kendrick bell

Previously: 2022’s profiles, K Adam Samaha, K James Turner (Tr), S Brandyn Hillman, CB DJ Waller, CB Cameron Calhoun, CB Jyaire Hill, HSP/LB Jason Hewlett, LB Hayden Moore, LB Semaj Bridgeman, LB Ernest Hausmann (Tr), OLB Breeon Ishmail, DE Aymeric Koumba, DE Enow Etta, DE Josaiah Stewart (Tr), DT Brooks Bahr, DT Cameron Brandt, DT Trey Pierce, OT Evan Link, OT Myles Hinton (Tr), OT LaDarius Henderson (Tr), OG Nathan Efobi, IOL Amir Herring, OC Drake Nugent (Tr), TE Deakon Tonielli, TE Zack Marshall, TE AJ Barner (Tr), WR Kendrick Bell, WR Semaj Morgan, WR Fredrick Moore, WR Karmello English, RB Benjamin Hall, RB Cole Cabana

Kansas City (Park Hill), MO – 6'3''/180
		Rankings
		247	3.28* 6'3/180	3*, 86, NR Ovr #97 QB, #25 MO
		On3	3.70* 6'2/170	3*, 88, NR Ovr #24 QB, #12 MO
		Rivals	3.40* 6'3/180	3*, 5.6, NR Ovr #49 ATH, #24 MO
		ESPN	3.46* 6'2/170	3*, 77, #218 Midlands #19 DUAL, #21 MO
		Composites
		247	0.8689, #844 Ovr, #60 QB, #20 MO
		On3	85.45, #1034 Ovr, #53 QB, #22 MO
		MGo	3.48*, #713/804 Ovr, #81/85 WRs
		YMRMFSPA
		Donaven McCully (IU)
Other Suitors:	UMass, Northern Iowa
Previously on MGoBlog:	Hello by yours truly (12/15/2022).
Notes:	Brother of Ronnie Bell. Twin of Marqueas Bell. Simone Award.
Film
Senior Highlights: Hudl.

This is Ronnie's brother, so very Michigan fan is on board. That's good, since like Ronnie there isn't much from the scouting services to go on. Via an interview with Ronnie by Alejandro Zuniga, it was Ronnie himself who started showing his brother's tape to Michigan staff:

“I thought I was crazy,” Ronnie said. “Last year, it was his first time starting at quarterback or whatever, and I mean, dude, he was just going bananas. He had like five, six, touchdowns some games. So I showed Coach [Steve] Casula who was on staff last year. I'm like, ‘Yo, will you watch my little brother? Am I crazy or is he really, really good?’ Maybe I'm just biased because he’s my brother.

Casula (now back with Michigan as TEs coach) became the OC at UMass, and extended Kendrick his first offer in January. Michigan came along in September. Bell:

“Coach was telling me, ‘No, he's really good.’ And this year, he grew even more to became even stronger, more athletic, more comfortable, throwing — whatever, blah blah blah. Oh my gosh, he must have scored like freaking 20 touchdowns in the first four games or something crazy. And so then I showed Coach Harbaugh again because it was the same feeling I was feeling. It's like, ‘Am I crazy? Or is he like really good?’ And yeah, Coach Harbaugh loved him and offered him. So that was crazy how that all played out.”

We figured when he committed that a move to receiver—or possibly cornerback or safety—was in the future. Turns out Bell's quarterbacking career didn't survive fall camp. That's un-good news for the class's one nominal (non-transfer) quarterback recruit, but probably a good sign for Bell. When you figure out what position the rest of your life is, you want the rest of your life to start right away.

[After THE JUMP: Ronnie Bell's scouting report may be the most accurate?]

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Previously: The Story. 

QUARTERBACK: BEAT GEORGIA

GRADE: 5

Two years ago, Michigan won the Big Ten. Hooray! They returned their starting quarterback. Also hooray! But there was this guy, you know, who'd done this as a freshman:

JJ MCCARTHY

As always, hover over abbreviations for explanations.

Nine dead on throws in the rough equivalent of two games, just one Bad Read Xtreme, a +10 grade, excellent decisions at mesh points. Our charting for JJ McCarthy was not over the moon, but this was a true freshman getting spot duty. He wandered into games and out of them, never developing a rhythm but generally executing better than you'd expect. He flashed a crazy arm, and crazy legs. The people wanted him to win the job. The people did not expect him to win the job, because that never happens. Returning, championship QBs do not get deposed.

Then spring chatter turned into fall chatter and Jim Harbaugh announced that he'd be starting Cade McNamara in the opener and McCarthy in game two. Whether this was a genuine response to a tight competition or a way to ease a Big Ten champion starter out of his job will never be known, but McNamara bottled it and McCarthy turned in a 100% downfield success rating; Harbaugh announced the job was McCarthy's and never looked back.

The payoff was another Big Ten title, albeit one that once again leaned heavily on the ground game. Depending on your point of view, Michigan was either 127th or 5th in "run rate over expected," a metric that measures exactly what it sounds like. They finished 3rd nationally in yards per carry. If you squint you could argue that replacing McNamara was beside the point. And maybe it was, if Michigan's goal was to beat Ohio State and win the conference. It is not. Michigan's added a "Beat Georgia" drill to practice, and McCarthy is the guy who looked like he might be able to hang with the Bulldogs when Michigan got blasted in their CFP appearance two years ago.

Flipping to JJ is for this year, when his ceiling blows McNamara's out of the water. He's got to take a step forward. This is about how much of a step:

…the former top-25 recruit made the gamble pay off, winning his first 12 starts and finishing 16th in Total QBR.

Sixteenth is good, but is it national-title good? Over the past four seasons, the title-winning quarterback has averaged a 91.4 Total QBR, completing 72% of his passes at 14.2 yards per completion. McCarthy in 2022: 79.1 Total QBR, 65% completion rate, 13.1 yards per completion. He came up big in the last three games of the season (57% completion rate, but at 17.8 yards per completion). Was that a sign of things to come?

Well, Dude, we just don't know.

[After THE JUMP: salami]

He's Ronnie Bell's little brother.

UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS

Since the class doesn't have a q—

What, you wanted more than that? Okay, let's shake the ol' recruiting networks and see if they've got any stray takes on the quarterback from Kansas City.

GURU RATINGS

New design!

Bottom rows are my conversions to a five-star scale. Links are to profiles.

Once again 247 and On3 are in complete disagreement, though not as obviously because people don't take the time to differentiate between the vastly different definitions of "3-star." On3 thinks he's a legit prospect, 247 has him ranked down where Michigan's preferred walk-ons end up rated, if they make the rankings at all. Bell was also just recently added however, so 247's rankings should be taken more as a non-opinion than a negative one. Rivals is the only site to rank him as an athlete; ESPN seems to have him as their last 77.

[AFTER THE JUMP: He can.]