DE Brennen Beyer, OL Jack Miller, OL Tony Posada, OL Chris Bryant, RB Justice Hayes, and RB Thomas Rawls.

       
Arlington, TX - 6'3" 190
       

Russell_Bellomy_Univ_of_Michigan

um… that number's taken, Russell

Scout 3*, #39 QB
Rivals 3*, NR
ESPN 3*, 78, #35 QB, #87 TX
Others

247: 3*, 85, NR

DMN: #61 in TX

Other Suitors Purdue, Boise State, USF, Minnesota, Michigan State
YMRMFSPA Pick a Forcier
Previously On MGoBlog Commitment post from Tim.
Notes Has a twitter. LIKES MATH!

Film

Senior film:

He's also got a junior reel. Workout porn? Workout porn.

Russell Bellomy continues Michigan's newest tradition: yoinking a Purdue commit whenever they change coaches. Bellomy isn't quite as touted as Roy Roundtree, who grabbed a fourth star here and there, but that didn't stop Brady Hoke from channeling his inner Nutt:

"He was away recruiting when I was up there, but when I called him and committed he took the phone away from his mouth and let out a 'yee haw,'" Bellomy said. "He was fired up."

Both Michigan and Purdue fans are hoping this is the last time this particular meme gets dug up for a while.

So what have they won? A developmental prospect. Bellomy's a bit like Justice Hayes in that he seems like a better fit for the offense Michigan just dumped. That might not be a big deal long term—unlike Hayes, Michigan actually got interested in Bellomy after the transition—but Bellomy is not Chad Henne. He's described as an "efficient spread offense QB" and completed only 58% of his passes on a run-heavy team. He rarely broke the 20 attempt barrier. Opposing coaches($) say stuff like "he was much more effective in the pocket than we expected" and "you have to respect his passing ability as well." He needs work.

But he's got excellent size and athleticism and Michigan has the luxury of turning his next two years into a montage video. This is what happens at programs that are not whipsawing from one thing to another in the midst of an epic recruiting funk.

Bellomy's recruitment started with a half-dozen okay BCS offers highlighted by Michigan State, Purdue, USF, and Boise State before camp season began in earnest. When Bellomy hit those up he consistently featured in the recap sections. Not so consistent were his evaluations. When he camped at his local Elite 11 feeder they said he was a bomber($) who needed to work on his throwing on the run:

DQB, Arlington (Texas) Martin

This tall, lean, athletic quarterback displayed a live arm and quick release. He will need to add some muscle mass and work on squaring up his shoulders while throwing on the run. Bellomy actually looked better throwing deep out routes than he did shorter passes. He has the height and the tools but needs to be more consistent with his mechanics. You can definitely see why interest in him is starting to pick up.

Later that summer he hit up that 7 on 7 competition during which we were all panting for Demetrius Hart. There they said he could really throw on the run but needed to work on his deep ball($):

…  maybe the most exciting player to watch on that team was quarterback Russell Bellomy, a Purdue commit, who made the short and long throws and also threw well on the run but sometimes struggled with his consistency on the deep passes.

So there you go.

When Rivals tracked him down during the season($) they praised his touch ("often placing the ball over the shoulder of the receiver") and height while criticizing his mechanics and sackalicious pocket presence.

ESPN($) says he's "much better on tape" than in camp settings:

… gangly frame that has a ton of room to fill out and develop strength. While his mechanics can be a bit wild and inconsistent, Bellomy displays toughness, grit [ed: yessss] and a competitive demeanor. 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. 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. … 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…. delivery can be long and awkward at times. He has a good arm, but not great power or the ability to consistently stretch the field vertically.

Like the man said: developmental. Bellomy has a great athletic and academic package and just needs time to see whether or not he can fix his whack mechanics. Speaking of whack mechanics, here's a Cade McNown reference from Touch The Banner:

Bellomy has some serious wheels and escapability. … Interestingly, Bellomy is a bit like offensive coordinator Al Borges' old protege, Cade McNown. Bellomy is a little bit taller than McNown, but he's mobile, has somewhat erratic mechanics, and lacks great arm strength. He shares those qualities with McNown, although the former UCLA quarterback also lacked some leadership qualities. Judging by a couple interviews I've seen of Bellomy, he seems to be a very grounded, respectful, humble young man.

Bellomy has numbers to back those interview impressions up, namely a 4.0 GPA and a decent SAT. Coach quote:

“Anytime you’re talking about a student who’s a 4.0 GPA, and I think the best indicator of that is the past couple of years, just throwing the ball, he’s upwards of 30 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. He takes care of the ball and has a great understanding of not only what he’s doing but what everyone else is doing around him.

"Should that all break down he has the athleticism to not only outrun you, but also the ability to make you miss. Especially at 6’4”, he’s surprisingly elusive and you have that aspect from an athletic standpoint. ... Early on in his career he was predominantly under center in two and three back sets. I think that created a toughness in Russell so he’s just as happy to throw a block as he is a touchdown.”

That last bit isn't just hype. I know, you don't believe me. I didn't believe me. When you're scouring for Bellomy information and you come across his coach saying

"We give a hammer award after games that we win, a brand new sledgehammer, for the game's hardest hit," Martin coach Bob Wager said Wednesday. "Russell won it twice -- from the quarterback position. He's not afraid to throw his body around. He enjoys the physical aspect of the game."

…you file it under Rapturous Coach Quote and forget about it until Bellomy pops up and says this:

"The QB position at Martin High School was not the average QB position. I was used as a blocker a lot in the wildcat. I'd be in the slot as a QB, and I'm not going to block the person in front of me. I look for the hammer shot." ... I have two videos on my phone. That's what I like to brag about.

Russell Bellomy has forked over precious phone space for two videos of himself crushing an unsuspecting high school kid. That rapturous coach quote is on the money. Bellomy's the only quarterback I've ever come across who brags on his blocking. Hoke brought this up in a press conference: "toughness" (of course) was a major draw when Michigan was figuring out which quarterback to go after. He's got that in spades.

Now he just has to figure out when he's going to get sacked and how to throw the ball consistently. We need a montage.

Etc.: Boiled Sports was not so happy about the decommit. I love the guy in the comments who says Bellomy bailed because he "wasn't seeing the field until about 2013" if he became a Boiler. Also love this ND fan who thinks his commit is a "signal to Denard Robinson." Andrew interviews him on TTB. Went viral when he committed to M. Interviewed by some extra from Twilight.

Stats:

 
  Rushing Passing
Year Att Yds TD PA PC Pct Yds TD Int
2010 (Sr.) 120 804 9 196 113 57.7 1,564 15 4
2009 (Jr.) 102 438 6 202 121 59.9 1,546 13 3

Why Pick a Forcier? It's not a particularly tight comparison but one of the Forciers is the best Michigan comparable in recent history. Jason never played so we'll stick with Tate. Both are mobile quarterbacks with good athletic ability who no one will confuse with Denard; neither has NFL-level arm strength. When ESPN describes someone as a "riverboat gambler," visions of Tate Forcier wheeling around doing something you're either going to love or hate dance around your head like sugarplums.

Differences: Forcier was vastly more polished than Bellomy is coming out of high school. Bellomy spent his summers playing baseball; Forcier spent his hanging with Marv Marinovich. At 6'3" Bellomy has more long term upside; he's also more likely to hit that upside because he is not an ultra-flake.

Guru Reliability: Very high. Except for that flip on whether it's his deep ball or his short stuff that needs work the assessments are all in line both in terms of rating and subjective attributes.

General Excitement Level: Moderate-minus. Bellomy is a boom or bust sort who could completely wash out because he never improves his accuracy or could get it and then become a legit pro-style quarterback with Henson-level wheels. He's got a tough route to playing time; if he gets it he'll be close to the latter.

Projection: Obvious redshirt unless there is an injury calamity. Will compete with Shane Morris and Devin Gardner to replace Robinson in 2013. Probably will not win the job. Gardner has a year on him and brings a lot more recruiting oomph. Never know, though.

If Bellomy doesn't start and Shane Morris passes him for the backup spot we could see him move to tight end, wide receiver, or even linebacker. He's got the frame to get up to 230 or more and enough athletic ability to give it a shot.

Comments

Magnus

August 23rd, 2011 at 11:53 AM ^

I don't think Michigan could have expected a better QB prospect to wedge between Robinson, Gardner, and Morris.  He'll have plenty of time to develop, and I think he'll either be a solid starter or - at worst - a very good backup.

turd ferguson

August 23rd, 2011 at 1:54 PM ^

I agree with you here, partly because the transfer risk is lower than it would be with a top-rated recruit who loses a starting QB battle but has eyes on the NFL.  The key thing with Bellomy is that he can run the team in 2013 or 2014 if there's an injury (to Gardner or Morris) or Morris isn't ready.  Our QB depth will be a little scary in a couple of years.

bronxblue

August 23rd, 2011 at 1:41 PM ^

Bellomy has the elusiveness of Denard, the size of Ryan Mallet, and the Riverboat Gambler-ness of Brett Favre pre-dong pictures!  He's fantastic!

mgoO

August 23rd, 2011 at 2:31 PM ^

Brian, you're slipping.  I would have expected you to point out how nice Bellomy looked running the inverted veer in his senior highlights.

mgoO

August 23rd, 2011 at 11:30 PM ^

I know how you feel.

It feels like the new staff is playing tug of war with my heart as they alternate doing things like recruiting a guy like Bellomy while rambling about toughness and manbally power plays.

Meanwhile, I'm surprised you haven't mentioned the no-huddle aspect of the spread when discussing the shotgun, manball, etc.  

It's one thing to just put a few plays and formations in the book to adapt to your personnel but it's another thing entirely to buy into the no-huddle philosophy.  Clearly, tempo is a big part of the most successful spread offenses whether it's RR, Malzahn, Meyer, or Chip Kelly.

I think our offense is going to look something like "Ohio's" only without the great defense.  Probably not a recipe for great success unfortunately.

I do take solace in the fact that I don't think we'll ever see anything like DeBord again because of the imprint RR left on the program but only time will tell...

cjm

August 23rd, 2011 at 8:27 PM ^

If you didn't click the workout porn link under the highlight video, you should. Watching bellomy do the 51" box jump is impressive.