Canadian offensive lineman Darius Bell is ready for the professional ranks after a whirlwind collegiate career that almost didn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n
The native of Hamilton, Ont. initially attended St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School in his hometown before transferring to Clearwater Academy International in Florida, where he hoped to garner an NCAA Division I scholarship. Though he drew attention from several programs, Bell finished high school without any offers.<\/p>\n
The six-foot-three, 300-pound blocker committed to a junior college in Kansas, which he hoped might lead to an offer in the future. He was mere days away from reporting when he received an unexpected phone call from Pat Denecke, the offensive line coach at the University of Maine.<\/p>\n
\u201c(Denecke\u2019s) like, \u2018We just had a guy hit the portal. A scholarship opened up and we want to offer you,’\u201d Bell told 3DownNation. \u201cIt was crazy. A miracle, a blessing. I\u2019m so grateful for that and I committed on the spot.\u201d<\/p>\n
After redshirting in 2021, Bell started at right guard for the Black Bears in 2022 before moving to left tackle in 2023. With the transfer portal beckoning, he wanted to see what other options were out there.<\/p>\n
East Carolina University was the first school to offer Bell a scholarship after he hit the portal. Though other programs showed interest, it didn\u2019t take him long to become a member of the Pirates.<\/p>\n
\u201cI went on my visit (to East Carolina) with some of my family and they loved it. I loved it there. The culture, the atmosphere was like you\u2019re playing at the best of the best Power Four-type of school. It\u2019s really incomparable to the rest of like the (Group of Five) teams and really after that visit, I was sold,\u201d said Bell.<\/p>\n
\u201cI committed pretty quickly. With the volatility of the transfer portal, I didn\u2019t want to let any opportunity slip away, especially considering how my high school recruiting went, just to be in that position. I jumped on it immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n
East Carolina has become a hotspot for CFL players. Jordan Williams, the first-overall pick in the 2020 CFL Draft, was a three-year starter for the team, while other alumni include breakout Montreal Alouettes receiver Tyler Snead, perennial All-East Division receiver Justin Hardy, future Hall of Fame offensive tackle Stanley Bryant, and two-time All-East Division defensive back DaShaun Amos.<\/p>\n
Bell started at left guard for the Pirates in 2024 before moving to centre in 2025, a change that was prompted by an injury to a teammate. Though he\u2019d never played centre in a game, Bell had previously practiced the position during spring and fall camps.<\/p>\n
\u201c(Centre) is very different from the rest of the positions (along the offensive line), in my opinion. Especially with the no yardage separation in the U.S., it\u2019s a lot, but I got used to it and started to gain some steam going through the summer and into fall. I feel like I made a smooth transition and I\u2019m very comfortable there now. I think by far it\u2019s my best position, for sure,\u201d said Bell.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just love the mental part of playing centre. I love to be able to command the ship in a sort of sense, and I feel like my physical attributes put me in the most advantageous spot at centre. I love it. I really like playing centre.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 23-year-old now has family in the NCAA ranks as his younger brother, Tiki, plays defensive tackle at Utah State University. Despite having a father who played receiver in the CFL and an older sister who became a collegiate sprinter, the Bell brothers both ended up north of 300 pounds.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really a mystery how we turned out this big. My mom\u2019s side of the family is bigger boned, bigger people, so I guess that kind of works out, but yeah, we question it all the time,\u201d said Bell with a laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know if (Tiki\u2019s) taller than me \u2014 we fight about that all the time \u2014 but he\u2019s definitely heavier than me. I think he\u2019s about 320 or something like that. He\u2019s a big boy. He\u2019s five years younger than me, so I still had that big brother advantage. It was fun. We went at it all the time in all different sports and everything. It was awesome. It was a great childhood.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bell is close friends with fellow Hamilton native Michael Chris-Ike, who plays fullback for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and played at Clearwater Academy with a number of fellow 2026 CFL Draft prospects, including receiver Dylan Djete, offensive lineman Albert Reese IV, defensive lineman Ebenezer Dibula, linebacker Darius McKenzie, and defensive back Shakespeare Louis. He also played alongside tight end Rohan Jones at Maine.<\/p>\n