Jeremy Bell / Cornerback / University of Charleston
Alex Khvatov: What are your measurements (height, weight and forty time)?
Jeremy Bell: 5’11 ¾, 185 pounds and 4.4 range.
Alex Khvatov: Besides football, what other sports did you play in high school?
Jeremy Bell: I tried basketball and ran track. I enjoyed being a part of different athletics.
Alex Khvatov: What positions did you play in high school?
Jeremy Bell: I played receiver, corner and QB my junior year. I played receiver and broke the bone in my wrist during the early part of my senior year. I had to get surgery done. I delayed surgery, put a cast on and moved to corner. I fell in love with the position.
Alex Khvatov: Coming out of high school, what programs showed interest in you?
Jeremy Bell: I had preferred walk-on spots from Southern Miss and Mississippi State. My official offers were from Lenoir Rhyne, Shorter, and Tusculum.
Alex Khvatov: Why did you choose Lenoir-Rhyne?
Jeremy Bell: Lenoir-Rhyne was the best opportunity academically and athletically for me. But I was young and impressionable. I was trying to figure out who I was. Both of my parents are pastors. I am a Christian. I was associated with the wrong people. I had a 1.9 GPA. I had my scholarship revoked. I was out of school for two years. I had to refocus my life and get back to my core values. I needed to organize my life outside of the athletics. I was involved with the church and I got my life in order. I received offers from Charleston and West Virginia State.
Alex Khvatov: Why did you transfer to the University of Charleston?
Jeremy Bell: They had a great coaching staff. Zack Johnson and coach Kirkland were great people. I felt at home. They looked at me not just as an athlete. They wanted to develop me as a man and help me grow. This school valued academics, and it was important to me. I took it seriously. I earned a 3.53 GPA and graduated. We had DL John Cominsky who got drafted. Many players have been getting the chance to go to rookie minicamps.
Alex Khvatov: Tell us about your 2019 season (junior campaign).
Jeremy Bell: I had a big offseason. I dropped down to 7.5% body fat. I set bigger goals for myself. I improved my footwork. I earned a starting job and played hard. We had some ups and downs as a team. We grew as a team. We had a revamped team. We had a common goal. I enjoyed coming every day to practice. We finished 8-3 last year and just missed the playoffs.
Alex Khvatov: Are you going to play in this upcoming spring season?
Jeremy Bell: I was coming back and was excited about playing the schedule this last fall. They moved the season to October, and then canceled the fall season altogether. I was let down by that. I was getting ready for the spring, but the season is still up in the air. It still hasn’t been confirmed whether they would go ahead with it. I got my degree. After speaking with the coaching staff, I felt good about declaring for the NFL Draft. There is so much uncertainty about the spring season. A few of the conferences have said that they wouldn’t play in the spring. Many are looking at four or five games.
Alex Khvatov: Where you planning to train for the 2021 NFL Draft?
Jeremy Bell: I will be training at Boost Performance in Nashville, Tennessee. This place is a good fit for me.
Alex Khvatov: Have you been invited to any all-star games?
Jeremy Bell: I will be playing at the Tropical Bowl in Orlando, Florida from January 15th-17th and then go to CGS in Texas. They will have great players there from bigger schools.
Alex Khvatov: What are your strengths?
Jeremy Bell: My IQ. I understand the splits and route recognition. I have a good understanding of what the other team wants to do in certain situations. I also have good athleticism.
Alex Khvatov: What areas of your game are you trying to improve upon?
Jeremy Bell: I dropped a few INT’s last fall. I want to show that I can come down with it. I am also working on a more polished version of myself.
Alex Khvatov: What is the highlight of your career up to this point?
Jeremy Bell: The Valparaiso game. I had two INT’s against a D-I school. You enjoy those opportunities against higher level of competition. I had the chance to compete against D-I players. It was our first win against a D-I program.
Alex Khvatov: What is your favorite NFL team?
Jeremy Bell: My dad likes the Dolphins. I am a big Patriots fan. The Patriots dynasty has been going on for 20 years. They had a down year this season. I will always rock with them.
Alex Khvatov: Who is your favorite NFL player?
Jeremy Bell: I have a few different players. Xavien Howard and Stephon Gilmore. Gilmore is very patient and relaxed. He has a good feel for the game and knows what to expect. He always talks about preparation and how he breaks down the film. Xavien Howard always finds a way around the football. He somehow always comes down with it.
Alex Khvatov: What was it like to go up against your former teammate WR Mike Strachan in practice every day?
Jeremy Bell: Mike was a great player. He put up great numbers. We always chose to go up against each other in practice. We were great competition for each other. I won more of those matchups. He declared for the draft. I wish him all of the best.
Alex Khvatov: What players on your team should we keep an eye out for this upcoming season?
Jeremy Bell: On the offensive side, RB Tyreik McAllister is a tremendous athlete. Defensively, the other corner Kei Beckham will be back. QB Guy Meyers is 6’6, has a crazy arm and a ton of athleticism.
Alex Khvatov: What is the most important trait for a CB?
Jeremy Bell: The ability to move on to the next play. It is a spotlighted position. All eyes are on you. People can see if you are doing good or bad. You have to have a certain mindset. Not every play will work out in your favor, and you need to maintain confidence.
Alex Khvatov: What do you enjoy most about football?
Jeremy Bell: I like the training and the preparation. I like seeing the improvement from where you started and where you finish. Watching your team improve and how you open up in week one and how you look in week seven. Seeing how guys develop over the season. Also adjusting to adversity.
Alex Khvatov: How was this season different from the rest?
Jeremy Bell: It was frustrating not being able to play on Saturday. We did spring football. The whole Covid thing happened. We still practiced three or four times a week in the fall. Majority of the players practiced, and we had regular or virtual classes. We have prepared for the spring semester. Our goal is to win the conference in the spring.
Alex Khvatov: What are your hobbies?
Jeremy Bell: I like music. I am learning to play the guitar. I also play the viola and piano. In my free time, I like writing poetry. I like the outdoors, hiking in the mountains.
Alex Khvatov: What do you want to do with your life after your football career is over?
Jeremy Bell: I graduated in business management this December. I would like to get into coaching or training athletes and make a career out of it. I also have an aspiration of opening up an exotic zoo where I can have a mix of animals. The rarest species and have them all in one zoo. I went to a Safari park in Georgia. You get on the bus, and you feed the animals. That was a pretty cool idea.
Alex Khvatov: What makes you unique?
Jeremy Bell: My ability to be genuine and not try to fit in with certain groups of people. I embrace who I am. I used to teach youth ministry. Coming from a religious background, I can be a Christian and also have fun in life at the same time. I take pride in it.
Alex Khvatov: What five words best describe you?
Jeremy Bell: Competitive, determined, fun, influential, and sarcastic.
