The Kerwin Bell As OC Thread

[Brad]

BELL NAMED BULLS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR

January 10, 2019

 

Former University of Florida standout quarterback led Valdosta State to 2018 NCAA Division II Championship

 
TAMPA, JAN. 10, 2019 – Fresh from leading Valdosta State to the 2018 NCAA Division II championship with the nation's No. 1 ranked scoring offense in the division (52.0 ppg), Florida native Kerwin Bell has been named the Bulls' offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach, USF Head Coach Charlie Strong announced.
 
Bell, a former standout quarterback and SEC Player of the Year at the University of Florida (1984-87), comes to USF after 12 seasons as a successful head coach leading programs at Valdosta State (2016-18) and Jacksonville University (2007-15) and a 14-year playing career in professional football, which included stops with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1989) and Miami Dolphins (1988).
 
"I have known Kerwin for more than 30 years and have a great deal of respect for what he has done in his career both as a player and coach and the success of the football programs he has led," Strong said. "He has directed some very explosive, high-scoring offenses and consistently puts his players in position to reach their highest potential. We are very excited to have Kerwin joining our staff."
 
Strong and Bell were first part of the same program during the 1983-84 seasons at Florida, where Strong was serving in his first coaching position as a graduate assistant and Bell was a walk-on quarterback. Bell, a native of Mayo, Fla., earned the Gators' starting quarterback job as a redshirt freshman in 1984 and went on to earn SEC Player of the Year honors after leading the Gators to a 9-1-1 record, SEC championship and top five national ranking.
 
Bell most recently served three seasons as the head coach at Valdosta State (2016-18) where he guided the offense and led the Blazers to a 27-7 record, a school-record 15 straight victories, two Division II playoff appearances and conference and national championships in 2018. He was named the 2018 Gulf South Conference Co-Coach of the Year after leading VSU to a 14-0 record (the first unbeaten season in program history) and a 49-47 victory over Ferris State in the Division II National Championship game, the program's first title since 2012. Picked fifth in their conference in the preseason and the No. 3 seed entering the playoffs, the Blazers finished No. 1 in the final AFCA Division II poll.
 
Bell's 2018 offense led the nation in scoring (52.0 ppg), ranked second in first downs (341) and was fourth in total offense (523.9 ypg), red-zone offense (.901) and pass efficiency (167.37). The Blazers scored 728 points on the year, the most in NCAA Division II history, as they posted 7,334 yards (3,676 rushing/3,658 passing) and 7.9 yards per play on the year. Sophomore quarterback Rogan Wells finished as the runner-up for the Harlon Hill Trophy, presented to the Division II Player of the Year, and was named both the Region Two and Gulf South Conference Offensive Player of the Year. Wells accounted for 50 touchdowns on the year (including one receiving), led the nation in points responsible for (300), was second in passing touchdowns (38) and points responsible for per game (21.4 ppg), 10^th in passing yards (3,075), 12th in passing efficiency (160.6) and 25^th in total offense (271.9 ypg). He finished second on the team with 732 yards rushing and led the team with 11 rushing touchdowns. Senior offensive linemen Jeremy King was the runner-up for the Gene Upshaw Award presented to the most outstanding Division II lineman.
 
Bell led VSU to runner-up conference finishes in his first two years guiding the program and went 8-3 with a playoff appearance in his first season at the helm in 2016 as the Blazers led the nation with 27 interceptions.
 
Prior to VSU, Bell led Jacksonville University for nine seasons, guiding the Football Championship Series program to a 66-35 record and three Pioneer Football League championships. Also serving as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, Bell was named the 2008 PFL Coach of the Year and an Eddie Robinson Award finalist after leading the Dolphins to a 9-4 record and conference title. He also led Jacksonville to a school-best 10-1 record and conference title in 2010 as the Dolphins led the nation in total (486 ypg) and scoring (42.2 ppg) offense. They also posted a 9-2 mark on conference title in 2014.
 
Prior to taking over the Jacksonville program, Bell led Trinity Catholic High School in Ocala, Fla, for six seasons (2001-06), earning a Florida 2B state title in 2005 and runner-up finish in 2006. His coaching career began in earnest at the end of his professional playing career as he served as the offensive coordinator for two seasons while still a player for the Toronto Argonauts (2000-01).
 
Bell was selected in the seventh round of the 1988 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins, beginning a 14-year professional career that saw stops with the NFL teams in Miami, Atlanta, Tampa Bay and Indianapolis as well as stops in the Canadian Football League (where he passed for 19,538 yards and 101 touchdowns in nine seasons) and the World League of American Football.
 
Bell earned a degree in psychology from the University of Florida in 1987. After beginning his career at UF as a walk-on, he was inducted into the University of Florida Athletics Hall of Fame in 1997 following a four-year career (1984-87) that saw him pass for 7,585 yards and 56 touchdowns. He was ranked the No. 26 greatest Gator of all-time from the first 100 years of UF football in 2006 by The Gainesville Sun. Bell was named the 1984 SEC Player of the Year after leading UF to a 9-1-1 record, SEC championship and top five national ranking. He was a first team All-SEC selection in 1985 after again leading the Gators to a 9-1-1 record and the program's first-ever No. 1 national ranking in the AP poll. He was an honorable mention All-America selection in 1985 and 1986, was a 1987 team captain and earned the program's Fergie Ferguson Award. He later served a graduate assistant for one season (1990) under Steve Spurrier at Florida.
 
USF football season ticket members can renew their tickets and lock in their seats for the 2019 season until Feb. 6. Season tickets may be renewed by visiting USFBullsTix.com by calling 1-800-Go-Bulls.
 
Deposits for new season ticket members are currently being taken and may be made at the below link. New season tickets will be available for purchase beginning in April.
 
Season Ticket Member Renewals: https://am.ticketmaster.com/univsouthflorida/
Season Ticket Deposits: https://oss.ticketmaster.com/aps/univsouthflorida/EN/link/buy/details/19fbd

[TExpress]

 

[chapelbull]

He has a kind of Ron "Tater Salad" White look about him

[Rex Havoc]

I loved his #PlayFastScoreFaster 

hopefully CCS let’s him do his thing and has no say in the offense. 

[JTrue]

20 minutes ago, chapelbull said:

He has a kind of Ron "Tater Salad" White look about him

Maybe they brought him in so CCS can be the "straight" man and he can be the "comic" to play off of him.

Edited January 11, 2019 by JTrue

[chapelbull]

1 minute ago, JTrue said:

Maybe they brought him in so CCS can be the "straight" man and he can be the "comic" to play off of him.

It's a Jake and the Fatman spinoff ...... Chuck and the Fatman

[TakeItOrLeavitt]

Maybe I'm reading too much into this but idk if Johnny Ford is too happy about this hire.

[Calibull]

14 minutes ago, TakeItOrLeavitt said:

Maybe I'm reading too much into this but idk if Johnny Ford is too happy about this hire.

waaaaaay too much  smh

[Calibull]

1 hour ago, Rex Havoc said:

I loved his #PlayFastScoreFaster 

hopefully CCS let’s him do his thing and has no say in the offense. 

He let Gilbert do what he wanted... So I'm pretty sure he's extending even more to Bell who was actually a head coach.  smh

[SpeedBull]

1 hour ago, TakeItOrLeavitt said:

Maybe I'm reading too much into this but idk if Johnny Ford is too happy about this hire.

How can you read ANYTHING into that? I literally have no idea what any of that jibberish means...good or bad. Literally no idea.