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S Vonn Bell (All B1G, All-American, National Champion, Cincinnati Bengals)

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Buckeyes pursue hard-hitting safety Vonn Bell
By Tim May
The Columbus Dispatch Friday October 5, 2012

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ALYSON WRIGHT | CHATTANOOGA (TENN.) TIMES
Safety Vonn Bell of Rossville, Ga., has his college choices down to Ohio State, Tennessee and Alabama.

Here?s how highly regarded a prospect safety Vonn Bell is.

?Even though he?s said who his final three schools are, he?s still got other schools trying to recruit him,? said Mark Mariakis, Bell?s high-school coach in Rossville, Ga. ?They keep calling.?

The good news for Ohio State coaches is their calls are still being well-received. The Buckeyes are in Bell?s final three, which also includes nearby Tennessee, said to be the favorite of his family, and Alabama.

The attraction for all three of those finalists is the same as for those schools trying to get into the competition.

?A lot of kids have the speed and a lot of kids have the athletic ability,? Mariakis said. ?But Vonn brings all of those qualities in the body of a functioning football player.

?And probably the one thing that separates him is his tackling and hitting ability. He is a great tackler who takes great angles.?

Bell packs that elite athletic ability into a 6-foot, 190-pound frame. He was clocked at 4.45 seconds in the 40-yard dash.

?He can rotate deep as a safety for us, he can roll down into the box to help stop the run, and he can cover,? Mariakis said. ?He is just an outstanding overall player.?

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http://buckeyextra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2012/10/05/gameday/recruiting.html
 
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OSU's depth chart has to look great to Bell. Given the Star lineup (which OSU uses more than half the time) there are really three safeties on the field at OSU. One of the starters (Johnson) is graduating and the other two will be seniors next year.

The only young safety who has shown promise has been Bogard and he just tore his ACL. Bell would have an excellent chance to be in the lineup as a true freshman and would be a cinch to start as a true soph.
 
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Not much has changed over the last month with Vonn Bell, one of the state?s top five uncommitted football prospects.

Probably the biggest news was something that didn?t happen ? the 5-star safety from Ridgeland High School wasn?t able to make an official visit to Ohio State, which is one of his three finalists, along with Alabama and Tennessee.

?He was going to Ohio State two weeks ago, and it just became a logistical nightmare,? Ridgeland coach Mark Mariakis told the AJC.

?He was trying to catch a red-eye flight out of Nashville at 2 a.m. in the morning, get up to Ohio State, and get back on Sunday to be back at school on Monday. It just wasn?t feasible to do it and enjoy himself. I think he?s going to wait until after our season for his official visits.

?Hopefully, those teams are at bowl practices or something. Hopefully, our team (at Ridgeland) will be playing deep into the winter. There?s no official visits set up right now.?

Not only has the 5-foot-11, 190-pounder not scheduled any official visits, Bell also has not set a deadline for his decision. It could come at anytime, however, although Bell would like to try to observe Ohio State in a game or at a practice before announcing. He?s already seen his other two finalists, Alabama and Tennessee, in action.

?He doesn?t have to take visits to decide,? Mariakis said. ?I think he wants to take visits, but I don?t think it?s necessary. He has been to all three places, so it?s not like he?s going to discover something new. He has been to Tennessee and Alabama games. He has been to Ohio State?s campus, but he has not been to a game there.

?I think that is one thing he would like to do, catch an Ohio State football game at home. That?s the only thing he hasn?t done. If he will get a chance to do that, I don?t know. It?s just according to when we can get it planned.?

And what about an announcement date? ?He could decide at anytime,? Mariakis said. ?He could pull up to practice today and say ?Coach, I?ve made a decision.? I think most of the information is in his head. His family is watching the games (of his finalists), seeing how they are doing, and waiting to see if there are any major changes on anybody?s campus after the season is over with.?

UGA, nor any of the other schools that Bell recently scratched off his list, have made much of effort to get back in the race. Bell attended Auburn?s football game against LSU, but it was more to see a good game rather than renewed interest in the Tigers.

?I haven?t heard from Georgia or really anybody else besides those three schools,? Mariakis said. ?Those three are in contact as much as they can be. I think Georgia has moved on and is trying to get other recruits.?

Alabama is the rumored frontrunner because of Ohio State?s distance and Tennessee?s struggles. However, Bell?s coach claims there is not a leader.

?He does not have one,? Mariakis said. ?We talk all the time, and he is torn between all three. They all three bring something different and positive to the table. It was a tough choice going from seven colleges to three, and it?s going to be a tougher choice going from three to one. That?s not just a politically correct answer, it?s the truth. It?s just a very tough decision for him.?
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http://blogs.ajc.com/recruiting/201...star-out-of-georgia/?cxntfid=blogs_recruiting
 
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Vonn Bell gets Under Armour jersey
The No. 60 prospect in the ESPN 150 is deciding among three schools
Originally Published: October 26, 2012
By Dave Hooker | ESPN RecruitingNation

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ROSSVILLE, Ga. -- The 60th-best prospect in the ESPN 150,Vonn Bell, calmly stepped to the podium for his Under Armour All-America Game jersey presentation as part of the American Family Insurance Tour. The ceremony just happened to take place in the middle of a pep rally for Rossville (Ga.) Ridgeland's game against LaFayette (LaFayette, Ga.) Friday night. The packed gymnasium, the band and the half-dozen video cameras fazed him none as he thanked all involved with his selection.

Most of this season, opposing offenses haven't had much effect on Bell, either. However, once -- just once -- the attention associated with being one of the top prospects in the nation was a bit much for the safety for Rossville (Ga.) Ridgeland.

Coach Mark Mariakis remembers that game well. It occurred when Ridgeway took on Calhoun (Ga.) High in the season opener.

"It was the first time he stepped on the field and everybody knew who Vonn Bell was," Mariakis said. "Nobody knew who Vonn Bell was at the end of last season. We did, but as far as a national name, they didn't know it.

"He walked out there and there were cameras all in his face watching him warm-up, stretch, catch punts. It was crazy."

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http://espn.go.com/colleges/osu/story/_/id/8555909/vonn-bell

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http://www.chattanoogan.com/2012/10/26/237255/Ridgeland-s-Vonn-Bell-Receives-2013.aspx

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PX0yOZhyKo8"]Vonn Bell Named Under Armour All-American - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irnSKQUu2MY"]Vonn Bell Receives His Jersey To The 2013 Under Armour All-American Game - YouTube[/ame]
 
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Team done?

On max preps it looked like Rossville (GA) Ridgeland lost their last game in the state playoffs. Are they finished with their season, or is there still more season left? Usually High Schools finish about now, so I would hope there would be an opportunity for Bell to visit for a game.
 
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