Tag: Dia Bell

Longhorns recruit Dia Bell named Florida Gatorade Player of the Year

Over the last few months, he has shown why the future in Texas is bright

While Dia Bell is still over a year away from making his collegiate debut, he made headlines over the weekend. The talented junior who is part of the Longhorns 2026 class was named Florida’s 2024-2025 Gatorade Player of the Year on Friday. Over the last few months, he has shown why the future in Texas is bright.

During the 2024 campaign, Bell completed 71 percent of his passes for 2,597 yards. He also recorded 29 passing touchdowns and only threw six interceptions. While Bell was a human highlight reel with his arm, he also made an impact with his legs,

On the ground, he ran for 561 yards on 61 carries, averaging 8.4 yards per carry, and found the end zone five times. Due to his ability to make an impact in multiple ways, Bell was hard to plan against. That is partly why he drew the interest from the Longhorns and some of the top programs in the country.

During the recruitment process, Bell visited Ohio State, Penn State, and LSU before committing to the Longhorns on June 17th. Although the quarterback room is loaded for the foreseeable future with Arch Manning, Trey Owens, and KJ Lacey, Bell should get his opportunities.

This season, Bell has shown why he has the potential to be a special player, and his latest accolade shows why he is one of the best players in his class from Florida.

Four-star safety Isaiah Williams includes Longhorns in final five

More help could be on the way, as four-star safety Isiah Williams released his top five schools, which included the Longhorns

Over the last few months, the Texas Longhorns have been busy adding to their 2026 class. More help could be on the way, as four-star safety Isaiah Williams released his top five schools, which included the Longhorns. While Wiliams has not set a commitment date, but his recruitment is being closely watched.

Earlier this season, Williams made headlines when he visited Austin during week one. He was originally supposed to visit Texas A&M but prioritized seeing the Longhorns in action. They did not disappoint in a 52-0 win in which they held Colorado State to 192 yards of total offense.

During his visit, Williams liked what he saw. After the game, the Fort Bend Marshall product told OrangeBloods Writer/Editor Jason Suchomel, “It was good. It was domination, what I expected. It was a good game, good atmosphere. I had a good time all around.”

Although the Longhorns have made a good impression on Williams, they still have competition. The other schools in his top five are Ohio State, LSU, Missouri, and Oklahoma. His interest from some of the top programs in the country comes as no surprise. Rivals ranks him as the 23rd-best safety in the 2026 class.

If Texas can land Williams, they will add one of the top safeties on the board. The Longhorns already have one of the best defenses in the nation, and adding a player like Wiliams will make their future brighter.

Penn State misses out on two top 2026 quarterback targets

One of Penn State’s desired quarterbacks in the Class of 2026 is heading to a Big Ten rival.

Penn State’s Class of 2025 is coming together nicely and the early work on the next recruiting cycle for 2026 is already underway as well. Plenty of top targets are left uncommitted as they departed Happy Valley following their official visits and are out seeing other schools before making their decisions.

The Nittany Lions were able to land two cornerback targets which was a great win for them, and they are expecting more to come down the chute in due time.

But even though the headlines are centered around 2025 recruits, that’s not stopping some of the best players in the 2026 cycle from announcing where they have committed to right now.

Unfortunately for Penn State, two of their top quarterback targets have decided to verbally commit elsewhere.

The one that stings the most is [autotag]Dia Bell[/autotag].

Son of former NBA player Raja Bell, they had developed a fantastic relationship with the Florida quarterback who is ranked as the No. 2 player at his position by On3.

He had taken four trips to Happy Valley, and it looked like Penn State was a school he was seriously considering, but after one visit to Texas, Bell decided to commit to the Longhorns.

Elsewhere on the recruiting trail, another Florida product in [autotag]Brady Hart[/autotag] was high on Penn State’s board after he visited in March.

His recruitment really took off after getting bumped up to the No. 92 player in his class and he was all over the country taking trips to top schools.

After one visit to see Michigan, he decided that was the place for him and verbally committed to the Wolverines.

Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean that their recruitments are shut down.

These are early commitments entering their junior years of high school football and there is plenty of time for things to change regarding their decisions.

Coaching staffs and coordinators could find themselves taking opportunities elsewhere that could cause decommitments, plus there’s always a chance they continue visiting schools before they sign their letters of intent.

Still, this gives Penn State a good idea about how the dominoes of the 2026 quarterback class might settle when it’s all said and done.

This at least allows them to start targeting others who are high on their list in hopes that they land one of the top remaining players.

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2026 4-star QB Brady Hart commits to Michigan after LSU visit

LSU hosted three blue-chip quarterbacks in the last week, but two have since committed elsewhere.

LSU had a busy recruiting weekend for the 2025 class, but it also had quite a few players from the 2026 cycle on campus as well, including three blue-chip quarterbacks in the last week.

Unfortunately for the Tigers, two of those signal-callers have since committed elsewhere. Five-star [autotag]Dia Bell[/autotag] committed to Texas on Monday, and on Tuesday, four-star [autotag]Brady Hart[/autotag] announced his commitment to Michigan.

Hart, a native of Cocoa, Florida, ranks as the No. 92 player in the 2026 class and the No. 7 quarterback, according to the 247Sports composite rankings. His commitment came on the heels of a number of crystal ball projections in favor of the Wolverines.

With Bell and Hart now committed elsewhere, LSU is likely to focus on North Carolina five-star [autotag]Faizon Brandon[/autotag], who was also on campus this week and had positive impressions of his trip.

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Top quarterback in 2026 class reacts to recent LSU visit

The Tigers are looking to land the nation’s top quarterback in back-to-back cycles.

LSU already holds a commitment from the top quarterback in the 2025 cycle, [autotag]Bryce Underwood[/autotag] — who is also the No. 1 overall player in America.

Now, the Tigers are looking to make it back-to-back cycles landing the top quarterback in the country as they’re pursuing No. 1 2024 quarterback [autotag]Faizon Brandon[/autotag], who was on campus last weekend for his second visit to Baton Rouge in three months.

Brandon, a native of Greensboro, North Carolina, ranks as a top-10 prospect and the No. 2 quarterback in the cycle by On3’s industry rankings, but both On3 and 247Sports rank him as the top quarterback in their own rankings, and the latter has him as the No. 1 overall player in the cycle.

He reacted to his recent trip, which seemed to be a positive one as he told On3’s Steve Wiltfong that he was able to talk with [autotag]Joe Sloan[/autotag] and the coaching staff about his potential development process.

Brandon is the top target on the Tigers’ quarterback board after fellow five-star [autotag]Dia Bell[/autotag] committed to Texas earlier this week. [autotag]Brady Hart[/autotag], a Florida four-star who was also on campus this week, committed to Michigan.

Tennessee is currently the heavy favorite to land Brandon, but with quite a bit of time between now and his signing day, LSU will hope to remain in the mix after hosting him for three visits in total now.

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LSU to host 2027 quarterback prospect for camp this week

Bryce Underwood’s early commitment has allowed LSU to turn its attention to future quarterback recruiting.

LSU already has a five-star quarterback on board in the 2025 cycle in [autotag]Bryce Underwood[/autotag], the No. 1 overall player in America. He seems to be solid in his commitment to the Tigers, and the staff is already turning its attention to future signal-caller recruiting.

They recently hosted several top 2026 targets, including five-star [autotag]Dia Bell[/autotag], who committed to Texas on Monday. They remain in the mix for other targets in that cycle like [autotag]Faizon Brandon[/autotag] and [autotag]Brady Hart[/autotag], but LSU is also looking to build a relationship with a player who is entering his sophomore season of high school.

It will host Evangel Christian Academy (Shreveport) quarterback [autotag]Peyton Houston[/autotag] for a camp this week. Houston will also be heading to College Station to camp with Texas A&M.

Houston is currently unranked by the major services but has received offers from several top programs including Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Ole Miss.

LSU is not among the teams that have offered him yet, but that could change after it checks out the in-state prospect this week. Texas is currently the slight early favorite according to On3.

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Ohio State football misses out on one of its top 2026 quarterback targets

On to the next one in 2026 for the Buckeyes. #GoBucks

Although Ohio State football is in the midst of another one of its big-time recruiting runs, you can’t win them all.

Florida 2026 quarterback, [autotag]Dia Bell[/autotag], was highly considering becoming a Buckeye, but that doesn’t look like it will be the case because he committed to Texas on Monday afternoon.

Ohio State has now missed out on its top two signal calling targets in that class, as they also missed on Jared Curtis who has committed to Georgia. Expect the Buckeyes to turn up the recruiting heat on North Carolina’s Faizon Brandon and California’s Brady Smigiel. Each of them currently hold an Ohio State offer.

There is also a possibility for a flip of Bell or Curtis since it’s a very long way until the 2026 class can sign their letters of intent.

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Five-star QB Dia Bell announces commitment to the the Texas Longhorns

Texas adds to insane QB pipeline after receiving commitment from five-star Dia Bell

Under the guidance of head coach Steve Sarkisian, the Texas Longhorns have been among the best teams in the country when it comes to the quarterback position. Quinn Ewers is entering his third year as the starter for the Longhorns while former five-star Arch Manning eagerly awaits his turn.

The plan on the Forty Acres is for Manning to take over in 2025 as Ewers heads to the NFL. However, the succession plan as a whole is turning out quite nicely as Sarkisian and company just landed a commitment from five-star QB Dia Bell.

Bell is the No. 4 ranked QB in the Class of 2026 and is the son of former NBA star Raja Bell. Hypothetically, if Bell arrives on campus for the 2026 season that would likely give him a year to learn under Arch Manning as long as he doesn’t turn pro after the 2025 season.

The Fort Lauderdale native held offers from every major program, but the race was really between Texas, Ohio State, Penn State and LSU.

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2026 5-star LSU quarterback target Dia Bell commits to Texas

Dia Bell was on campus for LSU’s Elite camp last week.

LSU already has its 2025 quarterback on board in No. 1 overall recruit [autotag]Bryce Underwood[/autotag], and it’s looking to lock up an elite option in the 2026 class, as well.

One of its premier options has now committed elsewhere, however. On Monday, five-star American Heritage (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) quarterback [autotag]Dia Bell[/autotag] committed to Texas over the Tigers and others. LSU had recently hosted him for its Elite camp last week.

Bell ranks as the No. 10 prospect in America, the top player in Florida and the No. 2 quarterback in the 2026 cycle.

With Bell committing to the Longhorns, LSU will likely turn its focus to fellow five-star [autotag]Faizon Brandon[/autotag], who took a visit to Baton Rouge this past weekend, as well as [autotag]Brady Hart[/autotag], a four-star from Cocoa, Florida, who was also recently on campus.

LSU is still searching for its first commitment in the 2026 cycle.

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LSU hosts another 5-star QB for a visit this weekend

With Bryce Underwood committed in 2025, LSU has fully turned its attention to the 2026 cycle at quarterback.

LSU already holds a commitment from the top quarterback and No. 1 overall player in the 2025 class, [autotag]Bryce Underwood[/autotag].

While anything can happen in recruiting, Underwood’s commitment to the Tigers seems to be solid, and that has opened up co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach [autotag]Joe Sloan[/autotag] to turn his focus to the 2026 class.

The Tigers hosted a pair of blue chip quarterback prospects this week in four-star [autotag]Brady Hart[/autotag] and five-star [autotag]Dia Bell[/autotag], the latter of which participated in LSU’s Elite Camp on Thursday. Now, the staff is set to host another 2026 five-star.

[autotag]Faizon Brandon[/autotag], the No. 9 overall player in the cycle, will be in town, according to On3’s Shea Dixon. The Grimsley (Greensboro, N.C.) prospect has previously spoken highly of Sloan, per On3’s Chad Simmons.

“I’ve built a pretty good relationship with him. Seeing what he does with quarterbacks is one of the reasons why LSU is on my radar,” Brandon said. “I like how he develops quarterbacks. I like how he works with the quarterbacks.”

It’s going to be a busy June for Brandon, who has visits set with Alabama and Penn State and will also potentially visit North Carolina and NC State. The rising junior said he’s hoping to trim his list down to six by the end of the summer.

Tennessee currently leads the way for Brandon on the On3 recruiting prediction machine, but LSU will hope this staff’s quarterback success convinces Brandon to come to the Bayou.

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