Class Impact: Cornerback Micah Bell Commits To Notre Dame
Notre Dame is back on the board at cornerback after landing a commitment from Houston (Texas) Kinkaid standout athlete Micah Bell. The Irish have worked hard to land this speedster, who is also an elite student, having earned an offer from Harvard.
Let's look at Bell's impact on the Notre Dame 2023 recruiting class and the Irish depth chart.
NOTRE DAME CLASS IMPACT
Bell is the 17th player to commit to Notre Dame in the 2023 class. He's the only cornerback currently in the class but he is the ninth defensive player to pledge to the Irish.
Bell is also the third player from Texas, including the second defensive back, with him joining Denton (Texas) Guyer standout safety Peyton Bowen. The third commit from Texas is Round Rock (Texas) Stony Point wide receiver Braylon James. All three are ranked as a Top 100 recruit by at least one service.
Cornerback was a huge need for Notre Dame in the 2023 class, as it always is. After landing a class that has three corners on the roster in 2021 and landing a strong 2022 duo of Benjamin Morrison and Jaden Mickey, the key for Notre Dame in the 2023 class is impact talent more than number. Notre Dame really only needs two corners in the class from a numbers standpoint and could have gotten away with only one, but whoever they landed needed to have impact talent.
Bell has impact talent.
Notre Dame also tried to make a splash in Texas, and Bell is another key piece to that. Notre Dame also needed to add speed to the roster, especially at cornerback, and there might not be a player in the country at that position that brings more of that.
Bell is also a four-star recruit that ranks as the nation's No. 55 overall player according to 247Sports, which also boosts the program's ranking profile in its chase for the No. 1 class.
NOTRE DAME FIT
There is no question that Bell's best asset is his speed. He has truly game changing speed at the prep level, posting a best 100-meter dash time of 10.41 and a best 200-meter dash time of 20.89. That's truly elite speed, and the best part is Bell translates that speed onto the field.
You can see his speed show up at cornerback, running back and the return game. Bell has easy speed, which means he's not a high effort mover in order to play fast. He's a smooth runner that can accelerate immediately, shows a great second gear and as a defender he has special closing speed.
Bell is more of a one-cut athlete but also shows the desired suddenness as an athlete. On defense, Bell shows the ability to easily flip his hips at times, so you know he can do it, but there are some technical aspects that need to be cleaned up.
That is really the area where Bell must improve the most. Right now, on defense, he's more of an elite athlete that is still learning the position, but the tools are all there. At 5-11 and 165 pounds with good arm length he has the radius to thrive at cornerback. He'll need to continue filling out and add strength, but it's the technical aspects where his game needs the most work.
The good news for Bell and Notre Dame is that he has the physical tools to be a tremendous player. Elite speed, elite athlete, competitiveness, versatility and intelligence. The coaching part can and will come, but he has tools you simply cannot teach and develop.
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Irish Breakdown Content
Notre Dame 2022 Roster
Notre Dame 2022 Schedule
Notre Dame 2023 Class Big Board
Notre Dame 2023 Commits Board - Offense
Notre Dame 2023 Commits Board - Defense
Notre Dame 2023 Scholarship Offers
Notre Dame 2024 Scholarship Offers
Ranking The 2022 Signees - Offense
Ranking The 2022 Signees - Defense
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