No one knows who Michigan's starting quarterback is going to be this fall.
Russell Bellomy, though, has taken himself out of the race.
Bellomy announced Friday that he is going to finish his degree at Michigan, then transfer to another school for his final year of eligibility. Under NCAA rules for graduate students, Bellomy will be able to play immediately at his new school -- the same rule that Ohio State's Braxton Miller is expected to use to move to a different program this year.
Bellomy's only real playing time at Michigan came in 2012, when he replaced the injured Denard Robinson against Nebraska. Bellomy completed just three of 16 passes, throwing three interceptions, and Devin Gardner replaced him for the next game. Bellomy missed the 2013 season with a torn ACL, and was the No. 3 quarterback last year behind Gardner and Shane Morris.
Gardner is gone, but Bellomy would have still been behind Morris and redshirt freshman Wilton Speight on the depth chart going into the spring, with at least one and possibly more highly recruited freshmen coming in as part of Jim Harbaugh's first recruiting class.
"To those of you that know me well, I always try my hardest never to get emotional; however, I write this with a heavy heart," he wrote on Instagram. "I will receive my degree at the end of this semester and have decided to sign my release that enables me to play my 5th year as a graduate student at another university. I pray that you respect my decision and support me in whatever I do, because this was not an easy process.
"I am forever grateful to have attended and played for UM and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world."
Bellomy is the third player this week to announce that they will leave Michigan as a fifth-year transfer, joining running back Justice Hayes and tight end Keith Heitzman. Heitzman only caught two passes as a redshirt junior last season, while Hayes was fourth on the depth chart at tailback behind De'Veon Smith, Derrick Green and Drake Johnson.
