Bellamy excited to join 'UCF Family'

Isaiah Bellamy joined UCF's recruiting class on Wednesday, but it was back in April that he knew he wanted to be a Knight.

The Largo tight end already viewed UCF favorably, liking what he saw the previous summer at a 7-on-7 camp and being impressed by the turnaround in the first year under Scott Frost. But it was on that spring visit when he started to feel like a part of the family.

"The little things actually count," Bellamy said. "At the end of the practice, the coaches brought the visiting recruits over and introduced us to the team. I don't know any other school where they would actually do that. I remember my grandfather - he was there with me that day - kept on telling me, 'This is the school! This is the school!'

"I just really liked the culture and everything about the program. I remember the 0-12 season and seeing how Coach Frost came in and changed everything. I watched some of UCF's videos on Youtube, saw how big he is on family and how everybody on the team is one big unit. I wanted to be a part of that."

Bellamy stayed in constant communication with his recruiter, Ryan Held, who indicated an offer would likely come by the end of the summer. He got the official word last week, setting the stage for Wednesday's announcement.

"I obviously talked with my whole family about it, my mom, grandma, my dad, everybody," Bellamy said. "They all supported me. I first called Coach Held, who was excited of course. I then called Coach (Sean) Beckton. He really wanted me too."

The commitment was especially pleasing to Largo's running backs coach, Brynn Harvey, who starred at UCF from 2008-12.

"He was really excited when I told him," Bellamy said. "He said, 'I've finally got another Knight!'"

The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Bellamy literally plays all over the field - quarterback, tight end and defensive end. His college football future is at tight end, though coaches had previously said he could play almost anywhere.

"UCF said they really liked my frame and how I can catch," Bellamy said. "I used to play wide receiver in Little League so I had some background there."

The positive feedback he heard most often from recruiters centered around his size and ability to catch the football. He says one area he knows he can improve is his overall speed.

"I'm looking forward into just developing into an all-around, better tight end," Bellamy said. "I've been playing quarterback and other positions all my life, so I know when I focus just on tight end I'll make big improvements."

Bellamy knows there will be an instant opportunity too given that UCF will graduate their top three tight ends after this season.

"The offense really stood out to me and how they use the tight end," he said. "I know what they did at Oregon and the tight end was a really big part of their offensive attack. I'm really looking forward to being a part of that."

He becomes UCF's third commit from the Tampa Bay area, joining fellow tight end Justin McGriff (Tampa Jefferson) and running back Patrick Jolly Jr. (Newsome).

"Patrick was actually there the same day I visited," Bellamy said.

Bellamy is also very familiar with the Griffin twins, Shaquill and Shaquem, who played at nearby St. Petersburg Lakewood. Shaquill is in his rookie season with the Seattle Seahawks while Shaquem is about to enter his senior year, coming off a junior campaign in which he earned American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors.

"I grew up watching the Griffin twins, every time they played against Largo," Bellamy said.

USF, Southern Miss and Toledo had also offered. Bellamy is thinking about majoring in sports medicine at UCF.