We all blinked and suddenly Ohio State safety Vonn Bell became a junior (by football season, anyway).
Seems like yesterday he was picking off Tajh Boyd in the Orange Bowl and we were all asking “why didn’t he start all season,” doesn’t it?
Bell has gone from wide-eyed – yet highly touted – rookie to playmaker to leader in fairly short order. In 16 career starts, Bell has seven interceptions. Swiping an opponent’s pass nearly every other game is elite stuff. Only 11 Buckeyes in school history has had more in one season than the team-leading six Bell had in 2014.
More importantly, the Rossville, Ga. native has become a leader, which will be important in 2015, with the loss of Doran Grant from the Ohio State defensive backfield. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound safety is taking charge and organizing off-season workouts for the Buckeye secondary.
As a sophomore and first-year starter, Bell was one of Ohio State’s best defensive players. He finished second on the team in tackles (92) and solo stops (57) to linebacker Joshua Perry. He also registered two tackles for loss, a sack and a fumble recovery.
He and Tyvis Powell will be one of the country’s most experienced and formidable safety tandems this fall. If both remain healthy, it gives Luke Fickell and Chris Ash a potent starting pair at the back of a defense that made great strides in 2014 and looks to be even stronger in 2015.
With such a safety net (no pun intended) in the secondary – the duo of Bell and Powell combined for 10 interceptions last season – it provides some measure of coverage (again, no pun intended) for the cornerbacks, who will be led by Eli Apple instead of Grant this season.
Apple will be looking to replace Ohio State’s lockdown corner spot, vacated by Grant, and someone else will have to step up and play opposite Eli, who had a solid 2014 year himself (53 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, three interceptions, 10 pass breakups and a fumble recovery).
It’s a great sign for the Buckeye defense that Bell is stepping up, organizing workouts and taking the secondary under his wing. That’s what good leaders do, even ones with only 16 career starts.
If he stays through his senior season, there’s no telling how good Bell can become before he leaves for the NFL. He could threaten Mike Sensibaugh’s career record of 22 interceptions set over three seasons from 1968-70.
But even if he only repeats his accomplishments as a sophomore and turns pro, Bell will go down in history as one of the school’s greatest safeties. It would put him among the top 10 in interceptions in school history, while recording buckets of tackles and making big plays all over the field.
Buckeye fans should be glad that the Bell tolls for THE Ohio State University.
