Draft:Jacob Bell (Quarterback)
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Jacob Bell (quarterback)
[edit]| No. 12 – Indiana Hoosiers | |
|---|---|
| Position | Quarterback |
| Class | Redshirt freshman |
| Personal information | |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 215 lb (98 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Naperville North (Naperville, Illinois) |
| College |
|
Jacob Bell is an American college football quarterback for the Indiana Hoosiers of Indiana University Bloomington. Bell joined Indiana as a member of its 2025 recruiting class after playing high school football at Naperville North High School in Naperville, Illinois.[1]
Early life
[edit]Bell was born in Southfield, Michigan, to Joe and Kelly Bell. He is the third of six children. His siblings are older brothers Joe and Jon, younger brothers Jonah and Josh, and younger sister Lilly.
Bell and his family moved several times during his childhood. He moved from Michigan to Naperville, Illinois, at the age of four. At age seven, Bell moved to Canton, Mississippi, and at age nine moved to Fresno, California. His family returned to Naperville when Bell was 10 years old.
Bell's older brother, Jon Bell, played college football at South Dakota State.[1]
High school career
[edit]Bell attended Naperville North High School in Naperville, Illinois, where he played quarterback under head coach Sean Drendel.[1]
As a senior, Bell completed 251 of 397 passes for 3,082 yards and 38 touchdowns. He added 142 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns.[1]
Bell set Naperville North's single-season records for passing yards and passing touchdowns. He also established a school single-game record by throwing seven touchdown passes in a double-overtime victory over Homewood-Flossmoor.[1]
Bell earned Illinois High School Football Coaches Association All-State recognition as a senior. He was also named Player of the Year by the Naperville Sun and Daily Herald and earned first-team All-Southwest Valley Blue Division honors.[1]
Academically, Bell earned Illinois High School Association Academic All-State recognition as a senior and academic all-conference honors during his junior and senior seasons.[1]
Recruiting
[edit]Bell was rated as a three-star quarterback prospect by ESPN, 247Sports and On3.[1] ESPN ranked him as the No. 61 quarterback prospect in the 2025 class.[2]
Bell initially committed to Ball State. A coaching change at Ball State prompted him to reopen his recruitment.[3]
Indiana offered Bell in December 2024 while he was committed to Ball State. Bell subsequently decommitted from the Cardinals and committed to Indiana on December 25, 2024.[4]
Bell became the lone high school quarterback in Indiana's 2025 recruiting class.[4]
He officially signed with Indiana in February 2025.[5]
College career
[edit]Indiana
[edit]2025 season
[edit]Bell joined the Indiana Hoosiers in 2025. He did not appear in a game during his freshman season and redshirted.[1]
2026 season
[edit]Bell returned for his second season at Indiana in 2026. Indiana listed him at 6 feet 2 inches and 215 pounds, wearing No. 12.[1]
Bell received increased opportunities during Indiana's 2026 spring practices as head coach Curt Cignetti evaluated the younger quarterbacks on the roster.
During an April practice, Cignetti sat veteran quarterbacks Josh Hoover and Grant Wilson to provide additional practice repetitions to Bell, Tyler Cherry and Maverick Geske.[6]
The practice represented an unusual move for Cignetti, who said it was the first time he had held his two veteran quarterbacks out of practice specifically to evaluate the younger players.[7]
Cignetti specifically highlighted Bell's throwing ability, describing him as having a "live arm". He said Bell needed additional practice work and indicated that he wanted to give him repetitions with Indiana's second-team offense.[7]
Later in spring practice, Cignetti again praised Bell's arm strength, saying, "Jacob Bell has got a gun." Cignetti also identified accuracy and processing as areas in which Bell needed to continue developing.[8]
Cignetti noted that the development process was complicated by the limited number of practice repetitions available to the younger quarterbacks.[8]
Bell continued competing for practice repetitions during Indiana's 2026 fall camp. In August, Cignetti again singled out Bell's arm strength, saying that Bell "has a gun", while noting that Indiana had only a limited number of quarterback repetitions available.[9]
Playing style
[edit]Bell has primarily played as a pocket-oriented quarterback. ESPN classified him as a pocket passer during his recruitment.[10]
Arm strength has been one of the most frequently noted aspects of Bell's game since arriving at Indiana. Cignetti described Bell as having a "live arm" during spring practice and subsequently twice publicly described Bell as having a "gun" for an arm.[7][8][9]
Bell also demonstrated some rushing ability during high school. During his senior season at Naperville North, he rushed for 142 yards and four touchdowns in addition to throwing for 3,082 yards and 38 touchdowns.[1]
During Bell's development at Indiana, Cignetti has identified accuracy and processing as areas for continued improvement.[8]
Personal life
[edit]Bell is the son of Joe and Kelly Bell. He is the third of six children. His siblings are older brothers Joe and Jon, younger brothers Jonah and Josh, and younger sister Lilly.
His older brother, Jon, played college football at South Dakota State.[1]
Bell was born in Southfield, Michigan. During his childhood, he lived in Michigan, Illinois, Mississippi and California before his family returned to Naperville when he was 10.
Career statistics
[edit]| Season | Team | Games | Passing yards | Passing touchdowns |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Indiana | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | Indiana | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Bell did not appear in a game during the 2025 season.[1]
Honors
[edit]High school
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 "Jacob Bell - Football". Indiana University Athletics. Retrieved September 28, 2026.
- ↑ "Jacob Bell Quarterback: Pocket Passer Recruiting Profile". ESPN. Retrieved September 28, 2026.
- ↑ Clark, Mike. "Naperville North quarterback Jacob Bell picks Indiana". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved September 28, 2026.
- 1 2 "Indiana football lands 2025 QB Jacob Bell just 1 day after offering". Indiana Daily Student. December 2024. Retrieved September 28, 2026.
- ↑ "Quarterback Jacob Bell, linebacker Amari Kamara sign with Indiana football". Indiana Daily Student. February 2025. Retrieved September 28, 2026.
- ↑ "'Process Driven' – Evaluating Young Quarterbacks Spring Priority". Indiana University Athletics. April 14, 2026. Retrieved September 28, 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Indiana football's Curt Cignetti did something he's never done at Thursday's practice". Yahoo Sports. April 2026. Retrieved September 28, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "'Quality Work' Continues as Spring Practice Reaches Final Week". Indiana University Athletics. April 20, 2026. Retrieved September 28, 2026.
- 1 2 "Notebook: Improving Hoover; Keeping the 'Special' in Special Teams". Indiana University Athletics. August 27, 2026. Retrieved September 28, 2026.
- ↑ "Jacob Bell Quarterback: Pocket Passer Recruiting Profile". ESPN. Retrieved September 28, 2026.