Faster, Stronger Ronnie Bell Ready To Be Joe Milton's No. 1 Target

Michigan Wolverines football's offense in year two under coordinator Josh Gattis will look plenty different compared to a year ago. The most noticeable differences will be a revamped offensive line, a new starting quarterback, with redshirt sophomore Joe Milton presumed to earn the job, and a slew of young receivers tasked with stepping into the limelight.

Junior wideout Ronnie Bell led the Wolverines in catches and receiving yards in 2019, so having to produce is nothing new for the Missouri native. But being the focal point of the offense, and subsequently having the eyes of more defenders on him, will be new, now that Michigan is without Tarik Black (transfer to Texas), Donovan Peoples-Jones (NFL) and likely Nico Collins (signed with agent).

This offseason, Bell has put in the work to prepare himself for the opportunity that is now in front of him. When he got home in March after U-M's campus was shut down, his dad, Aaron, had him pushing around the family's Chevy Tahoe — a creative way to improve his strength. He raced his twin brothers, who were together pushing a smaller Lexus down the street.

"It was definitely his idea," Bell said with a laugh when speaking with reporters Thursday via Zoom. "And I got to race the twins. They pushed a little Lexus, and I had to push the Tahoe, so there’s two of them with a car not even half the size, but you know, it was fun. It was definitely a lot of fun racing those two, doing that.

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"Something that I’ve focused on a lot throughout this offseason is speed and strength — specifically, speed. I’ve gotten in a lot of good work with our training staff in the weight room to work on speed. Just little things, watching film, seeing myself, envisioning myself making plays and just wanting to make more and more plays."

Bell often lined up in the slot last year, but he understands that after the aforementioned key departures, he's going to have to do more, including playing on the outside quite a bit as well.

"I definitely think this year I’ll move around more than what I did last year," Bell said.

"I’m just ready for however coach needs me to be, wherever I need to be and that’s just the role I’m at, whether that’s slot, outside, both or whatever he wants. That’s just how I’m gonna prepare, and that’s how I’ve always prepared."

He also knows that he has the responsibility, as a veteran in the room, to help mold the younger receivers and get them up to speed.

"I’m low key kinda old, and for all the younger guys, every day in practice, I just wanna show them, 1) the effort it takes, whether you get the ball or not, or if you’re out there blocking on the edge," Bell said. "I just want to show all the guys the intensity that we’ve gotta play with, especially with all the tall guys leaving. We’re not as tall no more, we’ve gotta be a lot more feisty than what we were.

"I’ve been most impressed with everybody. Everybody has grown. You can just see it; they’ve grown so much just mentally and with the playbook and being able to play everywhere.

"As for guys who are able to make a jump, I mean, definitely [sophomores] Cornelius Johnson and Mikey Sainristil, both of those guys have been dominant throughout this whole offseason and preseason that we’ve been in."

He's not just confident with his fellow receivers, but he also believes in Milton and redshirt freshman signal-caller Cade McNamara, the men tasked with getting them the ball in space.

"With Joe specifically, me and him got back to Ann Arbor a lot sooner than everybody else," Bell explained. "I think we’ve both been here since April, so me and him got a lot of work in together throughout that time period, just because it was literally just me and him out of all of Ann Arbor. Nobody else was here.

"Cade and I have also worked. He’s also putting in extra work, as well, whether that’s before or after practice. But Cade and I have thrown at a random field before.

"Both of those guys, constantly, it’s never stopping for either one of them, and I think that’s why they’re so good at what they do.

"They love the game so much. Every day, I mean, they want more work, they wanna do more work and I’m lucky enough just to be able to tag along with them."

He's specifically impressed with Milton, the favorite to win the job, and says he's at his best right now heading into his third year with the program.

"Joe, as a quarterback, I talked a lot about it with one of the guys probably like a week ago, and this is the best I’ve ever seen Joe," Bell revealed. "Joe got here a semester before me, but I’ve been around Joe just as much as anybody, and he’s just lights out right now. It’s very exciting to play alongside him. And like I said, I told the guys the other day, I was like, ‘This is the best I’ve ever seen him play.’"

• Bell said he has been in contact with Collins since he's signed with an agent and left the team, but they haven't communicated much about his decision whether or not to play. Either way, Bell supports Collins in whatever he chooses to do.

"I’ve talked with Nico, not much about what he’s got going on, because he’s doing what he’s doing for his journey and what not," Bell said. "I’m happy for him, of course. I’m never gonna second guess him on what he’s got going on. I’m all 10 toes with whatever he’s got.

"Our room with him, of course, would be better. He’s one of the best receivers, I think, that I’ve personally ever been around. So of course not having him is kinda buns, but our room is still very good. I mean, I’m not discouraged or anything like that without running out there without No. 4. But of course, having Nico would be huge. He’s a very, very talented receiver."

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