ANN ARBOR, Mich. — For some top-flight schools, it would be considered taking a flyer when accepting a commitment from the No. 861 player in the country. At Michigan, if that player has the last name ‘Bell’ it’s basically a sure thing.
The Wolverines lost wide receiver Ronnie Bell to the NFL this offseason but welcomed in a new recruit at the same time: 2023 three-star athlete Kendrick Bell, Ronnie’s younger brother. Coming aboard as a quarterback initially, during fall camp, the younger Bell switched over to his brother’s position, wide receiver. And so far the returns are excellent.
“He’s a freak athlete,” Michigan receivers coach Ron Bellamy said. “He has some of the same qualities that Ronnie does. You watch him, he was a state champ long jumper, state champ high jumper once he averaged like 50 points a game in basketball. His twin brother is — I forgot what school in Missouri that his twin brother signed up for — Southeast Missouri? The Bell genes, you know?”
Of course, he’s a little behind when it comes to the learning curve compared to the much-ballyhooed trio of first-year receivers that the Wolverines are working in. Two of those three were around in spring ball and even got to participate in bowl prep in December. Karmello English arrived in the summer but has been working at wideout ever since he got on campus.
Bellamy is confident, however, that once Bell gets the ins and outs of working the role, he’ll showcase many similar attributes to his older brother.
“It’s just a matter of him just learning the position,” Bellamy said. “He’s been a quarterback primarily his entire life so just learning a position and you could tell that he has a bright future if he does want to stick a receiver. And obviously, we’ve welcomed him with open arms and he’s done some exciting things like, ‘Oh! Alright, he’s a Bell!'”
Fans could potentially get a chance to see another Bell receiver in action on Saturday when the Wolverines open up the season against East Carolina. The game will kick off at noon EDT and will be streamed live on Peacock.
