Power Five teams catching onto 2024 Florida DB/OLB Jalen Bell
Written by Ryan Wright
Twitter: @RyanWrightRNG
ORLANDO, Fla. – When it comes to versatility and overall athleticism on the gridiron, there are few like Jalen Bell. During his junior campaign, Bell was that do-all player for Osceola High School (Kissimmee, Fla.). Lining up as an outside backer, Bell was that hard-hitting force in the box crashing down the line, sealing the edge, rushing the passer, and covering slots. Like him as a linebacker, safety, or nickel, Bell is a next level talent flying under the radar.
The tape doesn’t lie, and after a few clips of Bell’s 2022 season, coaches will quickly see how strongly Bell impacts the game. Through 13 games with the Kowboys [sic], Bell registered 56 stops, 13 tackles for a loss, two sacks, two picks, two PBUs, and picked up two fumbles.
The productivity on the field yielded a couple of personal invitations to camps.
“I went to a Troy camp and USF (South Florida); those camps were the main two I went to this year,” Bell stated.
Bell got to showcase his athleticism in front of the Trojans’ coaching staff.
“It went well,” Bell said. “They invited me up there, so I took a trip up there with some of my teammates. I balled out at the linebacker position. Because I play outside and nickel, I wanted to see how I would do in linebacker drills.”
The trip down I-4 to workout in front of the Bulls’ staff was also time well spent.
“It went pretty well,” Bell shared. “They are only about 50 minutes away from the house. It is close to home, and I like the coaches there. I liked how they work.”
Holding offers from Kaiser and St. Thomas University, and interest coming in from Troy and USF, Bell ran down the list of other teams evaluating his talents.
“Illinois is showing a lot of interest and so is Pitt,” Bell said. “Both of those schools have been heavily recruiting me and keeping in touch with me. UCF, I have been talking to them a lot as well; they are right up the street.”
Bell spoke about what college coaches are wanting to see of him this fall.
“Last year I played at the linebacker position mostly, we had a lot of DBs last year that went D-I,” Bell stated. “I filled in my role at the linebacker position. A lot of coaches have said I am undersized at 6-1.5, 194, at linebacker, but at safety I have the size. They wanted me at 210 or 215, something like that; they wanted to see me gain weight and they wanted to see me in person to see how I work.”
Not afraid to perform at any college camp, Bell is making the most of upcoming opportunities with two more chances to ball out in front of coaches.
“I should be going to Richmond or Illinois sometime at the end of this month for a visit and a private workout,” Bell shared.
The Illini’s success developing cornerback Devon Witherspoon into a first round NFL draft pick has Bell’s attention.
“It is away from home, I want to see the vibe away from the house, and I like their DB corps; they send guys to the NFL,” Bell said. “They had Witherspoon drafted as the No. 5 draft pick; we play the same position, corner/safety. I think that would be a good fit.”