Davin Bellamy understands his role with Georgia football team

ATHENS -- Georgia outside linebacker Davin Bellamy knows his place among the group.

“We (Bellamy and Lorenzo Carter) understand Jordan (Jenkins) and Flo (Leonard Floyd) are the big dogs, and I think that’s what makes our chemistry so good because you have to understand your role,” Bellamy said. “Those are the older guys that, they tell us to do something, we listen; they come in the room and say be quiet, we be quiet. It’s nobody trying to step on anybody’s toes.”

The sophomore spent his first two seasons in Athens doing a lot of watching. But after redshirting his freshman year and recording 17 tackles in an injury-plagued redshirt freshman season, Bellamy is ready to take the next step and get some meaningful snaps for the Bulldogs.

“He’s had a good fall camp,” outside linebackers coach Kevin Sherrer said. “If things keep going the way they’re going, he could get some significant playing time.”

The reason for Bellamy’s ascension up the depth chart has really been twofold. First is the influence of those players he respects and the competition they’ve fostered within the group.

“I think what makes that room so good is everybody in there is a competitor, and we hate losing,” Bellamy said. “So like if I see Flo do a move or I see Jordan do a move, I really want to see if I can do it better than him.”

Case in point, on Wednesday, the outside linebackers group did a drill in which they had to grab a tennis ball with one hand, throw it and then grab another. Floyd, who went first, got showy with it and did the drill with one hand then said he bet Bellamy couldn’t repeat it.

“That kind of pushed me right there, and I had to show him that I can do it,” Bellamy said. “That’s really what makes that room so good. We all feed off each other, and we all try to help each other out.”

And there’s also the health factor. Last preseason, Bellamy tore his right labrum but opted to play through it and wait until after the Belk Bowl to have surgery. At times, Bellamy said he had to “baby” the injury to make it through the season.

This preseason, Bellamy has dealt with a hand injury that has required him to wear a club, but it has been much less limiting.

“Being injured, you kind of take yourself away from the game,” Bellamy said. “Now that I’m healthy, I’m getting a lot of reps at practice, meaning the game is slowing down for me; I’m getting better technique wise.”

Now that he’s healthy and had gone through most of a preseason, Bellamy has been able to show the versatility that comes with his 6-foot-5, 241-pound frame. In addition to outside linebacker, Bellamy spent some time with his hand in the dirt as a defensive end with defensive line coach Tracy Rocker earlier in the preseason.

“I just want to be the guy where the coach can put me up anywhere and go play and I can do that,” Bellamy said. “If it takes me playing with my hand in the dirt, playing in a two-point stance or anything, I kind of feel like I have the skill set to do that but like I said, I’m working on my game every day so I can be an every down player.”

And this versatility has paid off, at least in the mind of defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt, who has praised Bellamy during camp.

“He might be the best one,” Pruitt said. “He works really hard out there. He’s physical. He likes the game. He can play every down. One thing he has to do is be more consistent. He’s got to learn to do it over and over.”

This story was originally published August 28, 2015 at 8:12 PM with the headline "Davin Bellamy understands his role with Georgia football team ."