Oregon State Beavers - not LaMarcus Bell - cancel crucial in-state official visit

Andrew Nemec | May 5, 2025

In Week 7's biggest game, LaMarcus Bell and Lake Oswego stormed back in the fourth quarter to stun West Linn. / Photo by Leon Neuschwander

Lake Oswego (Oregon) rising running back LaMarcus Bell is one of the hottest prospects in the state of Oregon.

The 5-foot-11, 190-pound ball-carrier has already broken 11.00 in the 100-meter dash - with his eyes transfixed on a reachable goal of 10.6 - and is on the verge of adding ona fourth star by some recruiting services.

Having committed to Oregon State early in the process, Bell elected to re-open his recruitment Friday, but insisted he was still strongly considering the Beavers and would still be taking his official visit in May.

On Monday, Oregon State removed that option.

"Oregon State (canceled) my visit, so I won't be visiting anymore," Bell said.

The talented running back has planned official visits to Boise State, BYU. and Utah, and added an offer from San Diego State on Monday.

In his second recruitment, Bell will continue to look for a balance between the feeling of "home" and a belief in his development.

"My mom wanted me to stay close to home, but she also told me if I wanted to go out and explore she wants me to do that and be successful," he said. "My dad played football in college, so he told me the development part is the most important. They both want me to find the right fit for me."

247Sports has high praise for the talented back in its scouting report:

"Bell is one of the top backs out West in the ’26 class. He’s one of those players who may not wow you in any one particular facet of his game but excels at everything. He’s a patient runner with a nice initial burst, shows good vision and contact balance. He can run between the tackles, is a physical back and tough to bring down in the open field. He may not be a burner but he’s now slow either and shows the ability to outrun a secondary. He clocked a personal best 11.23-100m as a sophomore and his speed and burst has improved over the last year. He’s also a very good receiver out of the backfield and a willing blocker who can put a guy on their back. He’s a complete, every down back who can play in any situation and projects as a high Power 4 prospect who is trending up in our eyes."

As for the Beavers, Trent Bray's program had a stellar four-commit start to the 2026 recruiting cycle, but the group is now down to a talented trio: Clovis (California) three-star quarterback Deagan Rose, Archbishop Riordan (California) three-star wide receiver Cynai Thomas and Lakeridge (Oregon) three-star defensive lineman Noah Tishendorf.

All three players are likely to be persued by other programs.

But Oregon State has seemingly drawn a clear line in the sand regarding decommitments and official visits to other schools.

And they've done so with one of the most talented running backs the state of Oregon has produced in recent history.

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