2025 CB CJ Bell Eyes Notre Dame Return

As CJ Bell‍ prepares for his first season at St. Thomas More, the now-2025 cornerback prospect for the Connecticut prep school will also be navigating a recruitment that surged during the offseason.

“It's all going smooth, really,” the 6-foot-1, 168-pound Bell tells Irish Sports Daily.

After Irish defensive coordinator Al Golden watched Bell work out in May, Bell made his way to South Bend for an eval camp and left with an offer from Notre Dame.

Bell, who is from Boston, also has offers from schools like Boston College, Penn State and Rutgers among others.

He has seen the contact with Golden and cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens since increase with the arrival of August.

“The coaches are saying they can finally text me now and that they want to get you up there for games and stuff, and they want to come see my games,” Bell says.

“It means a lot because like I said before, that's one of my dream schools. It's THE Notre Dame, that just means a lot. It's crazy to think about.”

Before making his way to camp in June, Bell was in South Bend for the Clemson game last fall.

He’s hoping to return for the Ohio State game next month.

“Me and my dad have been talking to the coaches and we've been trying to plan that out,” he says.

The next time he gets to campus, he’s planning to take in more of the atmosphere.

“Last time, I just watched the game, I wasn't really focused on the fans,” he says. “But this time, I want to interact with the fans.”

He’s also expecting to hit games at UConn, Boston College, Rutgers and Duke this season.

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