OU football: Blake Bell to remain at OU, switches to tight end | News OK (http://newsok.com/blake-bell-to-remain-at-ou-switches-to-tight-end/article/3930901)


Blake Bell loves Oklahoma.

So much so that the former quarterback, whose arm led the Sooners on a game-winning drive at rival Oklahoma State late last season, has decided to switch positions rather than transfer.
Following quarterback Trevor Knight's impressive performance in the Sugar Bowl win over Alabama, Bell approached OU offensive coordinator Josh Heupel and expressed his intentions to stay with the program as a tight end.

“Blake wants to play, wants to help his team, wants to compete and believes that's a great position for him to do that,” Heupel said. “I think everyone on our staff believes in him as a competitor and as a player. It's going to be a lot of fun for him to make a change and then see where he can grow. I feel like he's going to be a good player there.
Heupel clarified that Bell, who is 6-foot-6 and 252 pounds, would be strictly a tight end. He was not expected to be an option at quarterback next year even in the event of an injury to Knight.



In spite of Heupel's comments I have to think that Blake could still come back into the mix in an emergency.

OU football: Blake Bell to remain at OU, switches to tight end | News OK (http://newsok.com/blake-bell-to-remain-at-ou-switches-to-tight-end/article/3930901)

In spite of Heupel's comments I have to think that Blake could still come back into the mix in an emergency.

I see a Paul Thompson back up situation if needed. However, I'm excited to see this because the trick play potential that Heupel has now is HUGE.

Why Tight End? I would think he could be more productive at the Full Back. That's basically what he was when he was playing Quarterback behind Landry Jones.

In the way OU runs the no-huddle several positions are interchangeable - tight end with full back and slot back. The trick is if you're going fast enough you create mismatches and have the ability to run multiple plays without the defense getting the opportunity to plug in specialists. We didn't do much of the high speed no huddle last year because Trevor Knight was still learning the position.

I expect Heupel will use trick plays and occasionally use Blake's passing abilities and Trevor Knight's talent as a receiver. We'll see how well Bell works as a blocker.

Why Tight End? I would think he could be more productive at the Full Back. That's basically what he was when he was playing Quarterback behind Landry Jones.

Here is more insight into that decision.

Oklahoma football: A closer look at what went into Blake Bell's decision to move to tight end | News OK (http://newsok.com/a-closer-look-at-what-went-into-bells-decision-to-move-to-tight-end/article/3931986)