American Heritage (FL) quarterback and 2026 Texas football commit, Dia Bell is one of the most decorated high school football quarterback recruits in the cycle. He was chased by the likes of Alabama, Georgia, Oregon, and Ohio State over the past three years but chose the Longhorns as his collegiate destination. He's also the first Texas football commit to win the Elite 11 MVP award in its history, despite many former quarterbacks competing in the event. It's easy to see how some players can get a "big head" from being so accomplished, but not Dia.
Bell appears to have an incredibly level head on his shoulders and some of that can definitely be attributed to his father, Raja Bell, who spent 12 seasons in the NBA from 2000-2012. Raja knows what it's like to be in the national spotlight and has undoubtedly helped Dia navigate through it and stay on an advantageous path.
Texas Commit Dia Bell Eager To Learn From Arch Manning pic.twitter.com/376D0JFrVL
— Cover 3 Podcast (@Cover3Podcast) June 25, 2025
Being a 5-star recruit at any position comes with a lot of outside noise but Bell is perfectly fine with waiting his turn at the University of Texas. In an interview with the Cover 3 Podcast last week, Bell let the world know what his intentions were coming into Austin.
"I feel like Arch is the main person you can look to, to learn how to navigate all that noise."
Bell told the podcast in regards to how he'll handle the outside distractions.
"He doesn’t really get fazed by it; he’s not worried about it at all. He’s waited his time; it’s his time now, and hopefully, he’s going to take full advantage of it. I’m going to be here waiting to watch it and excited to watch. And when I get there, if I do get the opportunity to learn from him in a year, I’m going to take full advantage of it."
Bell also confirmed that he's excited and willing to learn from not only Arch, but from the other quarterbacks on the roster, mentioning both Trey Owens and incoming 2025 recruit Karle "KJ" Lacey throughout the conversation.
When asked about the uncertainty surrounding Arch Manning's future at Texas following the upcoming season, he responded with a very mature and optimistic answer.
"If he does decide to stay the second year, I will have no problem learning. That just gives me more time to learn everything and make sure that when it becomes my time, I’m as prepared as possible. I have no problem sitting behind him at all because that means there’s another person I can pick their brain and learn how they go about learning the offense or studying for the next week."
It looks like Longhorn nation has another budding star at quarterback both mentally and physically, and we can't wait to see him in a Texas uniform in the spring of 2026.
Also read: July is a colossal month for Texas football recruiting