SASKATOON \u2014 If the name rings a bell, there\u2019s a reason.<\/p>\n
Darius Bell<\/a> is adhering to a rich family tradition by excelling on the gridiron.<\/p>\n Bell, the Saskatchewan Roughriders\u2019 third-round selection (29th overall) in the 2026 CFL Canadian Draft, is one of three football players in his family.<\/p>\n His younger brother, Tiki Bell, is to make his debut at Utah State in the fall.<\/p>\n Their father, Curtis Bell, is a former CFL receiver.<\/p>\n \u201cFootball was definitely instilled in us at a young age,\u201d Darius Bell, a 23-year-old centre, said after the Roughriders\u2019 rookie-camp workout on Thursday. \u201cEver since I can remember, I always had a football in my hand. That\u2019s just what we did as a family.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were watching football or playing it. Our whole house was a football house.\u201d<\/p>\n The Bell brothers grew up in Hamilton, where their father began his CFL career. Curtis Bell was selected by the Tiger-Cats in Round 2 (11th overall) of the 1989 Draft. He also spent time with Toronto in 1989 and remained with the Argonauts in 1990 before joining the Winnipeg Blue Bombers the following year.<\/p>\n Darius took after his father by playing on offence. Tiki, by contrast, is a defensive tackle.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have the potential to play against each other,\u201d Darius said. \u201cThat would be crazy.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s cool to have one of us on offence and one of us on defence. It has always been a rivalry and it continues that way.\u201d<\/p>\n All of this prompts the question: Considering that Curtis Bell\u2019s playing weight was 170 pounds, how did his sons end up at 300 or more?<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Darius replied with a laugh. \u201cWe just kept growing. It\u2019s a mystery to this day.\u201d<\/p>\n His football talents, by contrast, are well documented.<\/p>\n Bell played college football at Maine from 2021 to 2023 before suiting up for East Carolina in 2024 and 2025.<\/p>\n Along the way, he earned a degree in communication. Last fall, he also began working toward a master\u2019s degree in kinesiology.<\/p>\n \u201c(Playing football professionally) is the dream and it has been since I was a kid,\u201d Bell said, \u201cbut it\u2019s great to have something to fall back on whenever my time (in football) is done. I\u2019m very blessed for that.\u201d<\/p>\n Bell\u2019s academic proficiency was recognized when he made the Dean\u2019s List at East Carolina in the spring of 2025.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s extremely smart,\u201d Head Coach Corey Mace said, \u201cand, for someone playing (centre), we require a lot.<\/p>\n \u201cLuckily for him, he\u2019s around somebody in (2025 All-CFL centre) Logan Ferland who has been around the game a long time and is extremely smart in being able to identify things even before they transpire.<\/p>\n \u201c(Bell) will learn a lot (from Ferland), but from what we\u2019ve given him and put on his plate, he has been excellent from a mental standpoint. For him, it\u2019s just going to be a matter of adjusting to the yard off the ball and adjusting to the play speed and maybe some of the strength when the pads come on.<\/p>\n \u201cWe definitely don\u2019t think it\u2019s going to be too much of an issue for him.\u201d<\/p>\n HUGHES NEWS<\/p>\n Defensive back JuJu Hughes has been one of the standouts at rookie camp, which concludes on Friday morning at Griffiths Stadium.<\/p>\n