Taft RB Garners Offers

Woodland Hills (Calif.) Taft running back Ian Bell (5-10, 190, 4.4) was somewhat overshadowed playing on Taft’s star studded team as a junior. It is hard garner attention when you play on the same team as Steve Smith, Noah Smith, Cary Dove, Lance Broadus and Paul Pratt all five signed Division I scholarships.

Though D-I schools were busy chasing after Taft’s talented group of seniors they were also impressed by the talented junior running back.

Bell is being recruited as both a cornerback and running back. He has recently received two offers from Washington and Washington State.

The Huskies like Bell as a cornerback while the Cougars are recruiting him as a running back. Bell prefers running back so he is really pumped up on the Cougars. Most of the rest of the Pac10 is recruiting Bell. He has also heard from the likes than the likes of Syracuse, Nebraska, Colorado, Texas and Texas A&M.

Bell rushed for over 800 yards and scored 14 touchdowns for a team that was loaded at wide receiver. Three wide receivers from Taft signed D-I scholarships to go with a D-I signee at quarterback.

Bell has gained eight pounds of muscle in the off season and has a good bench of 255 pounds and squats 400. Bell also participates in track and runs the 100-meter in 10.6.

The scouting report on Bell is he has great vision and he has been told that he reminds people of USC sophomore running back Herschel Dennis. When Bell has the football he runs with a sense of urgency. Bell has break away speed and has the potential to score from anywhere on the field.