Ronnie Bell Commits To Michigan
TMI's Brice Marich reports that Park Hill (MO) wide receiver Ronnie Bell has committed to Michigan:
Kansas City (MO.) Park Hill Ronnie Bell was slated to play basketball for the Missouri State Bears, but decided to pursue football and a few weeks later, he landed his biggest offer to date from Michigan. It didn't long for him to ponder the scholarship offer as he pledged to the Wolverines on Monday night.
Bell added his offer on Saturday. I assume because he was expected to play hoops in college, nobody's done a full scouting report yet; Rivals just created his profile, ESPN hasn't even gotten that far, and 247 only has articles since the Michigan offer went out. Bell has some impressive film, though, and numbers to match:
It's somewhat hard to believe that up until December 14, this year's Simone Award winner, given each year to the top football player in the Kansas City metro, was all set to play basketball in college.
That was the case for Ronnie Bell, a talented member of Team Rush (AAU) and once Missouri State commitment. Yet in a stunning announcement, Bell did what football fans had been hoping for since September by rescinding that verbal pledge, officially opening the door to college football.
Well, as you might've guessed, it didn't take long for programs to come calling on the Park Hill Trojan.
After catching 89 passes for 1,605 yards and 21 touchdowns as a senior, Bell held an offer from Jim Harbaugh and Michigan within two days of being on the market.
Bell is the 18th commit in the 2018 class and the second in two days following in-state ATH Ben VanSumeren. I'll have a full Hello post on him tomorrow, hopefully after some more evaluations are posted. At first glance, it looks like Michigan got in early on an unheralded football talent. Expect him to finish higher than his current composite ranking of #1517 overall.
December 19th, 2017 at 9:38 AM ^
but isn't he our only WR in this class?
December 19th, 2017 at 10:27 AM ^
I don't have your resume, but he high points the ball really well and looks like he can make great cuts. With polishing, he should be able to run some sharp routes (which was a bit lacking this year). We need the guys that can get some space in the 5-10 yd range, not these 5 step drops every time.
December 19th, 2017 at 8:32 AM ^
December 19th, 2017 at 9:27 AM ^
December 19th, 2017 at 2:46 PM ^
December 19th, 2017 at 10:28 AM ^
feel free to grace the message boards of those teams, and enjoy your fan experience!
December 19th, 2017 at 11:32 AM ^
ever yeer, your wrong.
December 19th, 2017 at 2:52 PM ^
December 19th, 2017 at 10:06 AM ^
I had a pretty favorable review of him on TTB once I watched his whole film, but anybody who looks at this film and doesn't see a speed deficiency is a little clueless, IMO. Just watch throughout the film where he's unable to pull away from DBs, LBs, and even a DE in one case. The competition isn't bad, but if you're a fast, FBS-level wide receiver, a high school LB from KC shouldn't be right on your heels.
He's not fast. He might be successful without being fast, because you don't need to be a burner to have success as a slot receiver. But let's stop pretending that the guy's fast just because he makes big plays. He makes big plays because of other things that get him open (toughness, route running, change of direction, strong hands, etc.).
December 19th, 2017 at 10:25 AM ^
so caveat emptor: I often remember guys like Aubrey Matthews or Harry Colon for the Lions. They were recievers who weren't super fast but man it seemed like they were sneaky and always caught what was thrown to them. Maybe not great YAC but a great safety valve.
December 19th, 2017 at 11:53 AM ^
December 19th, 2017 at 12:50 PM ^
I agree that not visiting campus could be a red flag for the future.
December 19th, 2017 at 10:15 AM ^
Only question on him is speed. He's remarkably athletic.
He's just not very fast relative to a college football wide receiver.
I hope he has a great career.
December 19th, 2017 at 10:23 AM ^
I don't know, he put some space between himself and the CBs and FSs he was running from. Plus he looks like he can make some great cuts (which will translate into precise routes with the right coaching).
December 19th, 2017 at 11:44 AM ^
A bunch of people keep saying he's not fast. How did you arrive at this conclusion? He's running faster than anybody else on the field in these clips. How do you know exactly how fast that is? Do you have a stopwatch? Are you timing him? And how do you know how it compares to the "college football wide receiver" who is not on the field running next to him?
And which "college football wide receiver" did you compare him to? There are about 120 FBS teams, give or take. Lets say there are 8-10 WRs per team. You just said this guy is not fast relative to about a thousand different people.
Do you see why this was an idiotic post? Or should I keep going with my politely loaded questions?
December 19th, 2017 at 11:46 AM ^
What's your point? Are you saying he *is* fast? What's your proof?
December 19th, 2017 at 12:19 PM ^
My point is pretty clear. I'm asking how he's determining Bell's speed relative to thousands of unnamed collegiate wide receivers.
No, I'm not saying he *is* fast. You know why? Because I'm looking at him blowing by high school kids. I have no point of reference to determine who these people are and how fast they're moving. It would be unfounded and unprovable for me to make a determination either way, which I am not.
(Apologies above to Zarniwoop for saying his post was "idiotic" though. That was unnecessary on my part.)
December 19th, 2017 at 1:21 PM ^
I think you caught your own mistake.
If the guy says he's not fast, and you say his post is idiotic, then it's pretty clear you think he's very wrong. The insinuation, whether you realize it or not, is that you do think he's fast and you're trying to get the other poster to admit he's wrong.
On the second play in the clip at the top of the post, DE #45 is running stride for stride with Bell all the way to the endzone. On the play that begins at 2:12, watch the near DE run all the way across the field on a play that started at the -18, and he almost catches Bell at about the +45.
Unless those guys are both the second coming of Jevon Kearse, then that's a pretty indication that Bell isn't a blazing fast wide receiver.
December 19th, 2017 at 2:16 PM ^
You're trying so hard to get into a fight here and I'm not sure why.
By saying his post is idiotic, which was too harsh, I am saying that his statement is a flat-out guess at best and nowhere near conclusive or provable. I am not saying that the opposite of his statement is true. I'm not even saying his statement is false, no matter how bad you want to tell me that I am. I am looking for reasoning in a post where none is provided to support a pretty wild conclusion (that he's not as fast as any college WR in the country).
The second play is a red zone TD. I'm sure you mean the 3rd play, and that is a play where Bell jukes and takes off from about the 40 from a dead stop while #45 is already in full stride. Despite 45's advantage, Bell dusts him in 20 yards to the other 38 yard line where he has to veer to avoid a tackler. Meanwhile, 45 runs through a block. At the :40 second mark, Bell has to duck under another tackle and comes to a complete stop again at the 20 yard line. #45 is still in pursuit from 5 yards back, once again already in stride and he never gets any closer.
You act like that's a flat out foot race. The only part where both were in a straight foot race was between the 40s and Bell (as well as the white DB #32) smoked your track star DE on which you're basing Bell's foot speed. The rest was a barrage of both ball carrier and your defender stopping, starting and veering to avoid tackles and blocks.
At :35, they're both at the 41> yard line, #45 with a full head of steam. At :37, 20 yards later, Bell has 3 yards advantage. There is absolutely no question who is faster between these two players.
This is fun. You're fun. Post more bikinis.
At 2:12, the far DE has a full head of steam and is tracking down Bell who is picking his way through traffic. Once they clear the crowd, at the 46> yard line, they are 1 yard apart (2:19), both in full sprint. 20 yards later that lead is up to 3 yards. By the time Bell reaches the endzone, Jevon Kearse is nowhere to be found. Neither is the CB who from the near hash had a 5 yard advantage and the angle when the race began.
Your best examples of why Bell isn't fast are two clips where he easily pulls away from defenders.
These guys could all run 5.0 forties for all I know. I'M NOT SAYING HE'S FAST (for those who have reading comprehension problems). But pointing out two clips where he's the fastest guy on the field is a weird way to prove it.
December 19th, 2017 at 2:25 PM ^
Nah, those are just two examples I found in about three minutes of looking. It's not rocket science to see that his top-end speed is lacking. You keep asking for proof, but you deny it when it's presented. The only time he runs away from anybody is a) when the CB falls down and b) when the defense blows the coverage entirely. Otherwise, he's juking and jiving precisely BECAUSE he's not running away from people.
Like I said, I think he's a decent prospect. The speed isn't there to be fast, and that's okay. Grant Perry isn't what I would call fast, and he's been okay, too. Roy Roundtree ran between a 4.58 and a 4.69 in preparation for the draft, and he was an okay WR at Michigan, too. But nobody ever claimed that Roundtree was a burner.
December 19th, 2017 at 2:57 PM ^
And there you go. You just made my point, lunatic.
My beef with Zarniwoop was that he said Bell "is not very fast relative to a college football wide receiver".
And now you're saying his speed is fine. That he might be a non-burner like Perry or Roundtree which, correct me if I'm wrong, are college football wide receivers.
Nobody said he was "fast", which is relative anyway. I took exception to the insinuation that he's too slow to play college football, which is ridiculous considering the considerable range of speeds playing all over the country, even at our dear Michigan.
Good? Great. Thanks for helping me prove his post wrong.
Wanna fight some more? Maybe we can discuss your wacky theory that if Bell were super fast, he wouldn't have to juke any defenders on a bubble screen in which he caught the ball behind the line of scrimmage? Or how you say he never runs away from anyone even though I just pointed out two examples from this very post of him running away from defenders?
December 19th, 2017 at 3:27 PM ^
Oh, the irony of having someone accuse me of "wanting to fight" when you said Zarniwoop's post was "idiotic" and then called me a "lunatic."
Have a great day, Pepto.
December 19th, 2017 at 5:19 PM ^
I said Zarniwoop's post was idiotic - to Zarniwoop. Then you showed up out of the woodwork and incorrectly tried telling me what I meant to say and 3 posts later made my point for me - like a friggin' lunatic.
Have a great day too, buddy.
December 19th, 2017 at 10:19 AM ^
I think we'll see more success with the fade route in future years than we did this last year.
December 19th, 2017 at 12:04 PM ^
at least, my understanding is that the point of a fade route is to chuck the ball at least 10yds out of the field of play.
But seriously, I can't wait for our best play to be called Fade to Black.
December 19th, 2017 at 10:21 AM ^
Great hands, good ups. Catches the ball at it's highest point. Lays out at the right time. I see a lot to like.
December 19th, 2017 at 10:37 AM ^
December 19th, 2017 at 10:37 AM ^
December 19th, 2017 at 11:38 AM ^
TEAM 1
2013 - Class Rank 15th; Avg Star - 88.46 - 23 recruits
2014 - Class Rank 16th; Avg Star - 88.69 - 20 recruits
2015 - Class Rank 9th; Avg Star - 89.12 - 26 recruits
2016 - Class Rank 11th; Avg Star - 90.30 - 21 recruits
2017 - Class Rank 16th; Avg Star - 92.10 - 14 recruits
2018 - Class Rank 15th; Avg Star - 91.30 - 12 recruits
TEAM 2
2013 - Class Rank 4th; Avg Star - 90.95 - 27 recruits
2014 - Class Rank 20th; Avg Star - 89.90 - 16 recruits
2015 - Class Rank 37th; Avg Star - 87.81 - 14 recruits
2016 - Class Rank 8th; Avg Star - 89.86 - 28 recruits
2017 - Class Rank 5th; Avg Star - 91.20 - 30 recruits
2018 - Class Rank 12th; Avg Star - 89.04 - 18 recruits
Obviously, Team 2 is Michigan. Team 1 is Clemson. While there are ZERO top 5 classes there are 6 years of consistent recruiting. Team 2 (Michigan) has a HUGE doughnut hole to work through.
I would also note that now Clemson has extablished themselves as an elite program, their Avg star rating has noted the uptick in Avg Stars the past 3 years. This would be expected as they have won and won big so they certainly have entered that status of being an elite program able to pick off the top talent (small classes yet elite talent).
It has been stated repeatedly the disaster is recruiting in 2013 and 2014 and the small class in 2015. I would note the 2015 class (JH first mixed class) already has 5 starters (Gentry, Higdon, Kinnel, Wheatly, Perry) and 2 more that contributed this year (Runyan and Ulizio).
Is 2018 on par with '17 or '16, no. But it is far from being underwhelming. Right now, it would go down as a 'solid' class as JH continues to stock pile talent that he wants. It just continues the solid recruiting needed to build a program. Also note Don's data about Oklahoma.....consistent recruiting year after year.....stability......
To me this all set up for 2018 to be a BIG year on the field. Big success on the field and the program move closer to being an elite program. Another 10-3 / 9-4 season would not be a disaster, but another step closer to establishing consistent winning, but it would make recruiting tougher because they had not won "big" yet. The "new" coach shine is waning, now it comes down to results on the field.
The teams mantra should be....
Anyone.....
Anywhere.....
Anytime.....
Any condition.....
Don't care about the schedule.
Don't care who is at home and who is on the road.
Don't care what time kickoff is.
Don't care what the weather forecast is.
Just go win the game......period.
(I am sure the team is holding this thought process, I am referring to the fanbase that will point to one or more of the above points as reasons why the team "can't" win)
December 19th, 2017 at 11:57 AM ^
December 19th, 2017 at 12:01 PM ^
December 19th, 2017 at 5:29 PM ^
December 19th, 2017 at 12:15 PM ^
I only hope they don't lose Friday.
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