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When South Carolina and its offense take the field in 2022, it will bring one of the most talented tight ends in the country with them.
In 2021, Jaheim Bell finished second on the team in receiving yards with 497 yards receiving on 30 catches. He also caught five touchdown passes with a long of 82.
Bell capped his strong 2021 season by leading the Gamecocks in receiving in the win over North Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Bell tallied 159 yards on five receptions and two touchdowns.
On Tuesday, Pro Football Network’s Oliver Hodgkinson wrote an article which looked at the top ten tights in the 2023 NFL Draft. Hodkinson placed Bell as the No. 3 tight end. Here is what Hodkinson said about Bell in the article.
“If South Carolina lives up to the promise of their roster’s potential, we could be talking about Jaheim Bell as one of the top offensive weapons in the nation. Already at this point — with a five-touchdown, 16.6 yards-per-catch, and 497-receiving-yard sophomore season behind him — we’re considering him one of the top TEs in the 2023 NFL Draft class.
“Bell is already one of the most versatile TE prospects in the nation, having seen alignment all over the South Carolina offensive formation, including adding special-teams experience as a kick returner. This versatility is a product of an exceptional athletic profile. The 6’3″, 230-pound TE boasts game-changing speed, explosion, and lateral agility. He owns tools of reception deception, such as altering the tempo of his route running and mixing up his releases. With blocking experience as well, Bell is a TE to watch this fall.”
The two tight ends that were ranked in front of Bell were Michael Mayer (Notre Dame) and Cameron Latu (Alabama).
Tight end Austin Stogner, who transferred to South Carolina from Oklahoma, has also seen his name pop up in articles which rank the top tight ends in the country.
Bell came from a very successful high school program at Valdosta High School in Valdosta, Ga. He said that when the Gamecocks struggled in 2020, he learned from it and knew he couldn’t let that happen again in 2021.
“Being here, it has taught me a lot,” Bell said in an episode of The Debo Williams Podcast on March 14. “I have been through a lot of ups and downs. Coming from the high school that I played at, we were one of the winningest schools in the nation. Coming here, I think we went 2-9 in the first year. Once that happened, I was like, ‘I am not used to this.’ Every day I am frustrated. After every game I am frustrated. I am not used to losing. Coming into my sophomore year, I was like, ‘Something has to change.’ Every day, I work hard and that offseason I went crazy. We had a better season this year. This season, we went 7-6.”
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