Bishop Carroll quarterback Blake Bell is garnering a lot of attention from around the country as one of the top prospects at his position for the 2010 recruiting class. Offers have rolled in from Georgia, Oklahoma, LSU, Miami, Notre Dame and Nebraska among others, but this past weekend he spent sometime in Lawrence visiting with the Kansas Jayhawk program for junior day and gave Rock Chalk Talk a look inside his recruitment and his thoughts on Kansas.
Read the full story and a video feature on Bell...jump into the post.
At 6'6" 210 pounds with a great arm and an equally dangerous set of legs it's easy to see why Bell is so sought after. The good news for Jayhawk fans is they are very much in the running. I asked Blake about his experience at Kansas and he said, "it went well, I got to talk with Coach Mangino and Coach Warinner, tour the facilities and check everything out." Blake spent most of his time with both coaches as well as fellow Wichita recruits Joe Randle and Demarcus Robinson.
The facility upgrades continue to be a common theme among recruits and Blake was no different. "I was very impressed with the weight room," said Bell with regards to a strength of the Kansas program. He went on to add that just being in Kansas was a big strength in his mind saying, "it's my home state, I like that and I like the people."
I also asked Bell how the strength of recent classes and the prospect of playing with the local talent this year such as a Keeston Terry, Justin McCay or Joe Randle would weigh into his decision. Bell replied, "it would be a huge part of my decision making if I knew that those type of guys were choosing to go there as well and knowing those are the type of guys you want to surround yourself with."
In terms of his recruitment Bell is content to go with the flow right now. He said his plan is to really dive in following basketball season after he has a chance to sit down with his coach and parents and come up with a game plan. Bell said he has no leader at this time and no time line for a decision and at this point the only other junior day he has attended was that of the Cornhuskers.
Needless to say Bell is a huge target for the 2010 class and Kansas appears to have made a good impression and put themselves in a position to contend for Bell's services. How that plays out in the end, we will only know with time.