The question came in and Vonn Bell flashed a gigantic smile across his face, something that's become part of the norm when the Ohio State safety speaks with the media.
"Over or under, seven interceptions this season?" a reporter asked Bell on Monday evening.
"Over," he said, grinning ear to ear.
It was perhaps the least surprising response of all time when you consider confidence is something Bell has never lacked. He's self-assured, flashy, fearless and some might even go as far to say Bell is even borderline cocky.
But he's also a star — the star — in the Buckeyes' secondary.
"I have all the confidence in the world," Bell said. "I just had to learn as a young guy and play for Coach Ash, he’s a phenomenal coach, so it was just growing through the game, just out there getting better and getting my guys better.”
Bell's confidence is part of what makes him so great, though. He's seemingly always in the right place at the right time and is one of Ohio State's top defensive playmakers.
Last year as a sophomore, his first year as a starter, Bell led the Buckeyes with six interceptions and was second on the team with 92 tackles.
That wasn't by coincidence.
"Vonn Bell has that 'it' when you talk about that, I call it the 'it.' He has that 'it.'" Buckeyes safeties coach and co-defensive coordinator Chris Ash said. "He's always around the ball, good things seem to always happen to Vonn Bell and he just has that 'it' and he makes things happen. He has a knack for making things happen and making plays on the ball."
Ash says Bell is one of the best tackling safeties he's ever coached. He also covers well and his ballhawking skills are quite easy to see when watching an Ohio State game.
He's the perfect fit for Ash's defensive system and it's a big reason why Bell exploded onto the scene last year as a sophomore after playing sparingly as a true freshman during the 2013 season.
“Vonn was doing good toward the end of the year where he was recognizing routes and jumping them," fellow starting safety Tyvis Powell said. "He was stepping in front of all those plays and doing a good job of setting the quarterback up, thinking he was going one way then he’d come back and make a play on the ball.”
Big plays are just part of the norm for Bell. So much so that he started what he calls the Vonn Bell Academy — an exclusive group for guys on Ohio State's team that make big plays.
But Bell does more than just talk a big game. He backs everything he says up on the field. And, as a result, a big 2015 is expected.
“I feel like I’m not done yet. I still have room to grow, I’m still a young player," Bell said. "I want to learn more every day from Coach Meyer, Coach Ash, Coach Fick and all these guys I’m playing with. I learn something new every day so I’m very hungry to learn, very eager and I’m not done yet.”
