AAB Coach: Elite Speed Gives Notre Dame CB Signee Micah Bell Edge

SAN ANTONIO – The speed is obvious, but it’s not the only thing Micah Bell‍ brings to the table.

“Very bright, smart kid, twitchy, fast,” says Jahmal Fenner, who is coaching the West defensive backs at the All-American Bowl here this week.

“Every day, he's making plays. He's flying around and he's playing well in coverage and he's doing an excellent job.”

Fenner (next to Bell on far right), who is the head coach at LBJ High School in Austin, says the 2023 Notre Dame cornerback signee is also a “very respectful kid.”

“The first morning after I met him the night before, he was in the cafeteria eating breakfast and sitting by himself with his headphones on,” Fenner recalls. “I just went over and just spoke to him and he talked to me like he's known me all his life. A very humble, respectful kid.

And then, of course, there’s the speed.

“It helps tremendously because whenever he's in a bad position, he's able to have the speed to recover,” Fenner says. “That's one of the things that I'm seeing out of him these last few days.

“If he gets put in a bad position, his recovery speed is elite, and he always ends up being in position to make a play.”

The 5-foot-11, 162-pounder also starred at running back for The Kinkaid School in Houston, so Fenner believes Bell’s ceiling may be higher than most of his peers.

“He's raw at the DB position because he played both ways in high school,” says Fenner.

“I think the more that he works his technique, he's going to continue to polish up from transitioning to backpedaling to getting his hips around. He's going to be fine.”

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