Longhorns Country

Texas Commit Dia Bell Impresses In Elite 11 Finals Day 2, Looks Forward to Day 3

Thursday will conclude the 2025 edition of the Elite 11 Finals, with the MVP and lineup being decided, Bell heavily in contention.
Tyler Firtel|
Texas Longhorn QB Commit Dia Bell at the Elite 11 Finals
Texas Longhorn QB Commit Dia Bell at the Elite 11 Finals | Brooks Austin - On SI

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Texas Longhorns

LOS ANGELES, CA -- The third day of the 2025 Elite 11 Finals will take place on Thursday, in which the 20 quarterbacks will be tested in a 7-on-7 setting using an Elite 11-set playbook. Thursday's games will serve as the last events in a great week of quarterback competition.

On Wednesday night, Day 2's workout was split into two parts: the Panini Accuracy Challenge and the Pro Day drill.

The accuracy challenge assesses the quarterbacks' ability to hit motionless targets. Eight targets with Panini-sponsored labels are scattered in front of the quarterback at different distances, with coaches challenging the passer to hit the various marks either in the pocket or on the run.

Dia Bell
Dia Bell poses for a photo following the first day of the Elite 11 Finals at Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach, CA. | Tyler Firtel

Five-star Texas Longhorns commit Dia Bell didn't seem to have any problem reaching any of the targets, even the deep balls thrown diagonally across the field, a testament to his arm strength. His misses came from slight aim inaccuracies.

Bell put together an impressive round in the event:

The Pro Day drill, differently, utilizes moving targets in the form of wide receivers.

Quarterbacks make a plethora of short, intermediate and long throws around the field while lined up from five setups at the 50-yard line and closer. The drill is an evaluation of the quarterbacks' timing and placement at different positions and angles, among other attributes.

Bell was on target with 15/20 passes, per On3, making for a solid performance. His incompletions were overthrows, unsurprising for a guy with his abundance of arm talent.

On the opening toss of the drill, where the quarterback throws towards the goalline from the 50-yard line, Bell's ball lands far into the endzone. Take a look:

Bell's throwing motion is clean, and he has looked to be in good control of the ball's velocity and arc. His release can make the ball look like it jumps off his hand. Bell will get another opportunity to display his capabilities as a passer on Thursday, but this time in more of an in-game environment.

Bell was On3's No. 10 performer on Day 2. He was No.1 in a dominant Day 1. Heading into the finale, the Fort Lauderdale, Florida native is in a spot to contend for Elite 11 MVP, a race that seems up for grabs.

Bell could become part of an exclusive group with a huge Thursday showing. Elite 11 MVP has been won by the likes of Cade Klubnik (who is a counselor at Mira Costa this week), Caleb Williams, C.J. Stroud, Justin Fields, Tua Tagovailoa, Jameis Winston, Mark Sanchez, and Matthew Stafford. The award is a strong indication that a quarterback could be headed in an especially promising direction, which would be music to Texas's ears.

Bell is the 12th eventual Longhorn to be part of the Elite 11 Finals since its founding in 1999.

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Tyler Firtel
TYLER FIRTEL

Tyler Firtel is a sophomore Journalism major at the University of Texas at Austin. He has been writing for Texas Longhorns on SI since May 2025. Firtel also writes for The Daily Texan, currently serving as a senior sports reporter on the women’s basketball beat. Firtel is from Los Angeles, CA, splitting his professional sports fandom between the LA and San Diego teams.

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