Bridgeton (N.J.) four-star athlete Markquese Bell said his visit to Clemson in late June was eye opening.
The visit made a marked impression on Bell, and it was one of the reasons he included Clemson in his list of top seven schools, which he announced on Aug. 1.
The Clemson Insider recently caught up with Bell to talk about the list and why Clemson made the cut.
“When I went down there, they treated me good,” Bell said. “The campus is nice. That opened my eyes a lot. I didn’t know the campus was going to be that nice.
“The people there were really nice and kind, and the players told me a lot of good things about the school.”
Bell also said he has a strong relationship with Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables.
“That’s the coach I talk to the most,” Bell said. “He keeps it real with me. What you see is what you get, and he doesn’t try to put on a recruiting face just to get me to the school.”
Bell is set to take an official visit to Clemson this fall when the Tigers play Pittsburgh on Nov. 12.
What is Bell looking to get out of the visit?
“Just to see how the school is on game day and the atmosphere because they say it’s a great atmosphere,” Bell said, “but I want to check it out myself instead of hearing everybody else.”
Florida, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio State, Rutgers and Temple are the other schools in Bell’s top seven.
Bell will take his other official visits to Michigan versus Penn State on Sept. 24, Florida versus LSU on Oct. 8, Maryland versus Michigan State on Oct. 22 and Ohio State versus Michigan on Nov. 26.
Bell felt like this month was the right time to trim his long list of offers.
“I had a lot of thoughts going through my mind, and for me to narrow down my list was easier for me,” Bell said. “If I had more schools to think about, then it might have clouded my judgment.”
Bell plans to announce a commitment on Dec. 1.
The 6-foot-3, 195-pounder is rated by the 247Sports Composite as the No. 3 player in New Jersey, the nation’s No. 6 athlete and the nation’s No. 177 player overall.