The Cardinal Countdown: 75 Days Until Kickoff

#75 Robbie Bell

Class: RS Junior

Ht/Wt: 6-5/294

Position: Offensive Line

Hometown: Hoschton, GA

Twitter: @thatguy_robbie1

Thoughts: I was a huge Robbie Bell fan before he had even played a snap for the Cards back in 2016. I thought as a redshirt freshman he would come in and immediately steal playing time up front, and along with Becton and Bently (Killer B’s) they would become the staple along the line for the next three seasons, at least. I was partially right. Bell did in fact kill it year one, making a few freshman mistakes but getting the start in all 13 games and making a bigger impact the more the year progressed. He was well on his way to fulfilling my prophecy, then he wasn’t. An injury last offseason forced the staff to slide Cole Bentley over to center Week 1 hoping to replace the talented Bell with an athletic lineman working quickly to try and learn the position. Granted it was against Ala-freakin’-bama but…..ummm, it didn’t work out to well. Week 2 Bentley slid back over to Guard and Nate Scheler, the former walk-on, got the lion-share of the reps at the center position the rest of the season. The head scratcher in all of it was when Bell appeared to be healthy again, he never returned to his former position and barely got a whiff of PT, making only a single appearance against Georgia Tech.

A healthy Bell should be getting significant time in my mind, and I think new Offensive Line Coach Dwayne Ledford will ultimately agree with me when Fall Camp concludes. While I won’t go full “O-line fan” mode the first player on the board, I will say we’ve got some experience, some new blood, and a few new faces that will all be hungry to make an impact in the trenches. Last season was challenging to watch on all fronts, but O-line play was a flat out disaster in numerous games. Ledford is a great coach, and he has talent down there. Things will improve, but how that will translate into offensive production is yet to be seen. I’ll throw my projected starters at you on the line a few days from now but don’t be surprised if Bell shows up somewhere on that list.

Sweet Tweet:

“Things we’re going great for me. I was known by all. Fame. Fortune. I was a legend on campus. And then it all changed once HE showed up…”