What Steve Sarkisian Said About Dia Bell on Texas Longhorns Early Signing Day

The Texas Longhorns officially signed 23 commits in the 2026 recruiting class on Wednesday during Early Signing Day, 22 of whom will be early enrollees.

Among the most notable of these signees is five-star quarterback Dia Bell, a product of American Heritage in Fort Lauderdale, FL. who committed to Texas in June 2024.

For Texas fans, it's probably felt like Bell has been a Longhorn forever at this point, but now, he's officially a member of the program. This allows Texas coach Steve Sarkisian to talk about him publicly for the first time, something he did while meeting with the media.

Texas Longhorns QB Dia Bell "A Football Junkie"

Texas QB Dia Bell — Dia Bell during the Texas vs. Texas A&M game in Austin. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Sarkisian spoke at length about Bell, who is the son of former NBA guard Raja Bell. The Longhorns have been very particular about quarterbacks under Sarkisian, and it's clear they think Bell fits the mold.

"The thing about Dia, he is a natural passer of the football," Sarkisian said. "And you watch him play, we've had him in camp. We've been around him in person. He's a natural passer. He has a great feel for the game. The other thing we really love about him is his competitive spirit. And you know, both of his parents were athletes his mom was a collegiate soccer player, obviously, his father, you know, was a was a multi-year NBA player, great player in the NBA. And he got it from both his parents."

"He's a football junkie. He's a sport junkie. He works out. He works his tail off and so I just think his leadership, his personality, his ability, but probably most importantly, his competitive spirit, are things that we're definitely very excited about."

Bell won the Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Florida during the 2024 season before suffering a significant leg injury in the playoffs. He returned for the 2025 season but underwent surgery for a separate injury and missed the remainder of the year.

During the 2024 season, he went 161 of 228 passing for 2,597 yards with 29 touchdowns and six interceptions while adding 561 yards on the ground and five more scores.