Allen Bell Likes what ISU is Building

(This article originally appeared at iowastate.rivals.com.)

Jaime Pollard's facilities improvement plan has a lot of people talking, including Independence (Kan.) Community College cornerback Allen Bell. Bell visited Ames last weekend, and was impressed with Iowa State's vision for the future.

"The facilities they have right now are top of the line, and with the new coach you can see they're willing to invest in it even more," Bell said Thursday night. "You can tell they're really trying to change something there."

Bell, who emphasized that he is currently a "soft commit" to Ole Miss, has visited Iowa State, Louisville and East Carolina in recent weeks, presumably while still weighing offers from these schools. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound speedster has been quoted elsewhere as saying that Ole Miss is a done deal, but Bell said Thursday night that the Cyclones are still very much in contention.

"After the visit, they're moving up a lot higher than I expected," said Bell. "Wherever you go, if you can play, you're going to get a chance to play. It's going to come down to where I feel comfortable."

Bell also said that Coach Gene Chizik met all his criteria for picking a school.

"He was a really nice guy, and all the good stuff I had heard about him was true," Bell said. "And I know I can trust him."

The derby for the services of Bell, who runs the 100-meter dash in 10.5 seconds, may not last much longer. Bell revealed that he "thinks he has a decision made," but would not reveal that decision.

Whether Bell will come as a package deal with teammate Chris Weir is also unclear. Bell said that playing with Weir was somewhat important, but would not make or break his decision. According to Bell, he will enter in the fall as a redshirt sophomore, with three years to play three.