K-State in contact with Kansas City WR Ronnie Bell

One local prospect that has seen his stock and popularity rise exponentially recently is Park Hill receiver Ronnie Bell. His recruitment took an interesting turn when he chose to back out of his national letter of intent he signed to play basketball for Missouri State to instead chase his football dreams.

Bell is this year's Simone Award winner, the honor given out annually to the top football player in the Kansas City metro area.

According to Jeremy Crabtree, the Digital Media manager for KMBC in Kansas City, Bell has been released from his NLOI at Missouri State.

So, what does that mean for Bell now? He is available to any school that would like to obtain his football skill and talents. Michigan jumped in front of the line, being the first to extend him a scholarship.

The offer from the Wolverines is the only one in his possession at this time but he believes more could be on the horizon, including the program that resides in Manhattan.

“K-State spoke with me Saturday,” Bell said. “I talked with Coach (Collin) Klein. It sounded like they were going to offer. He said he was trying to get it through.”

A dilemma for the Wildcats is that, though Kansas State is in need of receivers, they may feel pretty comfortable about signing three on Wednesday. Georgia native Jaquavius Lane is already in the commit column and they seemingly are in good spots as well with another Georgia standout in E.J. Turner as well as Brendan Harmon of Texas.

But is Bell too good to turn away? We will quickly find out.

“It would mean a lot to be given the opportunity to play for a program like K-State,” Bell told K-StateOnline. “My mother has always been a fan. A good friend of mine, Cartez (Crook-Jones), is going there as well.”

It sure seems like Kansas State has some built-in connections to be a threat should it decide to throw its hat into the ring. He’s well aware of the nearby program, and folks in his corner have a draw to the Big 12 school.

One thing that may work in the Wildcats' favor is that Bell seems in no hurry to make a decision and it would be a shock to many if he were to sign anywhere during the early signing period since his process is so new and young. He’ll likely take his time. Waiting until February gives the Wildcats the luxury of analyzing their roster in-depth to ensure they can justify making room for him.