Former Michigan wide receiver Ron Bellamy is returning to Michigan as a football coach. Bellamy spent the last decade as the head coach at West Bloomfield High School.
Hit the jump for more.
Bellamy played high school football at Archbishop Shaw in New Orleans, Louisiana, before committing to the Wolverines in the class of 1998. He did not play early, but he did eventually become a starter and made 67 catches for 888 yards (13.3 yards/catch) and 9 touchdowns from 2000-2002, playing with quarterbacks Drew Henson and John Navarre. Bellamy was also a punt returner (33 for 324 yards or 9.8 yards/return) and an end around guy (18 carries for 167 yards or 9.3 yards/attempt).
Afterward he spent a few seasons on the fringes of the NFL before embarking on his coaching career. In that time he built up West Bloomfield from kind of a doormat to a state champion during the 2020-2021 season, producing numerous FBS prospects along the way.
Bellamy has an outstanding resume as a high school coach. Not only did he build up the program at West Bloomfield, but he also built up a great deal of relationships and a lot of good will. Furthermore, I’ve been impressed – more so than with some other coaches – by his ability to adjust to his talent. Some coaches stick to a scheme no matter what or they don’t feature guys who should be featured, but Bellamy has altered his offense and defense at various times to fit his guys, a list that includes but is not limited to:
- Purdue DT Eddy Wilson
- Michigan State/Syracuse WR Trishton Jackson
- Michigan State WR Tre Mosley
- Penn State LB Lance Dixon
- Michigan S Makari Paige
- Michigan LB Cornell Wheeler
- Michigan RB Donovan Edwards
Having been a high-level college player and a former NFLer, there should be no question about whether he has the experience and knowledge to coach at the college level.
Furthermore, his hiring should pay dividends on the recruiting trail. Michigan has already developed a good relationship with players in the Lakers program, and it will be interesting to see who takes over at West Bloomfield and whether talented players continue to flock there. But he also brings some badly needed local cache and could potentially open some doors in Louisiana, though it’s always a tough haul getting kids from the deep south.
The hiring hasn’t officially been announced, but the general structure of the coaching staff seems to be:
- HC/QB: Jim Harbaugh
- Co-OC/WR: Josh Gattis
- WR: Ronald Bellamy
- Co-OC/OL: Sherrone Moore
- TE/ST: Jay Harbaugh/S
- RB: Mike Hart
- Co-DC/OLB: Mike Macdonald
- Co-DC/CB: Maurice Linguist
- DL: Shaun Nua
- ILB: Brian Jean-Mary
- S: George Helow
Michigan now has three former Wolverine athletes on staff with Jim Harbaugh, Mike Hart, and Bellamy.
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