Bell becomes historic signee at Goleman, inking letter of intent with FSU

It was a rare sight indeed.

Most of the attention on National Signing Day in past years has been reserved for the elite programs. The usual subjects, Northwestern, Central, Columbus, American Heritage, St. Thomas Aquinas to name a handful.

And while those schools and a few others certainly had their respective signing ceremonies on Wednesday, a new kid on the block, Barbara Goleman High School got to enjoy its moment.

That was thanks to, Darryl “Tre” Bell III, an outstanding athlete who played both sides of the line of scrimmage (and special teams returner as well) for the Gators over the last four seasons.

With a countless number of family members including mom, Nikki, standing behind him, Bell III, as anticipated, picked up a garnett and gold spear and signed up to take his football talents to Tallahassee and be a Florida State Seminole for the next four years.

Make no mistake about it. This was a huge deal for the school with the band playing the FSU war chant, the entire student body including all of Bell’s teammates piled into the gym to cheer him on as he became the first athlete in any sport in the school’s history to sign a full-ride scholarship to a Power Four school. On a big screen up on the wall of the gym was a recorded message from FSU coach Mike Norvell personally congratulating him on his high school career and welcoming him to his new home.

“The best decision I ever made in my life” Bell III said. “It was always about being a Nole and I’m really excited about the future.”

But was it always going to be Florida State?

With an embattled Norvell, coming off a second straight disappointing season and one who needed a vote of confidence from the FSU administration that he would be retained for the 2026 season, Bell was then asked whether or not he questioned his decision. Bell III admitted that had a change been made, he may have had to pivot and go in another direction.

“I prayed over it for sure,” Bell III said. “I had faith in God that it would all work out but I did have other coaches at other schools who had been in contact with me so I would’ve had other options had that happened.”

Included in those changes would’ve been Norvell’s linebackers coach and co-defensive Coordinator, former UM head coach Randy Shannon who actually offered Bell three years ago, his freshman year and had been his mentor all along the way.

“Coach Shannon was the main reason I’ve always stuck with FSU,” Bell III said. “He actually offered me five hours after he met me and that really showed me something. I always had to be faithful to him and Florida State in return.”

With so many high school athletes transferring and changing schools these days, Bell III was definitely a breath of fresh air as he entered Goleman as a freshman and, despite getting offers from other schools to transfer out and go “ring-chasing,” he never wavered.

His dedication paid off this past season as Goleman, led by head coach Ariel Cribero, enjoyed its best season in the 30-year history of the program.

Having won only one postseason contest in three decades before this season (2004), Goleman, following an 8-2 regular season and securing a No. 3 seed in Region 4-7A, won twice (defeating South Dade and Boca Raton Spanish River) advancing to the regional finals before falling to Miami Palmetto last week.

“Sure I could’ve gone somewhere else,” said Bell III who is being projected by FSU at the safety position after finishing his career on the defensive side of the ball with 173 tackles, 25 TFLs, 8 forced fumbles, and five Pick Six touchdown returns. “But if it had been Central or the West (Northwestern) I might’ve been just another player on the field. But here is where I wanted to be because I wanted to take this school and this program and help build it into something special and I hope that’s what I managed to do.

“I didn’t want to go play with other players, I wanted other players to come here and play with me.”

How big of a deal was this day for Bell III and the school?

Not long after Bell made it official, Cribeiro brought out an enclosed glass case with his jersey in it. With it came the announcement that the case would be placed on the wall in the gym and that his number zero was being officially retired.

“Tre epitomizes Goleman football through and through,” Cribeiro said. “What many do not see is the hard work that this young man went through to put himself in the position he’s in today. The fact that he stayed right here all four years and never strayed elsewhere is what made him truly unique. When he committed to us, he committed to winning games at Goleman and helping build this up. He believed in our message. He believed in the way that we do things around here and here he is four years later being this school’s first-ever full scholarship Power 4 signee. Nobody will ever wear number zero again for this team. I couldn’t be more proud.”

MORE SIGNINGS

American Heritage: Dia Bell (Texas), Brandon Bennett (FSU), Jeffar Jean-Noel (Georgia Tech), Kymani Morales (Georgia Tech), Cory Simon (James Madison), Jamar Denson (Troy), Derrick Nichols (USF), Rotation Tellez (Toledo); Cardinal Gibbons: Gary Hadley Jr. (Tulane), Central: Jayden Ford (FIU), Karon Maycock (FSU), Brandon Kinsey (Purdue); Coral Gables: Luke Francis (FSU); Chaminade: Jasen Lopez (FSU), Derrek Cooper (Texas), Bryant Junius (Appalachian State), Danarius Gray (Kentucky), Leonzay Merzius (Western Kentucky), Ekeem Atehortua (Alabama State), RJ Alphonse (Eastern Michigan), Noah Sidan (FIU); Cypress Bay: Ben Gula (Colorado); Edison: Victor Santino (Cal), Kenneth Goodwin (SMU), Michael Clayton (Illinois); Gulliver: Champ Smith (Northern Illinois); Monarch: Jabari Brady (Missouri), Lorvens Berthelemy (Akron); Norland: Kenton Dopson (North Carolina); Northwestern: Jordan Campbell (Miami), Tedarius Hughes (Syracuse), Desmond Johnson (Pitt), NicSaint Joseph (FAU), Shane Rochelle (Middle Tennessee), Odonis Pierre (Bethune Cookman), Citrus Baker (Bethune Cookman); Palmetto: Connelius Miller Jr. (Eastern Michigan); Piper: Jahmani Chin-Suer (FIU); St. Thomas Aquinas: Justice Fitzpatrick (Georgia), Daniel Norman (Oklahoma), Dylan Steen (Mississippi State); Somerset Academy: Kaj Baker (UCF); Southridge: Ryan Miret (LSU), Jean Calixte (Bryant), Kamron Wilson (Syracuse), Shermari Bowens (FAMU); True North: Malik Penson (FIU), Dominic Turnbull (FIU), Duane Johnson (West Georgia), Kamari Morrison (Presbyterian), Jaron Harvey (Duquesne); West Broward: Shmar Akande (Toledo), Alejandro Schmitt (FAU).

This story was originally published December 3, 2025 at 4:01 PM.