Brian Snow
Recruiting Analyst

The Ohio State Buckeyes have made the linebacker position a priority in the 2009 class and they were rewarded again on Monday when five star stud Dorian Bell held a press conference at his school to announce that he was committing to Ohio State. Bell is now the Buckeyes tenth verbal commitment and the third one from a linebacker.

Bell is now OSU commitment number 10.

In recent years the Keystone State of Pennsylvania has been good to Ohio State. In 2007 Ohio State snagged Evan Blankenship. For the class of 2008 the Bucks landed Terrelle Pryor and Andrew Sweat. Now in 2009 the name Dorian Bell will be added to that list.

Bell is a five star linebacker with unreal athleticism and potential. Currently he is viewed as the No. 22 overall prospect in the country, and at 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds he possesses 4.5 40 speed that allows him to make plays all over field from sideline to sideline.

With his impressive physical abilities combined with jaw dropping game tape, Bell landed scholarship offers from nearly every school in the region. Penn State, Pittsburgh, Michigan, West Virginia, Notre Dame, Florida State, Alabama, and Tennessee were just some of the high profile programs that wanted Bell, however in the end the decision was a fairly easy one for Bell, he wanted to be an Ohio State Buckeye.

Word had been trickling out that Bell was leaning to Ohio State going into the weekend, but Bell himself was never willing to come out and say as much, but that all changed after the OSU spring game on Saturday. Bell was simply blown away by the attention that he received, and by the atmosphere at Ohio Stadium.

Bell came away from the game all but telling everyone that he had committed to Ohio State and head coach Jim Tressel. While Bell didn't want to come right out and say he had committed, he made it clear that the Buckeyes were going to be his eventual choice, and that it was probably going to be sooner than later.

Now Bell becomes commitment number 10, and the second that was a direct result of the spring, the other being cornerback Darrell Givens. Bell is the first five star to commit in the class, and the third linebacker. He joins Storm Klein and Jordan Whiting who are both four star linebackers who have already pledged their services to the Buckeyes.

Dorian Bell, a blue-chip linebacker prospect from Monroeville (Gateway), Pa., announced at his school this afternoon that he has committed to the Ohio State recruiting class of 2009.

Bell, 6 feet 2, 220 pounds, is the 10th member of the class that could number 22 or more on signing day in February. He also promises to be a prominent member of the group.

He is considered a five-start prospect by rivals.com, which has him No.22 overall nationally. With reputed 4.5-second speed in the 40-yard dash, "He has the whole package," said Bill Kurelic, longtime recruiting analyst who is now with Bucknuts.

Bell is considered the top prospect in western Pennsylvania, which means in two recruiting seasons now the Buckeyes have swept that category. They signed late decider Terrelle Pryor in March to the 2008 class. The quarterback also was ranked No.1 nationally by several recruiting services.

As for Bell, he considered offers from across the country, including Penn State, Michigan, Alabama, West Virginia and Virginia Tech. But he indicated to many he was leaning heavily OSU’s way after attending the Buckeye’s spring game on Saturday in Ohio Stadium.

Gateway's Bell commits to Ohio State

By Kevin Gorman
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Dorian Bell fell for Ohio State the first time he visited, when he was a wide-eyed sophomore.

When the Gateway All-American linebacker visited for the Scarlet-Gray Game this past weekend, he was sold.

Once Bell saw Ohio Stadium for the first time, it didn't take long for him to make a verbal commitment. He chose Ohio State on Monday, picking the Buckeyes over Florida, Florida State, Michigan, North Carolina and Penn State.

"When I got there and saw the stadium," Bell said, "I was just like, 'Wow!' "

The 6-foot-1, 225-pound Bell is regarded as the top prospect in the WPIAL from the Class of 2009 and one of the best linebacker prospects in the country, according to several scouting services. Scout.com ranks him as the No. 13 player nationally, and Rivals.com has him at No. 22.

Bell has accepted an offer to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl next January, following in the footsteps of former Gateway stars Justin King and Shayne Hale.

Although Bell gives Ohio State the top WPIAL prospect for the second consecutive year -- Jeannette quarterback Terrelle Pryor picked the Buckeyes on March 31 -- Gateway players rarely, if ever, end up in Columbus, Ohio.

"I don't know if there's ever been one," said Gateway coach Terry Smith, who also played for the Gators. "He's the first, to my knowledge. It would be nice (to start a pipeline to Ohio State). If you have kids who can get that opportunity, it's a nice choice."

Bell recorded 131 tackles, including 25 for losses, and 11 sacks as a junior in helping Gateway reach the WPIAL Class AAAA final. He had 96 tackles and five sacks as a sophomore.

He's projected to play strong-side linebacker.

"I think Dorian is the kind of kid who could play every position on the football field except the line," Smith said. "He's a guy that can go from point A to point B to point C faster than anyone and wreck it at the end. He's very physical.

"He's the best athlete I've ever coached. And he loves the game."

Bell also loves Ohio State, assuring reporters that he has no plans to change his mind. Not that there was any indication of where he was going after he arrived for an impromptu news conference dressed in an Ohio State hat and T-shirt.

"I felt like I never left home," Bell said of his visit this past weekend. "It was just great there -- the fans, the coaches, everything. It was just a wonderful time."