Adam Bellamy is a force on both sides of the football.
In his senior year, he brought opposing quarterbacks down five times and recorded 90 tackles, leading the Aurora Greenmen to their first ever Ohio High School State Championship.
In the same season, he was a Division III first team All-Ohio selection as an offensive lineman.
With most of their defensive tackles nearing graduation, the Buckeyes have decided this 2009 recruit will have to make quarterbacks his enemy in the future.
"I just think he's a key part of the class because they needed - really, really needed - a defensive tackle," said Steve Helwagen, managing editor for Bucknuts Media Network. "I think it really helps them to get him - no question. He's a really good two-way lineman. If it doesn't work out for him on defense, he can always go and help out with the depth on offense. That's a good thing for him."
To go along with his versatility, Bellamy also has good size for an incoming freshman, measuring up at 6 feet 4 inches and 270 pounds.
But Kevin Noon, managing editor for ohiostate.rival.com, said Bellamy might not get playing time as a true freshman.
"Bellamy does probably need to work a little bit on his strength," Noon said. "His bench max was 265, which means he's going to need to do some more upper-body work. He's definitely a candidate for a redshirt."
Bellamy also plays ice hockey and baseball at Aurora, making it more difficult for him to spend more time in the weight room.
But if Bellamy's 3.5 high school grade point average and football accomplishments are any indication of his work ethic, then he should have no problem increasing his strength after one year of weight training at Ohio State.
Bellamy was the Chagrin Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2008. He was chosen to play with the best graduating seniors in Ohio in the Ohio versus Pennsylvania Big 33 game this summer.
If he doesn't get to play in his first year, Noon said Bellamy can use that time to hone his skills and get accustomed to the college game.
"He's a great run-stopper, but they need to work on him to help him complete his game, to make it a little bit more well-rounded," Noon said. "The learning curve is steep. It's not an easy position to just be dropped into and be expected to get thrown in the pool and start swimming."
Drew Sullivan can be reached at sullivan.462@osu.edu.
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