Former WVU Hoops Center Jimmy Bell Jr. Declares for 2025 NFL Draft

Can the big man make the transition to football work?

WVU Basketbal

It's not every day that you see a high-major basketball player make a run at the NFL. It has happened before, and former West Virginia center Jimmy Bell Jr. is trying to be the next one to pull off that feat successfully.

Bell, if you remember, spent the 2023 spring with the Mountaineer football team, working out at offensive tackle. It was considered to be a "trial run" and one that he did an alright job with, considering he hadn't been around the game for quite a while.

“The biggest difference is we can use our hands in this game,” Neal Brown said about his transition. “And (offensive line) coach (Matt) Moore tells him - I’ve heard him say it multiple times this week, ‘hey, you’re not going to foul out. There’s no foul-outs in this game.’ So, just him getting used to punching and the importance of ball get off.”

Shortly after spring ball concluded, Bell entered the transfer portal and landed at Mississippi State. The intention was to play both sports there, but he only appeared in games with the basketball team. In 35 games (16 starts) last season for the Bulldogs, Bell averaged five points and 4.9 rebounds per game - a very similar output to what he did in 2022-23 with the Mountaineers.

Bell may have never played in a football game at the college level and has been out of team action for nearly a year, but he's still going to make a run at it.

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