From Across The Ball, Several On Michigan's Offense Are Impressing Bellamy

Michigan Wolverines football's wide receivers have impressed during fall camp, and have been considered one of the top position groups on the team to this point.

Ron Bellamy — the man charged with mentoring the Wolverines' safeties — is one who can attest to the success of the wideouts, with first-hand accounts.

"They give you some problems," Bellamy said in a Thursday press conference outside of Schembechler Hall. "There’s a plethora of options, especially with [redshirt junior Daylen] Baldwin coming in [from Jackson State]. You’ve got a bigger guy in CJ [sophomore Cornelius Johnson] and Ronnie [Bell], Ronnie is the crafty vet I call him. I tell Ronnie, he’s the new Ronnie B.

"You’ve got guys like [second-year freshmen Roman [Wilson] and A.J. [Henning] that’s going to take the top off the route. They put the fear of speed and big plays. They’ve been having a heck of a fall camp and I’m excited to see those guys go as well."

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Now, it's not as if the defensive backs aren't getting the better of the wide receivers at times, either. Head coach Jim Harbaugh has said the offense has looked better one day, then the defense will be ahead the next.

Bellamy, a former Michigan and NFL wide receiver, is helping his safeties gain an edge — to the point that he's irritating some on offense.

"Oh yeah, I think it annoys the offense a bit when I see certain things and you start calling it out," a chuckling Bellamy said when asked if being a former offensive player has helped him coach defense. "Whether it’s different splits or a stance a receiver has, I think [I see] different formations, see the game differently. I’ve always had an offensive mindset.

"[Offensive coordinator] Coach [Josh] Gattis and I talk about that often, and we laugh about it — he's a safety coaching receivers, and I’m a former receiver coaching safeties. It’s one of those things where we can piggyback off each other and I’m always like, 'Hey, what do you see here? Or what are you thinking here?' Sharing information. Sometimes the best way to share information is within the building."

Bellamy is particularly familiar with one player on offense — freshman running back Donovan Edwards. The two won a state championship together with West Bloomfield (Mich.) High in January, and Bellamy has been Edwards' mentor and coach for several years.

"I remember Donovan, when he first came in, had an issue with something, and he looked at me. [Running backs coach] Mike [Hart] and I looked at each other, and I was like, ‘You’re not my problem anymore,'" Bellamy said with a big laugh.

In addition to his duties on defense, Bellamy has watched Edwards closely during fall camp. He's only seen more of what he already has come to expect out of the highly-touted recruit.

"It’s Donovan. He’s what I’ve seen since third grade," Bellamy said. "He’s a kid that’s not going to let anyone outwork him. He’s a kid that takes his craft very seriously. He’s going to be a great addition to the offense. He’s attacking every day and he’s getting better and better. I get a chance to see him, and he poses problems for defenses.

"[When] Donovan was in the 10th grade, he benched 225 [pounds] 12 times. Physically, the dude is ready. He always has been. He’s been a bit more physically mature than the kids his age. Same as the case here. He’s come in day one since spring ball, and he doesn’t look like a freshman."

Harbaugh has said Edwards will play right out of the gate — though he's behind redshirt sophomore Hassan Haskins and second-year freshman Blake Corum on the depth chart — and Hart mentioned Thursday that Edwards will see the field "at some point," depending on how he continues to progress.

That could be a lot to deal with for a freshman who was in high school just several months ago, but Edwards was built for this. Handling the pressure, though, is in Edwards' make up — and nobody would know that better than Bellamy.

"I don’t think he worries about that," Bellamy said. "If you know Donovan, he received the Gatorade Michigan High School Player of the Year, he didn’t want to do it. He didn’t want to do the paperwork. He could’ve been the Detroit Athletic Club Player of the Year, he chose not to do it.

"Those things, those individual accolades, they don’t define him. That’s why I don’t think it’ll be too much pressure for him. His biggest thing is that he wants to compete and win. He’s always been like that. He’s carried that mindset here to Michigan. I’m excited to watch him. It’s going to be different for me to see him at that level, but I’m excited to follow his career."

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