What Michigan football S coach Ron Bellamy said in Wednesday media availability
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — This offseason, Michigan football brought in two of its favorite sons in former running back Mike Hart and wide receiver Ron Bellamy.
Bellamy spent the last several years coaching West Bloomfield, turning the Lakers into state champions just this past year. And he also had familiarity with some current Wolverines as he was the head coach of Makari Paige and Donovan Edwards before they settled on coming to Ann Arbor.
On Wednesday, Bellamy met with the media to give a progress report on the safeties and defensive backs and spoke at-length about the newly-instilled culture, recruiting, seeing Donovan Edwards get his first touchdown and more.
Here is everything he had to say.
List
3 keys for Michigan football vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
How are the safeties performing through three games?
"We're getting there. We're getting there. Learning, the kids are playing fast, enjoying the experience. We, collectively, have a great group with the corners and the safeties. The guys are meshing and bonding well with each other and with the coaching staff. Every week presents a new challenge with the kids and they're responding to everything we're asking them to do."
How about him and Clinkscale?
"That's my guy! That's my guy! We had a relationship over a decade, him coming to West Bloomfield and recruiting our school. It's just a bond that grows stronger and stronger. We look out for each other."
How close can coaches get through recruiting visits?
"Yeah, you develop a relationship with college coaches -- that was always my thing with West Bloomfield. I always wanted to make sure I had a great rapport with the players and the coaches. If I'm signing off on a kid going to college, I want to know who's recruiting them and what that person is about, and is that person moving around a lot. When I was here, I had the luxury of having Fred Jackson recruit me and I know what the standard was, so I just made sure my kids had the same opportunity when I was at the high school level."
What did RJ Moten do this offseason that earned his trust?
"He's worked his butt off from a physicality standpoint. He's always been a physical kid. You can pop on his film from high school, you can see that. But the area he's grown most at is he's becoming a complete player. We're asking a lot of him, putting him in different situations and for a young guy, he's responding."
On Moten's relationship with Daxton Hill
"Absolutely -- we have a close-knit group led by Brad (Hawkins). He's a leader back there. When RJ's not able to make it at a certain time, depending on his class schedule -- him and Dax have very similar schedules -- the two of them usually come in on their own and watch film or stay after. You can see the bond with the two of them growing."
How did the maize out in Week 2 play with recruits?
"It was huge! That's what the kids look forward to now. As coaches and players, you look forward to that as well, and obviously our fan base. But from a recruiting standpoint, it was electrifying. The energy was high. The kids, when they came, that's the one thing they said was, 'You guys have to do that again!' And it was fun, especially when you win."
Does a game like that garner the team more attention from recruits?
"Yeah, because when you think about it, a lot of the kids, this was their first game. Obviously, last year, the COVID season, kids weren't able to attend games. For those who -- we actually have kids who were in the boat committed and they hadn't been to a game yet and that was their experience against Washington, the maize out. Leave it like that, you know? That's gonna be the expectation for them and I think from a recruiting standpoint, we won that night, on the field and in recruiting."
How did his time at West Bloomfield shape his recruiting style and what is his style?
"Genuine! I think anyone who knows me, that's the word they'd probably use to describe me. Just a person that's gonna be real, trustworthy. You use that word recruiting a lot, sometimes it could mean different things like, 'I'm just recruiting you to get you here,' but for me, it's developing a relationship. When I develop relationships with kids and parents, I want them to know me, I want to know them. Because at the end of the day, when you play in games, you go through spring ball, you go through the actual season -- but what's life like out of season? You want to be able to talk to your position coach about different things. Like I said, my experience was Coach Carr and his staff. I'm biased in saying it, but that was one of the best staffs that could ever be assembled because those guys are more than football. They were father figures to us and I want to make sure I carry that message to the kids I'm recruiting."
On making football fun again for the players
"I think, first and foremost, get to know the kids. Make sure they understand that they are loved. We tell them that we love them every day, just kind of building that trust. And they know we have their back, they have our back. It's a brotherhood. Though Clink and I are older than our defensive backs, they understand that we've been through what they are going through and we're gonna lean on each other. There's no finger-pointing, there's no -- we're gonna pick each other up. You make a mistake? Let's figure out why you made a mistake. Clean it up, pick each other up, hold each other accountable and let's play ball."
What has he seen from Rod Moore?
"He's smart. Rod's a very -- in this defense, especially from the safety position, we ask a lot of our guys. For a young kid to come in and he took command in training camp and that's why he's been able to get some of the early snaps. Rod's a kid with a bright future. Every day, he's learning -- we're all learning. Rod's been a pleasant surprise thus far and we're gonna just keep developing him and putting more on his plate and see how he responds to it."
How tested have the safeties been and what he expects from Rutgers
"Every week presents its own challenge within the secondary depending on what the team wants to do and what they're capable of doing, the opposition. It's different. Washington, what we thought we were gonna get we got from them, and the same is true of Western and NIU. Rutgers is gonna present its own challenge. Those guys are talented. Coach Schiano has done a very good job with that group. The offensive coordinator is a very smart guy, he's gonna move the guys around. Bo Melton is a guy that you've gotta watch and the rest of their receivers are pretty good. They're gonna present a big-time challenge for us. We've gotta be dialed in every snap to make sure we're playing our best game."
On him and Mike Hart's impact in return to program
"Coach Harbaugh, he has a message that he conveys to the program every day and Mike and I -- we're just an extension of that message. Coach has a vision and we're trying to help him execute the vision. We see it a little differently just because we been in this building for four years for Mike and I. We're able to challenge our kids a little differently. For me, I know the history of the program a little better than the others and so does Mike. We challenge our kids in our room that way and some of the others."
How close is Dax Hill to mastering all of his different roles?
"I wouldn't necessarily use the word master. He's playing at a high level. You guys could see that on Saturday. He's learning, but every week, like I said, depending on -- what makes this defense so good is that a new challenge creates new opportunities. We don't know until Sunday until we start breaking down our next opponent what the game plan is gonna be and for Dax, that's when he's learning and there's some wrinkles he hasn't seen yet. So far, so good. Dax has some individual goals for himself that he has to play at a high level to achieve."
Impressions of Donovan Edwards vs. NIU
"Not gonna lie -- I felt like a proud uncle! I've said this before: Donovan and I have been together -- I've known him since the third grade. We have such a strong bond and relationship. I'm in the press box and you can just see on the field when one's gonna break and I know he's the ultimate competitor and I know what he felt, that 'whew!' That sigh of relief when he got into the end zone for the first time. "He's a special talent. What I love most about Donovan is when he's not getting the early carries, he's cheering on Hassan and Blake. That's two great mentors for him. Donovan's gonna keep growing and developing. It was awesome watching him get into the end zone. It was special for me with our relationship."
What made him open switching from WR to S coach and his learning curve
"The learning curve for me is -- I was blessed and fortunate to play at every level, so from a football schematic standpoint, it's just a matter of learning what Coach Macdonald is teaching us as coaches and asking us to teach. It's football. For me, just making the adjustment. The biggest thing for me is just the adjustment with the family, just not seeing my wife and kids as often -- which we knew when we signed up. My wife knew what she was signing up for, I knew what I was signing up for. Our kids, so far, they seem to love it. That's been the biggest thing. But I think having some familiar faces around helped me with my adjustment. And Coach Harbaugh, this staff that he's assembled -- it's awesome. The guys, we mesh well together. We have fun. It's serious, but fun. We hold each other accountable and that, for me, has been good. "In regard to your question about moving from receivers to safeties, coach called and we talked about it and we wanted to make the addition of Matt Weiss to offense. Coach called and I said, 'Whatever is best for the team.' That's always been my mindset. If I need to move from offense to defense, do whatever's best for the team and that's what we did. Just hope we can continue to grow and develop."
How did he learn safety technique to impart?
"Coach Macdonald's coached defensive backs before. Having some closed-door sessions with him. Clink -- one of the things, Mo Linguist was great for me. When Mo left and Clink came on board, one of the recommendations I made when coach asked me and Mike asked me for replacements for Mo was Clinkscale, simply because of my relationship with him and I knew I could confide in (him). A person I knew could help develop myself from me being a primary receivers guy to defensive backs. It's been good. We work well together."
Has he talked to Thomas Wilcher since he's gone to MSU?
"I have. They went through some hardships at Cass, where he was. His mother passed and a couple of coaches passed away. I just wanted to make sure -- he and I have a good relationship, reach out to him from that standpoint, see how he was doing, being the high school guy, and moving over to the collegiate level. Different roles, but it can get overwhelming. Like I said, this is a different world for us. He's a guy that's gonna get adjusted quickly and he's doing good and they're doing well."
How do the players respond to the new culture?
"Absolutely. You want positivity in your room. You want accountability and positivity. One of the things is we're gonna lift our brothers up. And, by doing that, they know how to check each other in a respectful, positive way. If someone's not doing what they're supposed to do, especially a guy like Brad, we put a lot on his plate. Brad's been here forever! He's a guy that -- he's a great leader. He's a guy that, it wasn't asked of him before to be that guy, but now guys are responding to it. You have Gemon, you've got Vince. Obviously, Dax is a junior, but we're asking Dax to take on that role as well. The younger guys see it, they fall in line. It's a system that we have in place that so far, so good for us."
Have he and Mike Hart driven the renewed emphasis on Ohio State?
"I don't think Mike and I have to do that. I think the kids understand, everything you do you have to be intentional. And it's not just winning that last game in November, it's about every day. Every day you want to get better, be the best version of yourself. Because ultimately -- we have Rutgers this week. That's what the focus is. Each week, the new opponent brings new challenges. When you get to that bridge, you cross over it at that moment. But they understand it's a process. You can't have tunnel vision on one opponent, although we know who that opponent is. It's Rutgers for us."
So they're not looking ahead to Week 13?
"No! No, man! We -- Rutgers."
Earning the respect of the safeties coming from West Bloomfield and being a former receiver
"That's a great question. I think, for me, a lot of the kids knew me already because I came around a lot with my kids from West Bloomfield. But having Makari Paige as one of my players and having him in a position group, I think they asked a lot of questions about me and different things like that. Just told the truth about me, and like I answered a minute ago, it's about culture and what kind of culture you bring into your room. If it's a culture of positivity and accountability, you're gonna gain the kids' trust right away. It's love and we make sure we tell the kids we love them every day. It's something a lot of people don't hear every day, it's something a lot of people don't get a chance to experience. When you know it's genuine, then you're willing to do anything for a person to be successful."
Does Donovan Edwards remind him of any players he played with?
"He's unique. He's definitely unique in a sense that, like I said, I've been around him, so I know some of the things that haven't been unveiled yet. I know what he's capable of doing. "I literally just had this conversation with the defensive coaches. We were talking about Big Ten running backs and just how the makeup of the running back has changed. You go from the Wheatley and Biakabutukas -- bigger guys -- and the Chris Perrys and the A-Trains and you go from that and more into the scat-back type of guys. Blake -- and though Blake is a shorter guy, he's put together and an explosive guy. Donovan is kind of in the same realm as Blake. Those guys are more explosive than any of the guys that I played with. "Justin Fargas would probably be the closest, but we didn't get a chance to really see him fully develop himself at Michigan. But obviously, he went to SC and became that player we thought he could be. I would say that Donovan would be the closest to Fargas. Blast from the past, right?"
1
1
