'Always Been a Buckeyes Fan!' Five-Star 2026 QB Dia Bell Intrigued by Ohio State

The Ohio State Buckeyes are high on the list for 2026 five-star QB Dia Bell

Matt Galatzan | May 15, 2024

Recruits Dia Bell and Byron Louis watch Ohio State warm up before playing Penn State Oct. 21, 2023 / Lori Schmidt / Columbus Dispatch / USA

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Ohio State Buckeyes

The Ohio State Buckeyes have cornered the market on top quarterbacks in recent years, and that doesn't appear to be changing anytime soon.

In the 2025 cycle, the Buckeyes already have a commitment from Bellefontaine (OH) five-star QB Tavien St. Clair, who is currently the centerpiece of a class that is ranked No. 1 in the nation.

However, they are also in the mix for one of the top signal-callers in the 2026 class as well, in American Heritage (Fort Lauderdale, FL) five-star Dia Bell, who spoke extremely highly of the Buckeyes in a recent interview with On3.

Recruits Dia Bell and Byron Louis watch Ohio State warm up before playing Penn State Oct. 21, 2023 / Lori Schmidt / Columbus Dispatch / USA

“My takeaway would be that Ohio State is an incredible program, but especially for quarterbacks," Bell told On3. "I’ve always been a Buckeye fan and looked up to some of their quarterbacks. Coach Day and the program are always competing for a National Championship and I think that Coach Kelly is going to be a great addition to their offense!”

As it stands, Bell ranks as a five-star recruit, the No. 9 overall player and the No. 2 QB in the nation per ESPN.

Meanwhile, On3, Rivals.com and 247Sports have Bell as a four-star recruit. On3 is the highest of that bunch on Bell, ranking him as the No. 14 player in the country, No. 2 QB, and No. 1 player in Florida.

As such, Bell is obviously one of the most pursued players in the nation, regardless of position, and has heard from a litany of programs including Penn State, LSU, Miami, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina, Wisconsin, and Texas, among others.

But before he makes his final decision - which could happen before the start of the coming season - Bell will be lining up some visits.

“I will definitely be trying to get out to see more schools,” Bell said. “I will make a decision on exactly what schools closer to the end of spring ball.”

And based on how he gushed over the Buckeyes, Ohio State will presumably be on that list.

Published May 15, 2024|Modified May 15, 2024

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com, AllAggies.com, and the Managing Editor of BuckeyesNow.com and TheGroveReport.com He is also the Editor-In-Chief of RamDigest.com and TexansDaily.com. Galatzan graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry under Mike Fisher at DallasBasketball.com in 2014, which at the time was part of the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com on the 247Sports network. When DallasBasketball.com and CowboysCountry.com moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, Galatzan followed suit, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com and AllAggies.com a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, former Longhorns players Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, and many other recruits, and current/former players for each of the teams he has covered. Galatzan is also a full-time employee in the digital media department for Audacy and KRLD FM's 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, which is the official radio home of the Dallas Cowboys. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan For any inquiries, please email matt.galatzan@gmail.com