Russell Bellomy, Wolverine
Russell Bellomy probably thinks what I think: “Purdue coach Danny Hope is a tool.” |
Russell Bellomy, a quarterback from Arlington, TX, committed to Michigan on Tuesday. He had previously been committed to Purdue but hadn’t been offered by Michigan until Brady Hoke took the head coaching job at Michigan. Bellomy is a 6’3″, 180 lb. prospect who also holds offers from Boise State, Colorado, Marshall, Minnesota, and South Florida, among others.
Bellomy is a 3-star prospect to all three recruiting services, and mostly viewed as a dual-threat quarterback. Scout ranks him as the #39 overall quarterback, while ESPN puts him at #35. Rivals has no opinion on the matter, but at least their site looks pretty.
Watching highlights of Bellomy, his high school team runs an offense that looks a lot like Auburn’s. It’s somewhat surprising that Rich Rodriguez, who needed a quarterback in the class of 2011 after Kevin Sousa decommitted, didn’t pursue Bellomy. Bellomy has some serious wheels and escapability. He only completed approximately 59% of his passes over the past couple seasons, but he threw very few interceptions (seven total from 2009-2010) and ran the ball for 1,200 yards over those two seasons.
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.
I expect Bellomy to redshirt in 2011. Michigan has two capable-to-fairly capable quarterbacks in junior Denard Robinson and sophomore (or redshirt freshman) Devin Gardner. There’s no need to get Bellomy game experience as a true freshman. Experience is only necessary if he’s expected to play in the near future (like freshman Ryan Mallett in 2007, who would presumably have taken over once senior Chad Henne graduated). If injuries to Robinson and Gardner occur in 2011, Michigan’s chances of winning likely go down the drain, whether Bellomy gets a few garbage snaps or not.
The Wolverines are almost certainly finished with quarterback recruiting for 2011. Three scholarship quarterbacks is the minimum number a team should carry, but having four quarterbacks spread out over only three classes would cause a bit of a logjam. Expect to see Michigan pursue another quarterback or two in the class of 2012.
TTB Rating: 74