Chris Stewart and Dia Bell
It’s been nearly a year and two weeks since Dia Bell, son of former NBA player Raja Bell and On3’s No. 4 player in the class of 2026, committed to the University of Texas.
While it’s not uncommon for head coaches to seek out a commitment from their QB early in the recruiting cycle, it’s fairly unprecedented to see a player commit to a school over 26 months before they’re even able to play their first snap in college football. But for Bell, the future of the Longhorns’ offense, the commitment was fairly simple.
“I felt like that place for me was somewhere I could thrive,” Bell told the Cover 3 Podcast. “My parents are always looking for somewhere that I can get academics as well as play at the highest level and learn from people that are going to get me to the highest level as well. I felt like Texas fit both of those worlds into one. The staff always made it a second home away from home.”
Bell spent time last week talking to Cover 3 about everything from Elite 11 to Arch Manning, but one thing has stayed the same in his rhetoric since June of last year: he will remain a Longhorn throughout this recruiting process. Bell made it clear once again that Texas is his place to be, and with that comes a job that many QBs of a recruiting class are tasked with doing.
With his recruitment shut down since that June commitment, Bell has turned from recruit to recruiter, working to help convince players on both sides of the ball to commit to Texas.
“Building relationships with all of these kids at these camps and 7-on-7s has been a great experience for me in coming out of my shell,” Bell said. “I’m not very verbal; I’m real quiet. I’m not an outgoing, talkative person. This has made me step out of my comfort zone because these are the guys I want playing with me at Texas. We’re trying to win a national championship, so I’m out there doing my best.”
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Bell mentioned that recruitment plays into competitiveness on the field. One of Bell’s senior opponents will be a future teammate, as Bell’s American Heritage will face CB Hayward Howard’s Edna Carr this upcoming season.
A recent weekend for Bell was filled with recruitment as he accompanied top Texas targets like Tyler Atkinson, John Turntine, Kaydon Finley, and Kendall Guervil on his June 20 official visit to Austin. His impressions must have left a mark on former Oregon commit Richard Wesley, as the California edge rusher committed to the Longhorns shortly after wrapping up his weekend in Austin.
Bell still has some work to do as a recruiter with his offensive playmakers, as do position coaches Chad Scott, Chris Jackson, and Jeff Banks. However, Bell himself is one of the best selling points these coaches can make for bringing a skill player to Austin. It’s already worked with Jermaine Bishop Jr., Kohen Brown, and Chris Stewart, who can be seen all over Instagram interacting with Bell to try to bring players home to Texas.
The Longhorns have their future set at quarterback with Bell, and the Florida native is just getting started as one of head coach Steve Sarkisian’s best assets in recruiting.
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