Name: Kendrick Bell
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 191 lbs.
High school: Kansas City (MO) Park Hill
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #12
Last year: I ranked Bell #134 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He redshirted.
TTB Rating: 74
The younger brother of Ronnie Bell is probably sick of being referred to as the younger brother of Ronnie Bell, but I guess that comes with the territory until you make a name for yourself. Kendrick was a high school quarterback who didn't quite look the part of a Big Ten quarterback, even though Jim Harbaugh and Co. referred to him as a quarterback when he signed on as a part of the class of 2023. But by the time the season rolled around, he was in the receiver room with Ronald Bellamy.
Bell was an easy choice to have redshirt last season. Not only was he a position-switcher, but he was listed at just 180 pounds, which is light . . . especially at 6'2". The receiver group in 2024 isn't quite as deep, though, at least not when it comes to experience. Both Roman Wilson and Cornelius Johnson moved on to the NFL, and rotator Darrius Clemons transferred to Oregon State. That cleared out three spots, and while two transfers (Amorion Walker and C.J. Charleston) were brought in to help replace them, there's still some room for other guys to step in. Kirk Campbell recently said that Bell was in the running to play, but I still think he's at least a year away from being a factor. Bell did have a long touchdown catch in the spring game, but what some people overlooked was that the "corner" he beat was a walk-on safety pressed into cornerback action because of the split squad. And even with that, I didn't love the lack of adjustment from Bell when the ball was in the air.
The older brother of Kendrick Bell was also an under-the-radar player until he wasn't, so perhaps Kendrick will follow in those footsteps. But we're probably looking at 2025 or beyond for a significant contribution.
Prediction: Backup wide receiver
Hopefully he makes some noise but likely that those receiving skills will take time to build.
ReplyDeleteSigh!!!
ReplyDeleteI never expected him to play QB but am really hopeful that he can make his own name for himself in Ann Arbor. It won't be this year, but maybe sometime in his career
ReplyDeleteWhat is amazing is the number of people that play football, put in the massive hours and work, and will never play or if they do, on ST, the scout team.
ReplyDeleteIt's because the real fun of football is being part of a team.
DeleteThis is true of many 'team' endeavors, particularly if the team has good leadership, there is cohesion between the members, and they enjoy at least some success. If the leadership is not good, or there's bad chemistry between the players, then things aren't quite so fun.
DeleteI wonder about this, however: on any team there are the stars, the solid contributors, the 'B' team players, and then there's a set of guys that never see the field. What's the attitude of the top tiers for those on the lower tier? Do they see them as contributing in their own way? Or does the team compartmentalize into 'upper' and 'lower,' and there's camaraderie within those groups, but less so between the groups?
@ Anonymous 12:30 p.m.
DeleteI think it's like with just about anything. It's a community. Guys who like playing video games are going to hang out together. Guys who like fishing are going to hang out together. I think you see star players all the time who are like, "Yeah, I was hanging out with All-American #1 and All-Big Ten Guy #2 and then Random Walk-on #3 and we all went on a fishing trip over the summer."
From what I've seen on teams, the guys who get "ostracized" are the guys who cause problems or who don't work hard. I've seen that on both high school and (lower-level) college programs I've been around. But at a place like Michigan, you're not going to be on the team if you don't work hard.
The culture of the Michigan football program, the prestige and history, are just so high. Some guys would work their tail off for years just to stand on that sideline, walk through the tunnel, be there at practice, etc.
DeleteThat perspective isn't there for everyone obviously, but there's a lot of walk-on types, especially from in-state or with alumni ties, that see things that way. Part of what makes Michigan a great place and a great program.
It works as many ways as there are people. I do think that the genius of Harbaugh is not so much his preferred style of play and his thinking concerning x and o … s, as it is in how he treats the people around him. That stuff rubs off. The way he treats the press and those who would attempt to excercise control over him is a completely different matter.
ReplyDeleteMy sense about Harbaugh is that as his tenure at Michigan went on, he learned to find and hire like-minded assistant coaches. That would make his effort to shape the culture easier, and it has provided a relatively seamless transition to Sherrone Moore. At the X's and O's level, the two may have different views, but at the one-on-one interrelationship stuff, I think they're fairly aligned. The evidence seems to be there that Moore is very well regarded by all the players.
DeleteI think the "around him" part is pretty subjective. Harbaugh has no patience for dealing with many people "around him" not just media or outsiders. Harbaugh's world view is just different. You're either aligned with his vision or you are going to get dismissed. He's not going to waste time explaining it or pussyfooting around. Harbaugh famously values each day, which means he understands how he uses his time matters - and that manifests continuously.
DeleteI kind of disagree with anon in the sense that I think what Harbaugh figured out is that he had to hire some folks who complemented him with different skill sets. They had to "fit", which means being obsessive and passionate about football, and know what they are doing, but those are just the prerequisites. He also figured out he couldn't just hire a bunch of 60 year old hardass coach's coach types and had to get younger guys who can relate to players and keep people happy and feeling supported as well as pushed. That meant some good football coaches like Zordich and Warriner had to go.
So how many wide receivers does Michigan have this year and who will contribute? Morgan, Morris, Moore -- the Ms. Then comes Bell and O'Leary -- the unsung. Finally CJ Charleston the transfer. Anybody else?
ReplyDeleteLack of buzz on Walker, Bell, and O'Leary maybe telling. Charleston, Stewart, and/or Goodwin might be passing them by already.
DeleteOh yes, Amorion Walker -- returning, Channing Goodwin & l'Marion Steware -- the freshmen.
ReplyDelete