Miami’s Cristobal gets 6-8 1/2, 340-lb commit. Guess who else was 6-8 OL for Canes?
There’s big, there’s very big and there’s gigantic.
The University of Miami secured the latter on Friday night when Markel Bell, listed by recruiting sites as a 6-8 1/2, 340-pound offensive tackle out of Holmes Community College, committed to the Hurricanes’ class of 2024 prospects.
The 247Sports site’s composite rankings have Bell as the nation’s No. 1 junior college offensive tackle.
“COMMITTED,’’ was the one word Bell used on social media to announce his commitment to a program that, since head coach Mario Cristobal and his offensive line coach Alex Mirabal arrived before the 2022 season, has recruited and developed one of the nation’s finest front lines.
The former Miami offensive lineman that immediately comes to mind when you think “6-8” is Bryant McKinnie, now 44, who didn’t allow a single sack of quarterback great Ken Dorsey during his UM career. He won the 2001 Outland Trophy and was drafted seventh overall in 2022 by the Minnesota Vikings and will be inducted into the College Hall of Fame on Dec. 5, along with former Canes and Georgia head coach Mark Richt.
Bell picked Miami, according to 247Sports and On3, over schools such as Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Arkansas, and Auburn. He is from Cleveland, Mississippi and rated a four-star prospect by 247 and a 3-star by On3Sports, which has him as the No. 16 overall junior college recruit and No. 7 junior college recruit in Mississippi.
With 25 commitments (including four offensive linemen) for the recruiting class of 2024, Miami has the nation’s 11th ranked class, according to 247; and the 14th, according to the On3 industry ranking.
This story was originally published November 4, 2023 at 9:13 AM.
