Russell Bellomy Brings Solid Depth to Quarterback Position

At Michigan’s 2012 spring game, the play on the field was largely vanilla—no deep passes were thrown—but it did provide the coaches with an opportunity to get their backup players some reps. If you missed the spring game, you can see it in its entirety here.

Most notably in the scrimmage came the play of quarterback Russell Bellomy, the 6’3” 185-pound redshirt freshman from Arlington, Texas. According to Michigan’s coaches, he is third behind Denard Robinson and Devin Gardner. However, based on Bellomy’s performance in the spring game, he could be a lot closer to the getting the backup job than Gardner is to keeping it. You can see all of Bellomy’s offensive snaps in the game here.

Bellomy was one of the late recruits to Michigan’s 2011 class, committing in the first weeks of Brady Hoke’s hiring. Offensive coordinator Al Borges said that Bellomy “was recruited by some teams that I have a lot of respect for recruiting quarterbacks.” (Borges is likely referring to Purdue, Boise State, and Michigan State, all of whom offered Bellomy scholarships and all of whom have developed outstanding quarterbacks. Bellomy was previously committed to Purdue before his Michigan offer.)

“When I first got here,” Borges told reporters back in February 2011, “there was no recruited quarterback, so we were trying to find a quarterback. After looking at [Bellomy], doing some quick research, a quick cram course on all the kids that were candidates for the scholarship, he checked out at every turn. I talked to several coaches who were recruiting him—maybe they had already signed a quarterback, but [they] were really, really high on him. I got great reports. That, but even more so, the research I did on my own—having a chance to watch tape and talk to his coach—I was sold on the kid.”

It’s amazing how Bellomy was only rated as a three-star quarterback coming out of high school when his highlight tape looks more like that of a five-star quarterback. (Seriously, it is more impressive than No. 1 2012 quarterback Gunner Kiel’s.) Bellomy has really good accuracy (then for a high school senior) and a really strong arm, and he’s not limited to the pocket. If you watch his tape, he has some decent wheels and can definitely be considered a dual-threat.

So, why the low rating? MGoBlog's Tim (the site's recruiting blogger at the time) seemed to think it was because of Bellomy’s long-standing commitment to Purdue before he switched to Michigan. Recruiting websites have little regard for the Boilermakers, whom they consider to be a mid-level Big Ten team, and they sometimes grade their recruits unfairly. Also, consider this: skilled quarterbacks in the state of Texas are a dime a dozen, and it’s possible Bellomy was overlooked because of the sheer quantity of quality Texas recruits. (This would also explain why for the past few years the No.1-rated quarterbacks have come from states that have significantly fewer blue-chips: Gunner Kiel from Indiana, and Max Browne from Washington. Talent tends to stick out in an area where it is uncommon.)

Nevertheless, I cannot say enough how much I like this guy. Bellomy’s phenomenal high school highlight reel aside, he was good enough to be the main quarterback on the scout team and kept the defense on their toes enough to prepare them for 2011’s toughest challenges.

Before Bellomy even had an offer from the Wolverines, he came off as a humble yet determined, team-oriented Michigan Man in the making. Bob Wager, Bellomy's high school football coach, described him as "an outstanding student," having "a 4.0 GPA academically and a 1100 plus on his SAT."

"He’s done a masterful job of maintaining the balance of being a student-athlete," Wager told Go Blue Wolverine, Michigan football's premier (but unofficial) recruiting site. "He’s a team captain, as voted by his teammates, which I think is one of the great honors you can have. I think he’s going to make the team better and the campus better the moment he steps on because of the type of person he is . . . In Russell’s words, Michigan was one of his absolute dream schools. I think certainly anytime you go up to that environment, even here in the great state of Texas, we recognize the fact that Michigan is one of the premier football traditions in all of college football and I’m sure that had a profound impact to have an opportunity to go up and visit Ann Arbor."

Brady Hoke and Al Borges got themselves a major steal with this one.

The 2012 spring game was a bit of a validation for anyone who saw Bellomy’s highlight reel and concluded he was the Real McCoy, a solid, competent game manager—which is always satisfying to throw back in the faces of the doubters. Of course, what naturally emerged from Bellomy’s performance was a discussion of what this means for backup quarterback Devin Gardner, who has continued to struggle not only in spring games but also in actual games. Gardner’s first snap in his 2010 spring game debut was a fumble, but it was largely written off because he was then a freshman. He is now a junior.

“If Gardner's been really good and Bellomy uninspiring but solid and mistake-light throughout the spring, only one of these traits came through on Saturday,” wrote MGoBlog’s Brian after the 2012 spring game. “In three consecutive spring games [Devin Gardner has] looked bad.”

This also came after the recent speculation and rumors that Devin Gardner might be switching his position to wide receiver, and that he might actually be doing really well there—which shouldn’t come as a complete surprise. Gardner is a raw athlete who has always shown impressive speed as a scrambler and, at 6’4”, 205 lbs., he’d be the tallest wide receiver on Michigan’s roster.

In terms of Michigan’s coaches putting the best players on the field, and Gardner actually getting some more frequent playing time before he graduates, this is not a bad deal.

Last year I profiled Devin Gardner as a “Player to Watch in 2011” largely because I figured that his tall frame was better suited to a pro-style, pocket pass-focused offense than was Denard Robinson’s 6’0” frame. I also thought that, even with Gardner regulated to the backup position, he would still be eventually better suited to run the offense in the future. These thoughts are now shown to be somewhat shortsighted and were possibly obscured by the fact that Gardner was a five-star quarterback coming out of high school and the nation’s No. 1 dual-threat quarterback prospect of 2010.

Much like Fitzgerald Toussaint securing the feature running-back position, Denard Robinson has become the unanimously clear choice as Michigan's feature quarterback. I would be shocked if he lost the starting job to either Gardner or Bellomy. The battle between the two of them now seems to be for the backup job, and Bellomy has the advantage.

This isn’t a bad thing. For the first time since 2007, Michigan finally has depth at quarterback. With Warren De La Salle’s Shane Morris joining the roster in 2013 after Denard graduates, we can finally stop worrying about Michigan’s quarterback position. Even if Morris doesn’t nab the starting job as a true freshman and Gardner is moved to wide receiver for the remainder of his career, Bellomy will by then be capable enough to be the starter and manage the offense while Morris develops.

Brian Cook’s Hail to the Victors magazine wrote in 2011 that “a lack of recruiting stability was rare in Bo Schembechler’s era” at Michigan. The same was true of quarterback stability, even through the Lloyd Carr era.

For the first time in a long time, that stability has returned.

Players to Watch in 2011: Devin Gardner

With Michigan returning to more of a "West Coast" pro-style offense, one of the players who can really stand out is sophomore Devin Gardner. He is currently the backup quarterback for speed demon Denard Robinson, who was utilized dominantly in Rich Rodriguez's spread offense. (Robinson's abilities were used so much that he accounted for about 67% of the total offense in 2010.) 

Despite Robinson's amazing speed and decent throwing ability, Michigan still finished 7-5, was humiliated by Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl (losing 52-14), and Rich Rodriguez was fired. Now, Brady Hoke is in as head coach, Al Borges is in as offensive coordinator, and a new era of Michigan football begins.

That era will include a quarterback who primarily takes snaps from under center, although the shotgun will still be used. Borges has said that he will not discount Robinson's skills as a runner and plans to still employ several quarterback draw plays. However, this new offense is less demanding of a running quarterback and seemingly more demanding of a passing one. Robinson's ability to pass is very good, but ask anyone whether he's a better runner or passer and they will tell you that they prefer to see him run.

Then there's Robinson's backup, Devin Gardner. At 6'4", 210 lbs., Gardner seems more built for the quarterback position as a pocket passer. He can scramble effectively, but he doesn't have nearly the same burst of speed that Robinson does. His ability to pass, though, is impressive. While he still has some developing to do, Gardner's throws during the 2011 spring game gave the impression that he'll do very well and is a competent quarterback. He was able (mostly) to scramble away from the pass rush and, in one particular flash of talent, he managed to heave a long pass to wide receiver Je'Ron Stokes in the end zone for a touchdown.

As with any year where there's a transition, the spring game gives little insight into what will happen in the coming season. In fact, most people who watched the spring game will say that it provoked more questions than answers. On the field, the defense seemed to dominate, which it struggled to do at all in 2010. However, this is not necessarily conducive of improvement. The defense could have stayed the same (i.e. bad) and the offense simply got a whole lot worse. Conversely, the defense could have wholly improved to the point where it actually tested the offense, which would be a good thing if the offense has stayed at roughly the same level of effectiveness.

Considering these factors, it is difficult to determine where the offense, particularly Gardner, stands. Gardner himself did not wow anybody in the way that Robinson did in September 2010 against Connecticut and Notre Dame, but to those watching Gardner closely there were still signs that could point to a breakout, which is why we are analyzing his potential.

Gardner was recruited by Rich Rodriguez's staff as early as 2009. In 2010, Scout.com listed him as a five-star recruit and the fifth best quarterback in the country. He was from Inkster, Michigan, and attended Inkster High School. There he accumulated as much as 4,816 passing yards, 2,892 rushing yards, and 75 touchdowns in his junior and senior years, according to the 2010 football preview issue of The Wolverine. 

Gardner was one of the few highly touted in-state recruits that Rodriguez was able to get during his short tenure that Michigan State's Mark Dantonio did not. Gardner also held offers from LSU, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Nebraska, Michigan State, and West Virginia. In an interview with MGoBlog, Gardner said he was also interested in Ohio State growing up but never received an offer.

Despite his incredible numbers and five-star status, the most common criticism against Gardner was that he lacked refinement. Brian Cook on MGoBlog wrote that he was "raw like sushi" but had "an impressive mix of run and pass," especially in that he averaged twelve yards-per-carry as a junior in 2008. 

After he committed to Michigan and enrolled early, all the signs pointed that he would redshirt his freshman year, but Michigan and Rich Rodriguez were desperately in need of a third effective quarterback (behind Denard Robinson and Tate Forcier), and so Gardner played as a true freshman in 2010. Though he received groans from the Michigan faithful because he fumbled his first snap in the spring game, Gardner was good enough to pass Forcier (who had been the starter in 2009) on the depth chart. Playing back-up for Robinson, Gardner's first collegiate snap was against Connecticut on September 4, 2010.

Since then, he has matured nicely as a quarterback and has become increasingly effective. Denard Robinson will still likely be the starter in 2011 because of his speed, but Gardner's abilities as a passer are nothing to scoff at. He clearly has the talent that earned him five stars. He has also shown that he can fit well in the new, pro-style offense, despite 2010 reports had he knew only the spread when he was in high school. Michigan's offensive coordinator, Al Borges, has been consistently impressed with Gardner's abilities at quarterback and says that he and Denard share a lot of the same characteristics. 

"Devin is formidable," Borges told Rivals.com. "He's a nice quarterback and does some really nice things. He has some of the same traits [as Robinson], in terms of being able to pull the ball down and run, but he's a little more of the prototype in that he's tall and that he can see the field...I think Devin can work in the pocket because of his profile very naturally. Denard also works better in the pocket than you might think he can but his profile doesn't cater to it as much as Devin's. That to me is the difference."

Personally, while I think that Denard Robinson can effectively be considered a dual threat, I also think that Gardner has the better arm. (He's no slouch at running, though.) Where Denard shines as a surprise runner, Gardner is a more capable passer. Expect both quarterbacks to have good numbers in the coming season, but I wouldn't be surprised if Gardner nabs the top spot because of his throwing ability. Like most young players, he still has to work on technique, but he has shown improvement over the course of his career.

Of course, Gardner will have to prove himself if he is to land the starter position, but he thinks it's in reach. "It's fun," he said after the spring game. "[Denard Robinson] is my roommate. We're just battling right now."

When asked how he felt about the competition, Gardner responded, "It's a great feeling because I love to compete. That's what I play football for: to compete."