JUNCTION CITY -- Arkansas has plucked its share of talent out of Junction City, and that continued Wednesday morning when Jamario Bell signed to play football for the Razorbacks.
Bell, a 6-6, 245-pound defensive end/tight end, signed his national letter of intent in front of several students, teammates and family members at the high school. He is the third Junction City player to sign with Arkansas in the past five years, joining defensive tackle Byran Jones and safety Alan Turner, both of whom signed with the Razorbacks in 2010.
"I was nervous, but I'm glad I finally got it over with," said Bell, who had 55 tackles and nine sacks as a senior to go along with 14 receptions for 158 yards and 5 touchdowns on offense. "It was a hard decision, to a certain extent. I had other schools coming in like Ole Miss and Mississippi State that recruited me really hard, but I knew what my best option was and that I was going to Arkansas."
Bell, who plans to major in sports marketing, cited the family atmosphere surrounding the Razorbacks program as one of the chief reasons he chose Arkansas.
"It's like a home away from home," Bell said. "The coaching staff are guys who really care about you. They're not coaches who just care about football only."
Recognized by several recruiting services as one of the top prospects in the nation, Bell said he also wanted the chance to play for Coach Bret Bielema.
"Coach Bielema's quality track record of winning football games, getting to big bowl games and sending guys to the NFL is impressive," Bell said. "I just want to get my degree and try to make it to the NFL."
Bell said he expects to see time on both sides of the football.
"They're telling me that as a freshman I'll probably play more defensive end than tight end," Bell said. "In some formations I will be asked to play tight end."
Bell's mother, Helen, said she was happy with her son's decision.
"Coach Bielema was always very straight with us," she said. "I really like how they place an emphasis on academics. I just like the school, the facilities, basically everything about the University of Arkansas."
Sports on 02/05/2015