Michigan football: Ronnie Bell not afraid of returning punts again after injury
Michigan graduate receiver Ronnie Bell missed the final 13.5 games of the 2021 season due to a torn ACL. With his recovery nearly complete and a return to the field all but a formality, we continue to inch closer to his swan song in a U-M uniform.
Bell spoke to a small media gathering during Sunday’s TUFF camp at Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard High School, where he addressed where his mind and body are at heading into the 2022 season.
The Michigan wideout’s injury in 2021 took place on a punt returning, leading some to believe it was reckless and irresponsible for the team’s best receiver to be out there. He made it clear the punt job was his to lose and it was a role he wanted to have.
“I’ve always thought it was funny that people were criticizing coaches — and coach (Harbaugh) — for having me on punt return,” Bell said. “Throughout camp, I was the one that kind of forced the hand to play punt return. I made sure that I went out there and won the job. That was something that I wanted to do. It was something that I felt I was always good at. I went out of my way to make sure I was returning punts.”
Bell wants the job back at Michigan
Bell’s injury may have occurred as a punt returner, but he has no reservations about potentially returning to the role. He has done the job for the duration of his football career and has no fears moving forward.
“When my dad was coaching football a long time ago, he was a returns coach,” Bell said. “I was always catching kicks and punts when I was little. I stepped into it in middle school, high school, whatever it was and I was really good at it. And when I got here [to Michigan], I was still really good at it. So, I want to do it. For me it is natural. It’s not too trippy just because it’s like I’ve been catching punts for a long time.”
Bell’s ACL injury came on a return in the second quarter of the opener against Western Michigan. He was rolled up on awkwardly, but does not seem to have any lingering worries about it. Bell has put it all in the past.
“Every time I’ve thought about it, I got tackled at an awkward angle,” Bell said. “It’s just kind of a freak thing that happened. S*** happens. I’ll be alright. I’m not really worried about getting hit again.”
Bell was a team captain in 2021 and likely projects to the role again this season. He has appeared in 33 games during his Michigan career with 17 starts at wide receiver. His most productive season came in 2019, where he led the team with 48 catches for 758 yards and one touchdown.
In Bell’s lone game last season, he had one catch for 76 yards and a touchdown in WMU game. He hopes to be the best version of himself in 2022 that he has ever been.
“I didn’t give myself a choice,” Bell said. “If I was going to dedicate nine months to just my body, I was going to make sure I came back better than what I was. That was my approach to it — I better be better than I was.”
