SAN MARCOS, Texas – After finishing the season as the fourth-rated overall defensive player in the nation by PFF, redshirt junior Levi Bell was named a 2022 PFF Third Team All-American.
 
Bell, who became the 55th Bobcat all-time to earn All-America honors, was one of four Sun Belt players to earn All-America status from PFF. He is the first Texas State defensive player to garner All-America honors since David Mayo in 2014 (Phil Steele, Fourth Team).
 
A defensive lineman in his first year at Texas State, Bell totaled a career-high 66 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks and 7 quarterback hurries in 12 games this year. His 13.5 TFLs were an FBS program record for a single season and ninth-most ever by a Bobcat.
 
In addition to being fourth in the nation in PFF defense grades, Bell was ninth overall in rush defense grades and fourth among defensive linemen in pass rush grades. His 40 total pressures (sacks, hits and hurries), as measured by PFF, were the eighth-most in the country by a defensive lineman.
 
Bell was a key piece to the Texas State defense that ranked among the program's best in its FBS era in total defense, rush defense, scoring defense and TFLs. The Bobcats finished the regular season top-50 in the country in total defense for the first time in program history.