Peach State ATH Jaheim Bell talks return to visit to Tennessee
Jaheim Bell was among a slew of top prospects to visit Tennessee over the weekend, as the 3-star athlete from Valdosta High (Ga.) stopped by Sunday for a day-long trip.
Bell, who recently picked up offers from Alabama, LSU, Florida, Penn State, FSU, Auburn and Maryland, among others, picked up an offer from the Vols last month and wanted a longer look at the school after attending the win over Kentucky last fall.
“The visit went great. I went up there to watch them play (Kentucky) last year, but I didn’t get to see everything. Going back a second time to see the campus and everything was pretty good. I fell in love with the dorms. I could see myself sleeping in one of those rooms,” Bell told Volquest.
“I liked what I saw. I got some words with the coaches. It was good to meet them. ”
The South Georgia native made the trip with his cousin Marquez Bell, a 3-star wideout from Lake City (Fla.) who also has a UT offer. The two hope to play together at the next level, but nothing is guaranteed.
“People can start getting used to seeing us on campus together because pretty much we’re going to try to go everywhere together,” Bell said.
“Me and him have talked about playing together in college. If everything works out, we’ll probably be on the same team.”
Bell has offers to play wideout, defensive back and even outside linebacker, but Tennessee likes the versatile playmaker as a tight end or H-back. In 2018, Bell rushed for two scores, had 52 catches for 770 yards and made multiple plays on defense. Bell is a bit skeptical about playing a new position though, saying, “I’m not really so comfortable at that position. I see myself playing receiver. But they told me, if I’m the best player I’d be getting the ball.”
Kevin Sherrer, Bell’s area recruiter, is the one who first extended the offer, but the playmaker got the chance to meet tight ends coach Brian Niedermeyer on Sunday. The two “talked a lot” and Tennessee wants to get Bell back on campus this summer.
“(Niedermeyer) doesn’t want me to camp, but he wants to workout with me individually,” he said.
After picking up more than a dozen offers over the last month, Bell plans to “take the process slow” moving forward. He’s seen UT, Alabama and South Carolina already, and pans to visit UF and FSU in the near future. He wants to commit during the early signing period, with a Top 10 likely to come on his birthday in June.
“I’m hearing from everybody,” he said, “so I want to get around to everywhere that’s showing me interest. I want to get around everywhere I can before I start taking officials. I want to take as many unofficials as I can to give everyone a look.”