Accolades
- 2024 Bednarik Award Watch List
- 2024 Reese's Senior Bowl Watch List
- 2024 Lombari Award Watch List
- 2023 All-Sun Belt Second Team
- 2021 All-Conference USA Freshman Team
2024 (Senior)
Bednarik Award Watch List... Reese's Senior Bowl Watch List... Lombardi Award Watch List... Played in 4 games... Registered 13 tackles, including 6.0 TFLs for 39 yards and 3.5 sacks for 33... Added 2 breakups, 6 QBH and a forced fumble... Preseason: All-Sun Belt (1st)... DCTF All-Sun Belt (2nd).
2023 (Junior)
All-Sun Belt Second Team ...
Phil Steele All-Sun Belt Third Team ... All-Texas First Team by
Dave Campbell's Texas Football ... Played in all 13 games … 7 starts … 57 tackles (32 solo), 16.0 TFLs, 10.0 sacks, 6 quarterback hurries and a forced fumble … T-9th in the country in sacks and T-4th in the Sun Belt … T-20th in the country in TFLs and T-7th in the Sun Belt … Led the team in sacks … Tied for the team lead in TFLs … Set the program’s FBS record for most sacks in a single-season – a record that was previously held by his brother, Levi, and set a year prior in 2022 (8.0 sacks) … Tied the program’s FBS program record for most TFLs in a single-season … Career-highs in tackles, sacks and TFLs … Second-highest rated edge rusher in the country in PFF pass rush grades … T-15th in the nation among edge rushers in total pressures (53), according to PFF … Had the nation’s best “win percentage” among edge rushers, which measures number of wins vs. blocking on pass rush opportunities according to PFF … His 29.4 win percentage was nearly five percentage points higher than the next highest rated edge rusher in the country … 11th in the nation among defensive linemen in PFF’s run stop percentage, which is number of stops on total run snaps played … Had a sack in 6 of his 13 games … 2.0+ sacks in 4 games, including in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl win against Rice … Helped the team set FBS program records for most sacks and TFLs in a season … 6 tackles and 2.0 sacks at UTSA on Sept. 9 … 6 tackles, 3.5 TFLs and 2.0 sacks vs. Troy on Oct. 28 … 4 tackles, 2.0 sacks and a forced fumble on Nov. 4 vs. Georgia Southern, a game in which Texas State won to become bowl eligible for the first time in 9 years … 8 tackles, 3.0 TFLs and 2.0 sacks in Texas State’s 45-21 win over Rice in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl, which was the program’s first ever bowl win …
Athlon Sports Preseason All-Sun Belt Fourth Team.
2022 (Sophomore)
Played in all 12 games (no starts) in his first season as a Bobcat as an outside linebacker … 25 tackles (11 solo), 3.0 TFLs, 2.0 sacks, 4 quarterback hurries and 1 forced fumble … One of 6 Bobcats with 2.0 or more sacks … Third on the team in hurries … 277 snaps, including 272 on defense and 5 on special teams … 15 total pressures, according to PFF, which was tied for third most on the team … 3 tackles in his Texas State debut – and season opener – at Nevada on Sept. 3 … 3 tackles (3 solo), a sack and a forced fumble at Baylor on Sept. 17 … 3 tackles and 1.5 sacks against HCU on Sept. 24 … Played in a season-high 41 snaps against HCU … Season-high 4 tackles in a win against App State on Oct. 8 ... Joined the team in the summer after transferring from LA Tech.
TXST Career
Sits 8
th all time for sacks (15.5)… Ranked 10
th in TXST history in quarterback hurries (16).
PRIOR TO TEXAS STATE
Louisiana Tech (2020-21)
2021 (Freshman)
Appeared in 10 games for the Bulldogs on the defensive line … Registered 27 total tackles (10 solo, 17 assists) … Led the team in sacks (3.5) and tied for third in tackles for loss (6.0) … Posted two quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles … Recorded at least one tackle in nine of this 10 games … Registered a season-high six tackles (4 solo, 2 assists, including a sack and forced fumble against Southeastern (Sept. 11).
2020 (Freshman)
Appeared in three games … Made first career appearance against Houston Baptist (Sept. 26) … Registered three total tackles over the season … Season-best two tackles at TCU (Dec. 12).
High School
Graduated from Cedar Park HS in 2020, playing for coach Carl Abseck … Named the 2019 District 11-5A DI Defensive MVP as a senior … Rated as a 3-Star strongside defensive end by Rivals and 247sports.com … District 11-5A-I Co-Defensive Lineman of the Year as a junior … Also lettered in wrestling and soccer.
Personal
Brother, Levi, was a teammate at Texas State (2022) and LA Tech (2021) ... In a
random Twitter bracket poll hosted by @sunbelt_sports (profile name: Fun Belt Sports) in June 2023, he was a finalist for the "Fun Belt Lettuce" Award ... Although the poll showed Drew Brewer of USM as the winner, the poll also showed an even 50-50 split in voting and therefore this bio will acknowledge Ben Bell as the co-champion and congratulate on Brewer on strongly representing the redhead community alongside Ben.
