College football is dealing with a new redshirt reality and Texas State defensive end Ben Bell is the latest iteration of this potentially frustrating trend within the sport. He is actively trying to decide on whether he will or will not return to the Bobcats in the middle of the season.
It is a fluid situation that leaves the program in limbo!
Bell, a senior, began his career with two years at Louisiana Tech and transferred to Texas State in 2022. This is his fifth season.
- 2020, Louisiana Tech
- 4 total tackles
- 2021, Louisiana Tech
- 27 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles
- 2022, Texas State
- 25 total tackles, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble
- 2023, Texas State
- 57 total tackles, 10 sacks, 1 forced fumble
- 2024, Texas State (three games)
- 12 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble
At 6-foot-2, 255 pounds, Ben Bell is a dominant force in the Sun Belt Conference. ESPN recently described him as someone who “looks like he lives north of the wall,” in reference to Game of Thrones.
Bell played a huge role in Texas State’s historic 8-5 season in 2023. What was supposed to be his final season in 2024 was/is off to an equally as strong start.
However, it may no longer be Bell’s last year in college…
According to Mike Craven of Dave Campbell’s Texas Football, he is actively contemplating a redshirt. This directly contradicts a report on Monday morning that said he is going to redshirt.
Ben Bell did not make that decision, yet.
Head coach G.J. Kinne said that Bell was at practice on Monday and “wants to play.” That may or may not happen. A potential redshirt is still in limbo.
It should be noted that Bell is not fully healthy and did not play in Texas State’s one-point loss to Sam Houston State on Saturday. He has played in only three games this year so far.
This is where things get messy.
Every NCAA athlete is granted one redshirt year to be used without penalty. The singular free-use redshirt does not require a medical exemption.
Historically, it is the team that decides whether a player should redshirt in effort to preserve eligibility. It is typically placed on someone who has great potential for the future but might not be ready, or plays a position where there is not room for immediate playing time. Injury is the other most common reason for a redshirt.
A new trend has emerged in recent weeks.
College football players who are not happy with their current situation, like Bear Alexander and Matthew Sluka, can take advantage of the redshirt and sit out the remainder of the season with plans to transfer. That allows them to seek more NIL money at a new school that might be able to offer increased snaps.
Ben Bell’s situation is not quite the same.
NIL disputes are not involved. He does not have any ill will toward Texas State.
However, the option to redshirt could provide him with an opportunity to cash-in on his final year of college football eligibility in 2025— literally. If the NFL is not banging down Bell’s door, he could potentially get paid a good chunk of money to play one last season at a Power Five program that needs help on its defensive line. It would also allow him the opportunity to get back to full health and get another year on tape against better competition in hopes of boosting his draft stock.
To make the impending decision even more strange, Ben Bell can play in one more game for the Bobcats this season without burning the possibility of a redshirt. He could potentially play on Saturday and then decide to sit out! Stay tuned…