Virginia Tech Football Fresh Faces: Why Ben Bell Is Set To Cause Havoc For The Hokies

Austin State Athletics

Earlier today, we wrote about Eastern Michigan transfer James Djonkam as someone Tech fans should look at as an elite pass rusher. Now it is only fair we talk about his pair in Ben Bell.

Bell hails from Cedar Park, Texas, where the fifth-year edge rusher starred in the high school ranks. Bell then committed to Louisiana Tech. As a Bulldog, Bell marked 13 games over two years where Bell tallied 30 tackles and 3.5 sacks and two forced fumbles.

Bell then moved to Texas State, where he continued his emergence as a quality defensive front man. With Texas State, Bell muscled 25 tackles at outside linebacker in his 13 games, with zero coming from starts. The following season was when the Bobcat broke into stardom.

Bell added 57 tackles with 16 tackles for loss and 10 sacks in 13 games, seven of those being starts. Bell earned All-Sun Belt Second Team honors, Phil Steele All-Sun Belt Third Team honors, and an All-Texas First Team by Dave Campbell's Texas Football nomination.

Bell took the field just four times last season, closing in on an additional 13 tackles, which included 3.5 sacks, before preserving his redshirt for a transfer to the Hokies.

Virginia Tech made massive changes in the offseason, reshaping their coaching staff, which saw Bell's direct defensive coordinator be changed as Chris Marve was relieved of his duties to be replaced by former Arizona Cardinals linebacker coach Sam Siefkes. Siefkes was added to the staff after Bell had committed to the Hokies, but Siefkes will surely be a name Siefkes rely on next season.

Bell is is one 30 incoming transfers that was forced after the Hokies went just 6-7 last year in what was a largely disappointing season that only saw the Hokies clinching a bowl game thanks to a 37-17 Commonwealth Clash victory over archrivals UVa.