Markquese Bell staying humble amidst busy four-star recruitment

Football recruiting has gotten to be extremely busy for Bridgeton (N.J.) class of 2017 athlete Markquese Bell. He’s already eclipsed the 20-offer mark on his way to becoming one of the most sought-after recruits in the Northeast.

However, football had very different beginnings for Bell, who first started playing in the seventh grade.

“I wasn’t good when I started playing,” Bell admitted. “I was the worst. I played offensive tackle and wore No.66. And I was slow.”

It was not because of any overwhelming size advantage that Bell to play tackle.

“I was a short, fat kid,” Bell said. “My brother played in high school and I just wanted to play because it looked fun. I watched it a lot on TV. My grandmom was scared to let me play and that is why I started so late.”

It was not until Bell’s eighth grade year that he finally hit a growth spurt.

“It felt like I was growing every day," Bell said. "But I was just all right playing during my eighth grade year. Growing up, I always played with kids older than me.”

Bell switched from offensive tackle to pulling double duties at running back and linebacker in the eighth grade. And when he arrived at Bridgeton High School there was no starting spot waiting for him.

“I had to fight for a spot. Sadly, one of our tight ends got injured,” Bell said. “He played offense and defense. So I got a shot at starting and I never looked back from there. I did a lot of blocking, but I did catch six touchdown passes my freshman year.”

That season paved the way for a stellar sophomore campaign in which Bell flourished on both sides of the football.

“I started going to camps, working on my game little bit more. It really helped a lot,” he said.

Even when Bell first started to taste success, he did not envision such a big recruitment.

“To be honest, I never knew I was going to get this big or that I was going to get to go to college to play football,” Bell said. “It was a dream I always had and now it is great to say I can live that dream.”

That fact has not gotten lost on Bell as he appears to have stayed very humble throughout the process.

“I think about it all the time, that it is just a blessing and I thank God every day for it. It’s great to walk around and have everybody know your name and who you are," Bell said. "But you have to watch out for people who jump on the bandwagon and want to be around you just because you are doing good.”

While recruiting remains extremely busy for Bell, he’s taking his time through process and admitted that he’s not going to delve too deeply into it until after the spring.

“I am not doing a whole lot with recruiting right now. I am just focusing on track and trying to help my team win a championship.”