Listed measurements: 5-foot-10, 162 pounds.
2023-24 year, eligibility: An incoming freshman, Bell has all four seasons of eligibility remaining.
Depth Chart: Bell should be looking at a season of scout-team work.
Recruiting: A consensus four-star prospect, Bell focused on his homestate of Texas when he was not pondering Notre Dame. He visited his hometown Houston as well as Baylor and Texas before committing to the Irish about 54 weeks ago. The majority of the SEC also offered Bell a scholarship.
QUOTES
Irish head coach Marcus Freeman got to the point almost as quickly as Bell reaches top speed.
“Speed, [Micah Bell] is fast, man,” Freeman said in December when Bell signed his National Letter of Intent. “... Some of his track times are crazy. He is fast.
“He plays on both sides of the ball, making big plays on both sides of the ball. He could easily be on the offensive side of our team. He is a really good football player from down there in Houston.”
Defensive coordinator Al Golden harped on the same trait, a distinguishing factor for Bell that Notre Dame very much cannot get enough of.
“The speed, that’s hard to find,” Golden said. “Really, really hard to find. In a lot of ways, he could play corner, he could play nickel (back) inside. I’m sure [special teams] is going to try to get him to return kicks and punts. A kid that is one of the faster kids in this class overall.”
WHAT WAS SAID WHEN BELL SIGNED IN DECEMBER
“Speed can be taught, but only to an extent. Just like you cannot turn a five-minute miler into a four-minute miler through training alone, you cannot turn an 11.5-second 100-meter dash into a 10.5-second 100-meter dash without some natural progression, the type that comes from genetics more than weights. Bell has run a 10.45-second 100-meter dash and a 20.89-second 200-meter dash. His speed is the type rosters need; coaches can then find ways to use it.”
2023 OUTLOOK
As hard as it is to imagine a 160-pound running back, that was Bell’s primary preps duty, a testament to his speed. He could find a slight gap in the defense and suddenly have a first down.
That type of acceleration is needed to run a 10.41-second 100-meter dash. Bell not only has top-end speed, but he gets to it quicker than anyone else on the Irish roster.
He will need time to refine his defensive-back fundamentals, but that kind of speed should not be left on the sideline for an entire season. Bell’s offensive background indicates he is comfortable with the ball in his hands.
For the sake of excitement, let’s hope Notre Dame gives Bell a chance to return punts or kickoffs. For the same reason Chris Tyree has handled kickoff returns for three years now, Bell should get a chance at it. He is faster than Tyree, not something that anyone else on the Irish roster could inarguably claim in the last three years. (Braden Lenzy had a claim, but not as clear of one.)
Bell must prove a complete peace of mind fielding kickoffs or punts, and that is not an absolute, but if he displays that in the preseason, then Notre Dame may have a new big-play possibility on special teams after last year’s punt-block fireworks.
DOWN THE ROAD
Give Bell time defensively. He needs to add 10 pounds of muscle as well as spend plenty of time working on his footwork so as to not just rely on his speed and acceleration.
Those are tall tasks, even if they seem simple here on the screen. But if Bell can add those traits to his physical skills, then he could be a shutdown cornerback. Simply having his speed to make up ground in any situation will close any openings opposing quarterbacks look for. Strength to provide some press coverage and footwork to keep up with routes would then elevate Bell.
The Irish will be looking for a new starting field cornerback next season, as fifth-year Cam Hart will head to the NFL as long as he is healthy this fall. Current sophomore Jaden Mickey and early-enrolled freshman Christian Gray may have an edge on Bell, but adding some muscle in the next nine months would give him a chance in that spring practice competition.
NOTRE DAME 99-TO-0
The summer countdown begins anew, Rylie Mills to Deion Colzie
No. 99 Rylie Mills, senior defensive tackle, moving back inside from end
No. 98 Devan Houstan, early-enrolled four-star defensive tackle
No. 97 Gabriel Rubio, junior defensive tackle, one of three Irish DTs with notable experience
No. 95 Tyson Ford, sophomore defensive tackle, up 30 pounds from a year ago
No. 93 Armel Mukam, incoming freshman defensive end, former Stanford commit
No. 92 Aidan Keanaaina, a senior defensive tackle now ‘fully healthy’ after a 2022 torn ACL
No. 91 Aiden Gobaira, sophomore defensive end, former four-star recruit
No. 88 Mitchell Evans, the next starter at ‘TE U
No. 87 Cooper Flanagan, incoming freshman tight end, four-star recruit
No. 84 Kevin Bauman, senior tight end coming off a torn ACL
No. 83 Jayden Thomas, junior receiver, probable No. 1 target in 2023
No. 79 Tosh Baker, senior tackle, again a backup but next year ...
No. 78 Pat Coogan, junior interior offensive lineman
No. 77 Ty Chan, sophomore offensive tackle, former four-star recruit
No. 76 Joe Alt, first-team All-American left tackle
No. 75 Sullivan Absher, incoming freshman offensive lineman
No. 74 Billy Schrauth, sophomore left guard, likely starter
No. 73 Andrew Kristofic, fifth-year right guard, likely starter
No. 72 Sam Pendelton, early-enrolled freshman offensive lineman
No. 70 Ashton Craig, sophomore interior offensive lineman
No. 68 Michael Carmody, senior offensive lineman
No. 65 Michael Vinson, sixth-year long snapper, four-year starter
No. 64 Joe Otting, incoming freshman offensive lineman, four-star recruit
No. 59 Aamil Wagner, sophomore offensive tackle
No. 56 Charles Jagusah, incoming freshman offensive lineman, four-star recruit
No. 56 Howard Cross, fifth-year defensive tackle, multi-year starter
No. 55 Chris Terek, incoming freshman offensive lineman, four-star recruit
No. 54 Blake Fisher, junior right tackle, second-year starter
No. 52 Zeke Correll, fifth-year center, third-year starter
No. 51 Boubacar Traore, incoming freshman defensive end, four-star recruit
No. 50 Rocco Spindler, junior offensive guard
No. 47 Jason Onye, junior defensive tackle on the verge of playing time
No. 44 Junior Tuihalamaka, sophomore defensive end, former linebacker
No. 42 Nolan Ziegler, sophomore linebacker, Irish legacy
No. 41 Donovan Hinish, sophomore defensive tackle following in his brother’s footsteps
No. 40 Joshua Burnham, sophomore linebacker-turned-Vyper end
No. 38 Davis Sherwood, junior fullback/H-back, former walk-on
No. 34 Drayk Bowen, early-enrolled freshman linebacker, baseball infielder
No. 32 Spencer Shrader, South Florida transfer kicker
No. 31 Nana Osafo-Mensah, fifth-year defensive end
No. 29 Christian Gray, early-enrolled freshman cornerback coming off a knee injury
No. 29 Matt Salerno, sixth-year receiver, former walk-on
No. 27 JD Bertrand, fifth-year linebacker, third-year starter, possible captain
No. 25 Preston Zinter, early-enrolled freshman linebacker, subtle recruiting win
No. 24 Jack Kiser, fifth-year linebacker, third-year starter, most efficient defender
No. 24 Jadarian Price, sophomore RB, reportedly recovered from an Achilles injury
No. 23 Jaiden Ausberry, early-enrolled freshman linebacker, four-star recruit
No. 22 Ben Minich, early-enrolled freshman safety, four-star recruit
No. 22 Jeremiyah Love, incoming freshman running back, four-star recruit
No. 21 Adon Shuler, early-enrolled freshman safety coming off shoulder surgery
No. 20 Benjamin Morrison, sophomore cornerback, preseason All-American
No. 19 Jaden Greathouse, early-enrolled freshman receiver, Blue-Gold Game star
No. 18 Steve Angeli, sophomore quarterback, competing for the backup role
No. 18 Chance Tucker, junior cornerback
No. 17 Brenan Vernon, incoming freshman defensive end, four-star recruit
No. 17 Rico Flores Jr., early-enrolled freshman receiver, four-star recruit
No. 13 Holden Staes, sophomore tight end, up 20 pounds in a year
No. 12 Penn State RB transfer Devyn Ford gives Notre Dame newly-needed backfield depth, experience
No. 4 Rhode Island transfer safety Antonio Carter gives Notre Dame desperately needed backline depth