Reserve linebacker Isaiah Bell leaves Michigan football team
Reserve linebacker Isaiah Bell has left the Michigan football team, according to a team spokesman.
Bell, who would have been a redshirt junior next year, is the seventh player to leave the program since the hiring of coach Brady Hoke. An eighth, Darryl Stonum, was dismissed in January.
Isaiah Bell
Bell never saw the field at Michigan and was not considered part of the mix for next season. The Wolverines return all but two players from their three-deep at linebacker, including all three starters, and also add four talented freshmen.
Two of those freshmen -- Ohio four-star recruit Kaleb Ringer and three-star Joe Bolden -- already are on campus as early enrollees. Another, Detroit Cass Tech's Royce Jenkins-Stone, is ranked by Scout as the top recruit in the state of Michigan.
It would have been unlikely, then, for Bell to have seen any significant time in the next two years.
Bell hailed from Liberty High School in Youngstown, Ohio, where he was a teammate of current Michigan tailback Fitz Toussaint.
WolverineNation was the first to report Bell's departure.
Kyle Meinke covers Michigan football for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at 734-623-2588, by email at kylemeinke@annarbor.com and followed on Twitter @kmeinke.
Comments
Scott
Wed, Mar 14, 2012 : 11:50 p.m.
He got three years of a college education for free. I had to pay for mine. It frees up a scholarship- which we need for 2012. Hope we get another CB or DT. I wish him well. There are no victims here. Go Blue Go Hoke Go Bell
Mick52
Tue, Mar 13, 2012 : 12:08 a.m.
Can't blame a player for leaving if he opts to go to a school where he might get more on field time. No coach should ever guarantee playing time, it should be clear it has to be earned by hard work. What I would like to know for some comparison purposes about recruiting is what he was ranked when he was recruited, 3 star, 4 star.
Milqueman
Tue, Mar 13, 2012 : 1:12 a.m.
According to Rivals, he was a 3 star. Recruited in 2009. <a href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/michigan/football/recruiting/commitments/2009/michigan-29" rel='nofollow'>http://rivals.yahoo.com/michigan/football/recruiting/commitments/2009/michigan-29</a>
UofMbeBetter
Mon, Mar 12, 2012 : 10:22 p.m.
So he's been with the team since 08, hes had years under the Tutelage of Barwis, and a year and a half under the new guy. He's 22 years old and cant compete with the incoming HS kids? I think that says a ton about the coaching staffs (Both) who let this guy down............
Scott
Wed, Mar 14, 2012 : 11:46 p.m.
That's why there are 85 scholarships. Some guys just don't make it to the next level. That's life.
Milqueman
Tue, Mar 13, 2012 : 1:19 a.m.
First, he's been with the team sense 2009. Second, if 2 completely different coaching staffs were not able to improve his play, it's not a failure on the staffs, the trend is with the player. I'm sure he's a better football player then 99.9% of everybody posting on these boards (including myself), so I'm not going to even consider saying the guy sucks. He made it to Michigan, that alone speaks volumes. Some players are just better then others, no shame in that. I wish him the best of luck in all his future endeavors and thank him for coming to Michigan and trying it out.
rightmind250
Mon, Mar 12, 2012 : 5:32 p.m.
Hoke doing his Saban impersonation. A little oversigning action there Hokey Pokey? "At Michigan we are family, unless of course you suck", said Hoke.
Milqueman
Tue, Mar 13, 2012 : 1:26 a.m.
Oversigning? Really? Oversigning means you recruit and sign more players then you have scholarships for. Coach Hoke has done no such thing. In this situation, he recruited more talented linebackers (they are not even proven yet) but look good on film and paper. Isaiah Bell left the program on his own because, as the article states, it wasn't likely he would see any playing time. That's NOT oversigning, that's bringing in better talent and then the 4th string says "Ok, I'm out of here, Bye"
MRunner73
Mon, Mar 12, 2012 : 9:31 p.m.
Hoke backed Brandon Gibbons on several occasions-who could have been considered someone who could have been driven out of the program. That is only one example that needs to be brought up.
umgoblue47
Mon, Mar 12, 2012 : 5:44 p.m.
because of the talent MICHIGAN is bringing in he new he would not get to play. . . he left thru the front door during the day. . . Ohio's player's leave thru the back door at night! free cars and tattoo's anyone! GO BLUE!!!!!!
LandingSpot
Mon, Mar 12, 2012 : 5:44 p.m.
So you would not recruit anyone better than whoever you already have? He chose to leave, he wasn't booted.
Veracity
Mon, Mar 12, 2012 : 5:32 p.m.
A smart decision if Mr. Bell hopes to play in the NFL and doesn't value a Michigan degree. I hope that the sports staff will periodically report on what happens to those players who move on to other schools in order to play football. For instance, I will be interested to learn whether Isaiah Bell becomes a starter for the team to which he will be transferring. Michigan is a very competitive program again and Mr. Bell may be able to start for many other football programs even when he doesn't start at Michigan.
RudeJude
Mon, Mar 12, 2012 : 4:24 p.m.
I'm always sad to see a player go. The good news is that this kid left knowing the recruits coming in will beat him in the depth charts...Michigan is getting talent.