2 weeks Ago By Pat Ruff
ROCHESTER — This has been building for Jordan Bell since the John Marshall senior was in second grade. It was then that he was introduced to football. Ever since, he’s never been able to get enough.
ADVERTISEMENT Today, he made it public that he won’t be done with the game anytime soon. That came with his announced commitment to Concordia University, St. Paul.
The Golden Bears, who finished 2-9 this season, play in the vaunted Division II Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. Bell will be suiting up for the same team that his father did. Nathan Bell, a former tight end and offensive tackle, graduated from Concordia, St.
Paul in 1996. “My dad is very excited about this,” Bell said. “He had a great time when he was there.
” Bell is a 6-4, 210-pounder who finished this past season with 19 solo tackles, 19 assists, three tackles for loss and four sacks for 7-3 John Marshall. He is a long defensive end with an explosive burst. He is also one that the Concordia coaches envision filling out and likely playing at 240-pounds after next season, when he will almost certainly be redshirted.
JM coach Kyle Riggott sees it the same way. He considers Bell’s future extremely bright. “I think his going to Concordia, St.
Paul is a wonderful fit,” Riggott said. “Jordan is a young man who’s best football is yet to come. They are going to give him lots of opportunities to grow and meet and exceed that ceiling of his.
I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up being one of the better pass rushers in the NSIC. He has great speed. His first couple of steps are really good.
” Bell visited Concordia, St. Paul and came away impressed. ADVERTISEMENT “I really liked the atmosphere there,” Bell said.
“They have a great style. It’s like a family and it’s super fun.” The team includes one of his former John Marshall teammates, Peter Ladu.
The brother of current JM star receiver/defensive back Eli Ladu, Peter is a 6-3, 195-pound defensive back and a redshirt freshman. He spent one year at a prep school after graduating from John Marshall in 2022, then landed at Concordia, St. Paul.
Bell had been in communication with the Golden Bears coaches since the beginning of last summer. All along, they’ve told him that they like his explosiveness and speed, and believe he can develop into an impact player. Now that he knows that college football is going to happen for him, Bell is thrilled.
He loves the game. “This has been my dream since I started playing football in second grade,” Bell said..
