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Texas QB commit Dia Bell isn't worried about waiting his turn in Austin

by: Evan Vieth07/01/25
Dia Bell 1 copy 1
Dia Bell (Photo by Chad Simmons)

Texas QB commit Dia Bell is already feeling the effects of being crowned the next star quarterback for Texas football. Before Bell has even started his senior season at American Heritage High School, the QB has already earned the Elite 11 MVP award, one of the highest honors in the nation for a quarterback, as well as receiving a five-star rating on nearly every major recruiting site.

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It’s not crazy to see the similarities between Bell and current Longhorn starting quarterback Arch Manning. Both come from athletic backgrounds, thanks to some famous uncles and fathers, and each quarterback is expected to lead an era of success for the Longhorns. For Bell, learning from Manning during his time at Texas has already helped him understand what being the lead guy in Austin means.

“I feel like Arch is the main person you can look to to learn how to navigate all that noise,” Bell told the Cover 3 Podcast. “He doesn’t really get fazed by it; he’s not worried about it at all. He’s waited his time; it’s his time now, and hopefully, he’s going to take full advantage of it. I’m going to be here waiting to watch it and excited to watch. And when I get there, if I do get the opportunity to learn from him in a year, I’m going to take full advantage of it.”

While Bell acknowledged that former starting quarterback Quinn Ewers, a fellow five-star, faced his own pressures at Texas, it’s hard to top anyone who possesses the Manning name in that regard.

Bell mentioned he’s looking forward to learning from all players on the Texas staff, whether that be Manning or current backups Trey Owens and KJ Lacey. However, Bell is not only prepared for, but excited about the idea of Manning staying another year in Austin during Bell’s freshman season.

“If he does decide to stay the second year, I will have no problem learning. That just gives me more time to learn everything and make sure that when it becomes my time, I’m as prepared as possible,” Bell said. “I have no problem sitting behind him at all because that means there’s another person I can pick their brain and learn how they go about learning the offense or studying for the next week.”

Bell emphasized that it was never his plan to start in his first year of college, making Texas the optimal place to sit behind a quarterback like Manning before competing for a starting job in his second year. Even with Owens potentially entering his fourth season on campus at that time, Bell’s shot at the starting spot will be predicated on his raw talent and what he learns from Manning in that second season of Arch potentially starting.

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Bell has become the face of the 2026 Texas recruiting class and, as previously mentioned on Inside Texas, is leveraging his status to build relationships with recruits all over the country. It’s a long way until National Signing Day, and even longer until we see Bell in Austin, but early evidence points to Texas having yet another star arriving next spring.

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