Vols Signee Bell Suffers Season-Ending Knee Injury

A little over two weeks ago, following the first day of the early signing period winding down, Jeremy Pruitt recalled his longstanding relationship with jumbo-athlete Trinity Bell.

At the time, “Trinity Bell from Albertville, Alabama, is a guy that actually was in the seventh grade, my dad was the head football coach there and he called me and said, ‘Listen there’s a kid here in the seventh grade…I don’t know if he’s going to play in the NFL or play in the NBA, but he’s going to play somewhere. I want to bring him down and introduce him to you.’”

Pruitt continued, “So, he’s a young man that I’ve known probably since he was 12 or 13 years old – he was probably 6-4 then. But a guy that’s 6-7-plus, 265 pounds, plays tight end, can play multiple positions. Plays defensive end. A guy that’s just extremely athletic.”

However, last night, bad news surfaced about Bell, as he suffered a ruptured ACL, according to his high school basketball coach.

“I am sad to announce Trinity Bell suffered a ruptured ACL in our game vs. Darlington Monday night and will miss the rest of our season. Trinity represented AHS in an exceptional manner in his five years as a varsity player. He is an absolute blast to coach and I look forward to following his progress at UT in the coming years. I’m biased but believe he’s one of the best to ever play at AHS. #AHSAggiePride #MakingMemories,” Albertville basketball head coach, Patrick Harding, wrote on Twitter late last night.

Below is Bell's SI All-American Evaluation:

Vitals: 6-foot-7, 260 pounds

School: Albertville (Ala.)

Committed to: Tennessee

Frame: Rare combination of height and raw size. Above-average shoulder width. Reported 6-foot-9 wingspan. Long waisted. Taut, developing lower body. Plenty of room for more weight, but emphasis will be strength and sinew.

Athleticism: Moves extremely well considering frame. Coordinated athlete, with good feet. Long, fluid strider, but above-average speed at best. Impressive ball skills and body control adjusting to throws. Can maintain balance through contact. Strength unknown.

Instincts: Overly reliant on physical advantages as receiver and defensive end. Prefers finesse to physicality. Tracks ball well in air. Fights for extra yardage after catch; not a burner nor elusive, but tough to bring down.

Polish: Shows little refinement and nuance on either side of ball. Runs extremely limited route tree; mostly go's and screens. Lines up exclusively out wide, so little to no experience as blocker. Lacks plan at defensive end. Doesn’t use arms in pass or run game.

Bottom Line: Bell’s blend of height, budding girth and overall coordination is worth a Power-5 offer all by itself despite his clear lack of polish. Natural pass-catching skills mean he’ll start at tight end for Volunteers, though he must be wary of gaining too much weight. Several years away in terms of strength, technique and experience, but possesses long-term ceiling of impact starter and NFL draftee.