Bell Making 'Seamless' Transition To Playing WR

CHAPEL HILL - As Corey Bell Jr. made the 140-mile trek back to Charlotte for spring break in early March, he received a phone call from Dré Bly.

Bly, who'd only been appointed as North Carolina’s cornerbacks coach some four months at the time, explained to Bell he had a conversation with head coach Mack Brown and new wide receivers coach Lonnie Galloway. They wanted him to make the switch from cornerback to slot receiver, a position Bell hadn’t played since middle school.

“He was just telling me, ‘Don’t be afraid to try, just take a step out and see what happens,’” Bell said. “So ultimately when I came back, I was like, ‘Alright, I’m going to be receiver.’”

So, that was it. Bell, although hesitant to make the switch at first, was all in. He was going to be a wide receiver.

Of course, he expected a learning curve, and how could he not? The fifth-year senior's father, former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Myron Bell, had been tasked with defending receivers for basically his entire career, but now it was Corey himself embracing the same task in his final year in college.

For most, that transition would be extremely difficult, but that wasn’t the case for Bell. In fact, it was quite the opposite.

“It’s just been easier,” he said. “Running, catching, cutting, things like that, it came easy to me.”

Since he arrived in Chapel Hill in June 2015, Bell has played in 25 games with six starts. Last season, he appeared in six games at cornerback, posting four tackles, three pass breakups and the lone interception of his career in the season finale against N.C. State.

Now, having gone through his first spring as a wide receiver and gearing toward the start of fall camp, Bell has received high praise from his coaches and teammates. He was one of the breakout performers in the spring game and finished with a game-high five catches for 67 yards in the spring game. Not bad for someone who’s getting his first collegiate snaps at a new position.

While Galloway knew Bell had the physical attributes to be a good receiver, he didn’t expect the transition to be so seamless. The process has been a pleasant surprise for someone who’s considered one of the top wide receiver coaches and recruiters in the country.

“He fit in likes he’s been a wide receiver all his life,” Galloway said. “He’s a good find, a good move by coach Brown seeing he could help us on that side of the ball and he did a great job this spring for us.”

Galloway isn’t the only one taking notice to Bell’s natural abilities. Members of his new position group are, too.

“Corey Bell is adjusting well,” junior wide receiver Toe Groves said. “He came in not knowing nothing halfway through spring and then he got it down. He’s quick, fast, knows what he’s doing, can catch the ball. He’s doing great.”

With fall camp starting this week, Bell will have to continue to impress if he wants to see the field when the real games begin. Elevating his chances at being in the rotation is the Tar Heels are relatively thin at the slot receiver position, with Dazz Newsome and Groves the only other realistic options to play there.

Regardless, Bell isn’t worried about the pressures that come along with vying for playing time. He’s just enjoying the experience of learning something new so late in his career.

“It feels like I’m the new guy, I don’t feel like an old guy anymore” Bell said with a smile. “It’s fun though, I don’t want to say I feel like a freshman, but I feel young.”