Tag: Kendrick Bell

Michigan S Brandyn Hillman a heat-seaking missile: ‘He’s out of control sometimes!’

He was really impressive on Saturday. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — He might not be lighting up the stat sheets, but Brandyn Hillman truly burst onto the scene on Saturday in the game against Minnesota.

Thrust into action with Makari Paige’s late-game injury, the second-year safety who had originally signed with Notre Dame showed his penchant for hard hitting. On Tuesday, he explained how he grew into the role. And it started all the way back to when he was young.

“I always played both sides of ball growing up — offense, defense,” Hillman said. “So I played safety growing up. My grandma used to hold up a pillow in front of the couch, and I, like, run full speed and hit the pillow as hard as I can. So that kind of transitioned to football and the way I play on defense.”

Wide receiver Kendrick Bell can attest that Hillman is a heat-seeking missile on the playing field.

As a pass catcher having to go up against defensive backs in good-on-good periods in practice, Bell is well aware that if Hillman is coming at you, it’s going to leave a mark.

“I don’t know, that man’s wild!” Bell said. “In practice, you got to sit down a little bit, though — you can’t hit somebody crazy. But, I mean, he’s a — I don’t know how to explain it. He’s a headhunter, though that’s what he is. He’s a headhunter. He’s out of control sometimes!”

Hillman credits his grandmother for his love for sports but notes that his mother broke things down quite simply when it comes to playing defensive football.

“I just keep attacking the ball,” Hillman said. “My mom said see ball, hit ball. I’m a defensive player, so I got to stand by that. That’s my job, and I’m the last line of defense, so I got to make sure I get the person down.”

Hillman and the Michigan defense will be back in action on Saturday when the Wolverines head on the road to face Washington.

Michigan players on Alex Orji: ‘Just waiting for him to take over’ games

Orji’s teammates insist he’s wayyy more talented than we’ve seen thus far. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan football fans are a little on edge after new starting quarterback Alex Orji threw for 32 yards in his first start and 86 yards in his second. But players and coaches insist progress is happening and that Orji can be a bona fide QB for the reigning national champion.

Orji hadn’t taken five snaps in a row before the Week 4 game against USC, so he’s still getting his feet wet after just two games. And those who have seen what Orji can do in practice know he’s capable of so much more than he’s shown in the past two weeks.

Of those who think there’s a lot more to Orji’s game includes the top tight end in the nation, Colston Loveland.

“Kind of just waiting for him to take over,” Loveland said. “I think he’s definitely got it in him. Can be. Obviously, he’s freaky, but like, just, I’m waiting on him — which I know he will — just take over the game with his legs, with his arm strength. And I know it’s coming, so I’m excited. I’m excited to see when that comes.”

Orji’s skill set, as a dual-threat quarterback, does open up a lot of possibilities that haven’t been fully exploited as of yet. But another aspect to his game that we might not get to see from Orji is his leadership.

Redshirt freshman wide receiver Kendrick Bell says that Orji’s leadership is an attribute that fans don’t get to see that resonates highly with his teammates. In such, Bell gave an example in practice how Orji has changed the confidence of the offense due to his willingness to step up and lead the team.

“He is a vocal leader,” Bell said. “He throws the ball well. If things are not going right, he’ll bring the whole offense together. Be like, ‘We gotta get this right. Let’s fix this next period,’ and actually, we’ll have a good period after that. But he’s just a really good leader.”

Fans will get a chance to see Orji try to get his third win, and the first on the road, when Michigan heads to Washington to take on the Huskies on Saturday.

Donovan Edwards galvanizing Michigan offense after loss to Texas

This is good to hear. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The Michigan football offense looks all new and with that has come some growing pains.

The offense only had three productive drives in Week 1 against Fresno State and perhaps about the same in Week 2 against Texas — though it’s more difficult to tell given how the Longhorns jumped out to a big lead relatively early in the game.

As a result, there’s an increased sense of urgency inside Schembechler Hall as the Wolverines prepare for Arkansas State in Week 3.

“Yes, because we know we didn’t play to our standard,” redshirt freshman Kendrick Bell said. “We’re going to continue to because we set a pretty high standard, and we’re going to continue to play at that standard.”

Bell says that one of the team captains is working to get the team on the right page to set that standard.

Having joined the Wolverines in 2021, Donovan Edwards is now a team captain and a vocal leader on the offensive side of the ball. Though the players didn’t necessarily feel like they needed an all-hands-on-deck meeting following the Texas game, Edwards at least has let other players on the offense know that they need to step up.

“We all know what we should have done on Saturday. We all know that loss was not what we wanted,” Bell said. “We haven’t lost in a long time. So we, some of us, especially me, don’t know how it feels to lose. But Dono got us all together — not all together, but in the team room, offensive meeting.”

Up next, the Wolverines have Arkansas State at The Big House. That game will be broadcast at noon EDT on Big Ten Network.

Converted from QB, Kendrick Bell is settling in at wide receiver for Michigan

Never count out a Bell. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Never count out a Bell — that’s something we’ve long said. It started with former two-star Ronnie Bell, the Michigan football wide receiver who made a name for himself in a winged helmet and thus got drafted by the San Francisco 49ers and continues to be a part of their 53-man roster. But now his younger brother, Kendrick, is on the team, following in his older brother’s footsteps.

The younger Bell started for the first time, lining up against the vaunted Texas Longhorns in Week 2, and while he didn’t like the result, he was happy that his hard work is starting to pay off.

“It was a blessing,” Bell said. “I worked my tail off to be able to get to that spot, but I feel like I can always be better. And from watching the film on Saturday, I feel like I know I can do better. I feel like I can make more plays out there, but I can only do so much I can do. But I mean, I feel like we are going to be better on Saturdays, and we will be.”

Bell actually didn’t come to Ann Arbor as a wide receiver, as he hasn’t played the position since eighth grade. He signed as a quarterback and was initially given the opportunity there in 2023. However, at some point, it became clear he could have a bigger impact at wideout, and though Bell wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about the move at first, it’s one that he’s since come to embrace.

“At first, Coach Harbaugh said that and my heart dropped, and I was not ready, because I have not played receiver in I don’t know how long,” Bell said. “But Coach Bellamy was stoked for it. He was happy for it. He seen my basketball highlights, so he knew that he could turn me into something. But, I’m still still developing, still doing this and that, so I continue to thrive with him.”

Michigan needs his size, in particular. At 6-foot-2, 191 pounds, Bell is one of the taller receivers on the roster and a verifiable downfield threat — at least from what we saw in the spring game. Thus far, he’s only had two catches for a total of 18 yards through two games, but considering that he didn’t even think he’d see the field (especially since he had a shoulder injury that kept him sidelined all fall camp), managing to play 30 snaps in Week 1 and 39 in Week 2, he’s seeing a huge increase in playing time.

The next step will be seeing more production.

“I will say, going into my first game, I didn’t think I was going to play that much,” Bell said. I missed all fall camp, so I didn’t think I was gonna do a whole lot, but I feel like I had a really good week going into the practice. And I just after that first catch, Coach Bellamy’s like, ‘You ready?’ I was like, ‘I’m ready.’ So feel like I did well, and I earned those snaps.”

‘A freak athlete,’ Kendrick Bell taking well to new role at wide receiver

Never count out a Bell! #GoBlue

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.

Early Signing Day: Kendrick Bell signs with Michigan football

If you’re a member of the Bell family, ratings don’t matter! #GoBlue

Ratings

Stars Overall Position State
247Sports 3 – #97 ATH #25
On3 3 – #24 QB #12
Rivals 3 – #49 ATH #24
ESPN 3 – #19 QB #21
247Sports Composite 3 843 #59 ATH #20
On3 Consensus 3 1023 #53 QB #22

Vitals

Hometown Kansas City (Mo.) Park Hill
Projected Position Athlete
Height 6-foot-3
Weight 180-pounds

Notable offers

  • UMass
  • Northern Iowa

Readiness Level

Likely a redshirt player in year one.

Early Enrollee?

No

Notes

Brother of Michigan WR and team captain Ronnie Bell.

Via MGoBlue.com:

Prep
• Attended Park Hill High School (2023) coached by Andy Sims
• Park Hill posted a 3-8 record his senior year in 2022
• Helped the Trojans to a 5-6 record as a junior
• Part of two playoff teams and won a playoff game in each year as a starting quarterback
• Earned letters in basketball at Park Hill, where he was an all-district selection
• Also lettered in track and field, where he was a state-qualifying jumper

Key Statistics
• In his senior year, completed 224-of-339 pass attempts (72 percent) with 35 passing touchdowns and added 670 rushing yards and another 10 scores on the ground
• As a junior, completed 207-of-339 pass attempts (61 percent) with 30 total touchdowns including rushing; 313 total rushing yards
• Set school records in passing yards, completions, and completion percentage his senior year

Honors and Rankings
• Earned a 247Sports Composite ranking of three stars; the No. 1,031 overall player nationally, the No. 85 athlete and the No. 23 player in the state of Missouri
• Named a three-star prospect by 247Sports; the No. 178 athlete and the No. 36 player in the state of Missouri
• Rated as a three-star prospect by ESPN, the No. 222 player in his region, the No. 19 dual-threat quarterback and the No. 22 player in the state of Missouri
• Rivals.com three-star prospect, the No. 49 athlete tackle in the nation and the No. 24 player in Missouri
• On3.com three-star consensus prospect, the No. 1,017 player in the nation, the No. 53 quarterback in the nation and the No. 22 player in Missouri
• On3.com three-star prospect, the No. 24 quarterback in the nation and the No. 12 player in Missouri
• First-team Class 6 All-State as a senior (2022)
• Named the Most Outstanding High School Football Player in the Kansas City area with the Thomas A. Simone Award in 2022
• Brother, Ronnie, also won the award (2017), making the brothers the first pair to win the honor in its 87-year history
• Kansas City Suburban Conference Silver Division first team honoree
• Class 6 District 4 first team All-District

Personal
• Kendrick Bell was born April 20, 2004
• Son of Aaron and Renee Bell
• Brother, Ronnie, was a two-time captain and two-time Big Ten Champion with the Wolverines (2018-22)
• Twin brother, Marqueas, plays basketball at Southeast Missouri State

Scouting report

None available.

Film

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Michigan football picks up legacy commitment in 2023 class

This is awesome! #GoBlue

Can lightning strike twice in the same family for Michigan football?

Back in the 2018 recruiting cycle, the Wolverines picked up a late commitment from an unheralded recruit named Ronnie Bell, a little-known prospect from Missouri who was committed to play basketball at Missouri State. Bell had no Football Bowl Subdivision-level offers, thus fans weren’t particularly keen on what he brought to the table.

Fast forward a few years and Bell is the Wolverines’ top receiver.

Michigan is hoping that ability is in the Bell blood. It hosted Ronnie’s younger brother, Kendrick, for a visit this past weekend. On Monday, the younger Bell committed to the maize and blue.

While Kendrick Bell plays quarterback at Kansas City (Missouri) Park Hill, he’s listed as a three-star athlete, per the 247Sports composite. He’s a similar size to his brother at 6-foot-3, 180-pounds and is rated as the No. 1,122 prospect in the country, regardless of position.

Of course, some will look at the rating and scoff, but given the productivity of his elder sibling, there’s a good chance he can come and make an impact in Ann Arbor.

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