Recruiting: Bridgeton's Bell could be next big recruit out of S. Jersey
Markquese Bell was persistent. He was determined to wear down his grandmother's resistance. "My grandmother wouldn't let me play football," said Bell, a junior at Bridgeton High School in Cumberland County and one of New Jersey's top football recruits in the class of 2017. "She was scared I was going to get hurt."
Markquese Bell was persistent.
He was determined to wear down his grandmother's resistance.
"My grandmother wouldn't let me play football," said Bell, a junior at Bridgeton High School in Cumberland County and one of New Jersey's top football recruits in the class of 2017. "She was scared I was going to get hurt."
Asked how he finally persuaded his grandmother to allow him to play the sport as a sixth-grader, Bell said, "I kept asking, kept asking, kept asking. Finally, she gave in."
It didn't take long for Bell to prove himself on the football field.
He was starting on varsity at Bridgeton as a freshman, and he has become a dominant force on both sides of the football as a junior.
"I've been around a long time and haven't seen many like him," Bridgeton coach Dave Ellen said. "He's the kind of kid, he only needs to jog up to you and you say, 'Oh, that's a Division I athlete.' He has that look."
Cedar Creek coach Tim Watson believes Bell is "the next big recruit out of South Jersey" because of his athleticism.
"He's still a little raw," Watson said. "But he's such a special athlete."
The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Bell, who plays wide receiver and defensive back, has scholarship offers from Michigan, Maryland, North Carolina, Boston College, Rutgers and Temple.
He said he has visited Temple and Rutgers and plans to make more unofficial trips to campuses this summer.
He said he's waiting to hear from his "dream school," which he declined to identify.
"I'm not too worried about it," Bell said of the recruiting process. "It can be a little overwhelming when you come home and you have mail from all these schools.
"But I'm trying to enjoy it. It's exciting to know you are going to go to the college and play football at a high level."
Bell had led Bridgeton to a 5-3 record entering Friday night's game at Middle Township. He had 40 catches for 540 yards and eight touchdowns.
Bell has been at his best in Bridgeton's biggest games. He caught 10 passes for 138 yards and three touchdowns against Buena, scored the winning touchdown in overtime against Cedar Creek and caught seven passes for 103 yards and a touchdown, and ran 51 yards for a score against Oakcrest.
"He's a fantastic athlete," Ellen said. "He's got a great work ethic, too. He's always trying to improve himself."
Bell has matched up the last two years with Cedar Creek senior wide receiver/defensive back Ahmir Mitchell, who is a Michigan recruit.
"That's been a great battle," Ellen said. "You could see those two were elite athletes."
Mitchell and Camden seniors Brad Hawkins and Ron Johnson are Michigan recruits, creating the perception of a pipeline from South Jersey to Ann Arbor.
But Bell said he won't make his college decision based the choices of other top South Jersey athletes.
"I don't necessarily want to follow other people," Bell said. "I don't mind being different. I have to do what's right for me."
Bell won the high jump in the Meet of Champions in track and field as a sophomore with a leap of 6 feet, 10 inches.
Bell said most colleges are recruiting him as an "athlete" and haven't indicated a preference for him to play a particular position.
"They ask me, 'Do I want to be on offense or defense?' " Bell said. "I tell them I don't care. I just want to play football."
It's the same thing he told his grandmother in the sixth grade.
@PhilAnastasia
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Offers/Interest
Salaam and A'Laam Horne, St. Joseph, all-purpose. Interest: Villanova.
Joe Early, Williamstown, senior, running back. Interest: Marshall.
Jordan Wallace, Sterling, senior, basketball. Offer: Rutgers.
Rashon Lusane, Malvern Prep, senior, all-purpose. Offer: Navy. Interest: Boston College, Delaware, Morgan State, Syracuse, Villanova.
Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree, Neumann-Goretti, 6-8 junior forward. Offers: La Salle, Penn State, Rider, Temple, Syracuse, and St. Joseph's, among others.
- Phil Anastasia and Rick O'BrienEndText