According to numerous Michigan Wolverines football players and coaches alike, sophomore receiver Ronnie Bell has been the most improved athlete on the entire team this fall.
He received extra reps in the spring when juniors Nico Collins and Donovan Peoples-Jones were out with injury, and that added work has apparently paid off in a big way.
RELATED: Audio: Balas on The Huge Show
RELATED: Videos: Players Talk Position Battles, More on Tuesday of Game Week
Bell was asked this afternoon where his game has improved the most.
“I’m much more comfortable and mature,” he explained. “I’m mentally ready for what I’m getting myself into this season.
“I feel like I’ve improved quite a bit, especially since the spring. We’ve all improved dramatically though, especially the receiver group — we’ve taken big steps on little details.
“I wanted to work on the details and get stronger, especially when it comes to blocking. I knew I had to get low last year on blocks against bigger guys, so it’s now about blocking with more strength.”
Bell was actually originally slated to play college basketball at Missouri State in high school, before U-M head coach Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines offered him a football scholarship.
Though the sophomore admitted that football was his first love, it took him a while to readjust to the game last season as a freshman.
“The Nebraska game [on Sept. 22 is when I started to feel comfortable last year],” he revealed. “I didn’t get in much the first few games, but played a lot more against Nebraska. That day was kind of like a jump for me.
“This new offense suits me well too, along with the rest of the wideouts, running backs and tight ends. We’re all loving it and taking advantage of it.
“Coach [Josh] Gattis is huge on details and route running, and has taught us some tricks.”
Fortunately for Gattis, he’ll have what is expected to be one of the best receiving units in the nation to work with this fall, thanks in large part to the return of oft-injured redshirt sophomore Tarik Black.
“It [his recovery] was more of a mental game, though I can’t really speak for him,” Bell explained. “By the spring, he was fully comfortable and ready to rock and roll.
“We’re all rotating around now [between the slot and outside] and running more [three and four-receiver sets] than last year.”
Notes
• Bell was asked which cornerbacks — outside of senior Lavert Hill — have stood out in the wake of junior Ambry Thomas' colitis ailment (though he did return to practice last week).
“[Redshirt freshman] Vince Gray, [redshirt freshmen] Gemon and German Green have both done well, [junior] JKP [Jaylen Kelly-Powell] and [freshman] D.J. Turner," the sophomore revealed.
"D.J. just got here but has done well. Vincent is taller than I am and is a physical corner."
• The freshmen wideouts have also received plenty of praise since they've been on campus, and Bell was asked to discuss two in particular in Cornelius Johnson and Giles Jackson.
“Those guys have been taking coaching well and I can see how much better they’ve gotten since the beginning of camp," he said. "They both kind of have their own way with how they move, and they make it work when they run their routes.”
---
• Talk about this article inside The Fort
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolverine
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolverineMag, @Balas_Wolverine, @EJHolland_TW, @AustinFox42, @JB_ Wolverine and @DrewCHallett
• Like us on Facebook
