Inside The Commitment: No. 2 junior college OT Markel Bell breaks down why he chose the Miami Hurricanes

Goodman (Miss.) Holmes C.C. offensive lineman Markel Bell, the No. 2 junior college offensive tackle in the On3 Industry Ranking, may have committed to Miami Friday evening, but he mentally made his decision a week earlier.

Bell, a three-star offensive tackle standing at 6-foot-9 and 325 pounds, told CaneSport he knew he wanted to commit to the Hurricanes during the overtime period of Miami’s Oct. 28 29-26 win over Virginia Oct. 28, which was also during his first game-day visit to Hard Rock Stadium. Bell spent plenty of time around Miami head coach Mario Cristobal, offensive line coach Alex Mirabal and tight ends coach Cody Woodiel, all of whom played a large role in his recruitment and in ultimately landing his commitment.

“It was basically the coaches sitting me down and telling me their plan for me, how they’re going to develop me and how I can come in and have an impact on the team,” Bell said. “It was the whole staff.”

Bell said there wasn’t one particular thing Miami’s staff did during his visit that sold him on the program, but rather it was the result of a months-long continued recruiting effort. The Hurricanes stood out the most of a horde of programs recruiting him, which included Ole Miss, Auburn, Arkansas and Purdue.

Bell had previously been vague about a potential timeline for his commitment, but the moment felt right.

“I just felt in my head that it was a good decision,” Bell said.

Bell does not currently have any visits scheduled the remainder of the year but is still communicating with other programs, saying he’s “taking it all in and seeing how it goes from there.” He plans to sign in December and enroll in January and expects to take an official visit to Miami in December.

However, his decision to communicate with other programs hasn’t taken anything away from his excitement to be a Cane.

“I’m really excited,” Bell said. “I’m ready to get myself down there and get to work. I’m really ready for that.”

CaneSport’s Take

Woodiel deserves a fair amount of credit for his role in landing Bell’s commitment along with Mirabal and Cristobal, of course, and Miami’s continued pitches of culture and player development steadily helped the Hurricanes climb over the course of the past four months. We had a feeling Miami was in particularly strong shape with Bell after last week’s visit, and it was only a matter of time before he committed.

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