Iowa Football Adds CJ Bell to '25 Class

New England CB Picks Hawkeyes Following Official Visit

'25 CT CB CJ Bell. (Photo: UI via Bell Instagram) /

Iowa Football continued adding to its 2025 recruiting class coming off this past weekend playing host to a large group of official visitors. New England cornerback CJ Bell announced he could be joining the Hawkeyes via social media Monday afternoon. 

Bell became the 11th known verbal commitment for Iowa in the cycle. He joined fellow weekend visitors Cameron Herron and Lucas Allgeyer, who announced their pledges on Sunday. 

At the end of May, the 6-foot-2, 168-pound Bell released a list of his top schools. It included Iowa, Notre Dame, Penn State, Minnesota, Boston College, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Rutgers and NC State. He officially visited the Hawkeyes and Rutgers before deciding. 

The On3 Industry Ranking shows Bell as the 81st-best cornerback nationally in '25 and the No. 8 overall player in Connecticut for the class. The 247Sports Composite Ranking pegs him as the No. 96 player at his position and 12th in the state for the cycle.

Bell shines during his junior highlight video. His height and long arms help him lock down receivers as does his smooth hip movement and natural feel for his position. 

2025 Iowa Verbal Commitments 

Joey VanWetzinga (OL/DL, Pleasant Valley)

Burke Gautcher (LB, Illinois)

Carson Cooney (LB, Illinois)

Jimmy Sullivan (QB, Indiana)

Eli Johnson (TE, Wisconsin)

Drew MacPherson (S, Illinois) 

Mason Woods (TE, Iowa City West) 

Cameron Herron (OL, Indiana) 

Thomas Meyer (TE, Clear Lake) 

CJ Bell (CB, Connecticut) 

Lucas Allgeyer (OL, St. Louis)