Former NFL QB Has Taken Notice of Texas Longhorns' Dia Bell

Five-star freshman quarterback Dia Bell is turning heads in Central Texas during fall camp. The son of former Phoenix Suns guard Raja Bell has the attention of ESPN analyst and former journeyman NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky, specifically.

Orlovsky shared the eyes emoji in response to Inside Texas' report that "The freshman’s talent has been evident throughout camp, but the more important development is that his overall game continues to grow."

Bell has had a noticeably spectacular camp, grabbing attention from Texas fans with a touchdown pass to freshman receiver Kohen Brown during an early scrimmage. It's been an especially encouraging fall camp in the wake of Arch Manning's up-and-down performances, based on reports at least.

There Won't Be a QB Controversy at Texas, But Dia Bell is Coming

Texas quarterback Dia Bell | Photo credit - Nike

Manning has been the guy under center since Quinn Ewers declared for the NFL draft. Bell is playing well, but he's as green as it gets. He's probably still just QB3, ahead of MJ Morris but behind second-year quarterback KJ Lacey. Steve Sarkisian has compared Lacey to Bryce Young, who he coached at Alabama before winning the Heisman in 2021.

Bell will likely get some garbage-time snaps against Texas State in Week 1 and UTSA in Week 3, but no one will be replacing Manning under center -- barring injury -- regardless of how good any backup looks in those kinds of snaps.

Dia Bell Can Set Texas Up in the Post-Arch Manning Future

Sarkisian and Co. have built something sustainable beyond Manning's tenure. Bell is part of the machine, and he's a big cog in it.

In all likelihood, Manning will be NFL-bound in 2027, opening up the starting job for Lacey and Bell to battle over. Lacey will be entering his third year, while Bell will be in his second season. Sarkisian inherited Casey Thompson and Hudson Card in 2021 and brought on Ewers as a transfer from Ohio State for the 2022, 2023, and 2024 seasons. Since then, though, he's been about developing QBs from the start of their careers and not portal hunting. Sark looks for traits he likes and aims to develop.

Bottom line: Bell will almost certainly have the chance to be the Longhorns' QB1 around this time a year from now.

We'll see if he can grab the brass ring when Manning is gone. The early returns suggest he may be capable of it.

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