Oklahoma State University Athletics
Freshman Hopes To Answer The Bell Along Defensive Front
August 10, 2004 | Cowboy Football
Despite the presence of some experienced returners across the defensive front, Bell knows a chance to play immediately in one of the nation's elite conferences has been presented to earn game time in his first season in Stillwater.
“It has always been a dream to be in the Big 12,” he said. “Personally, I am going to give it all I have. We have upperclassmen that are here to shine, too. We have seniors that are going to shine this year and I just want to help them out and back them up all the way.”
After a standout senior campaign at Belton (Texas) High that saw Bell record 17 tackles for loss, the Texas Top 100 recruit arrived on campus in early June in order to ease his transition into the rigors of Division I football.
“We went through our workouts, we went through our runs and our sprints. All of the running and other work is what we needed and we got it done,” he said.
Bell said his first day in the Orange and Black was void of any surprises, but knows what lies ahead for the Cowboys as they navigate the rugged Big 12 Conference.
“It was pretty much what I expected today. Being in the Big 12, you aren't going to get any breaks and it is going to be intense the whole way. We have already started to get our drills down and are coming together as a team,” Bell said. “We have some tough spots to fill without the upperclassmen here, but we are fired up and ready to go.”
In their short time together, Bell and the rest of his talented classmates have already begun to click which bodes well for Cowboy fans in the near future.
“The freshman class we have coming in has a lot of big guys and there are a lot of outgoing people out here. We are all becoming friends, coming together as a team and having fun,” Bell explained.
Highly touted coming out of high school, Bell had numerous scholarship offers, but the atmosphere at OSU won out in the end.
“This seemed more like home when I came on my visit. It is a great environment to be in. I have an opportunity to come here, get my education and graduate and maybe even get to the next level.”
