Purdue's a contender for Indy blue-chipper David Bell
Purdue already has the No. 3 player in Indiana, George Karlaftis, committed.
It would seem as if it's right in the thick of the hunt, too, for No. 1.
Warren Central's David Bell, a wide receiver ranked No. 1 in Indiana and 93rd nationally by Rivals.com, counts the Boilermakers among his early favorites.
"They always say that it's always good when an in-state player stays home and does well for the in-state school," Bell said. "I've been talking to a lot of the staff, talking a lot to Coach (JaMarcus Shephard), and talking to some of their commits, like Rondale Moore. We talk often. He says it's very special there and if I want to be part of something special, I might as well join him."
Bell has a family connection to Purdue in that his uncle is an alumnus.
The 6-foot-2, 180-pound four-star prospect visited Purdue for the Jan. 16 men's basketball game vs. Wisconsin. He was the only football recruit that visited that night.
"It was pretty fun, a good game, but also the facilities were amazing," Bell said. "That was the first time I'd ever been to Purdue and I was blown away by what they had, and by their coaches. It was a cool environment. The coaches seemed pretty cool and laid-back and I like coaches like that."
Bell will return to West Lafayette April 17, he said, for another unofficial visit. He'll visit Iowa this weekend and may get to either UCLA or USC in early April while in L.A. for a 7-on-7 event.
As a junior at Warren Central, Bell totaled more than a thousand receiving yards, with 14 touchdowns, and returned two kicks for scores. On defense, he intercepted three passes.
"They said they want me because they think I'm a good receiver, I'm smart and I know the game," Bell said of Purdue. "Also, they said if I did go there and work hard enough, I could possibly start as a freshman.
"I think my physicality (stands out). A look of coaches think I play like I'm 6-4, but I'm really only 6-2, 6-2-and-a-half. I think I play bigger on the field than I really am."
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Recruiting's been on hold for Bell, one of the stars of Warren Central's undefeated basketball season, too. But as soon as the Warriors finished off their 4A title game win over Carmel this weekend, things picked up real quick.
"I had over a hundred or something messages from college coaches," Bell said. "It was crazy."
Bell said he'll put together a list of five this summer, but in the meantime, mentioned Purdue, Indiana, Ohio State and Penn State among those most interested. Iowa has been involved for the long haul, as well.
Iowa: "I like Iowa and I have a teammate, Julius Brents, going there and I see him at school every day and he gives me a hard time about committing there. And I'm friends with D.J. Johnson and Tyrone Tracy and we talk often about it. I've liked them since my sophomore year and been to a few games. It's an amazing atmosphere and every time they play a top-ranked team, they always give them their best shot."
Ohio State: "They seem really interested. We talk almost every day and after (Sampson James) from Avon committed, they called me and told me that if I signed too that would be a big deal to them."
Indiana: "They basically tell me the same things as Purdue, that staying in-state and doing well here will open the doors up for you to give you more opportunities in life after football, and that if I did do well at IU, I could go down as one of the best there."
Among other early offers for Bell to this point: Michigan, Notre Dame, Louisville, Michigan State, Nebraska and so on.
"The education part is going to be important to me, because I know football isn't going to last forever so I want to make sure I have a good degree so that if I don't make it to the NFL, I have something to fall back on," Bell said. "Also, the possibility to start as a freshman. Even my freshman year in high school, I started (from) like the second or third game, and I hope to do that in college, too."
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