Western Michigan's LeVante Bellamy among fastest players in college football Speedy running back with career 7.0 yards per carry average set program benchmark with 4.32 40-yard dash

Nick Buckley | Battle Creek Enquirer

Show Caption Hide Caption Western Michigan football 2018 schedule The Broncos have seven home games at Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo.

KALAMAZOO - For LeVante Bellamy, speed came out of necessity.

"When I was young, my brother was always really fast," he said. "When I was in second grade, I always went against fifth and sixth graders. I would be outside playing, and it would always be me and them because of how old my brother was.

"Being so young and having to run away from 12-, 13-year-olds at 8 or 9, I think that's what made me begin to run fast."

Bellamy is arguably one of the fastest players in college football and certainly the fastest running back Western Michigan has ever had.

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During summer conditioning this June, the 5-foot-9, 185-pound redshirt junior posted a program-record laser-timed 4.32-second 40-yard dash.

That 4.32 time would have led all running backs at the 2018 NFL combine. It was also only 1/100th of a second faster than his teammate, junior receiver D'Wayne Eskridge, who clocked in at 4.33.

New Land Speed Record Set in Kalamazoo! Levante Bellamy Coming in at 4.32! #LetsRide #Lit pic.twitter.com/dLiDpS7RGk — WMU Bronco Strength & Conditioning (@WMUFBStrength) June 27, 2018

According to GPS data last season, Eskridge ran a team-best 23 mph during one practice, while Bellamy wasn't far behind at 22 mph.

Bellamy and Eskridge have been going at it for a while. Both were standout sprinters in high school back in Indiana, where Eskridge was tabbed the state's "Mr. Track and Field."

"We had some battles," Bellamy said of Eskridge, "but then I pulled my hamstring as a senior before state."

Injuries are about the only things that have slowed Bellamy down. Over his three-year WMU career, he's averaged 7.0 yards per carry. But ankle and foot problems have limited him to nine games over the last two seasons.

In a crowded backfield that included Jarvion Franklin, who would finish his WMU career as the school's all-time leading rusher, Bellamy was tabbed as the Week 1 starter at USC last season. He came out of the gate strong, piling up 102 rushing yards on just nine carries, followed by 67 rushing yards on 12 carries at Michigan State. But a lingering ankle injury limited his usage over the next four games before a foot injury ended his redshirt sophomore season prematurely.

WMU head coach Tim Lester, who is taking over play-calling duties this season, said the Broncos will continue to find ways to use Bellamy and his speed now that he's healthy.

"It's what can he handle. We can't be dumb and hand it to him in the 'A' gap 30 times a game. We have to get him the ball on the edges," Lester said. "We have to get him up the middle too sometimes, but not too much. He does a great job out of the backfield in the passing game too, so we have to find different ways of getting him the ball because he's is really dangerous in space.

"I think everyone has seen that."

Nick Buckley can be reached at nbuckley@battlecreekenquirer.com or 269-966-0652. Follow him on Twitter:@NickJBuckley