After spending four seasons at UConn, Malcolm Bell decided to hit the transfer portal following his junior season and he committed to Jonathan Smith and Michigan State.
At the time, it didn’t seem like a transfer addition to write home about, but he showed flashes of being a really good cornerback at UConn. Bell redshirted as a freshman, totaled 40 tackles and six pass breakups as a redshirt freshman, and then had 54 tackles and seven pass deflections over his next two seasons.
The fit at Michigan State was perfect, though.
Bell’s one season at Michigan State ended up being his best at the collegiate level, recording a career-best 49 tackles with six pass deflections and a sack. He did a little of everything in 11 starts for the 4-8 Spartans this past season, and it’s a shame that he could only play one year.
The senior from Montreal was hoping to hear his name called in this weekend’s 2026 NFL Draft but he went three days without good news — I think he’s being undervalued personally. Shortly after when undrafted players were signing free agent deals, Bell was invited to the Cleveland Browns’ rookie minicamp.
I was a little surprised to see him go not only undrafted but also unsigned as an undrafted free agent. In my opinion, he was one of the most consistent players on the defensive side of the ball and truly one of the biggest surprises of the two-year Smith era.
He’ll now be doing what he’s had to do throughout his entire career and that’s prove himself. He did it at UConn after redshirting and then at Michigan State in just one year. Bell can do it again.
Malcolm Bell was a bright spot in a forgettable era
Fans would love to forget the Jonathan Smith era in East Lansing, but that’s not fair to some of the guys who poured their heart into the program. Bell was one of those guys.
Although he joined a team that would eventually go 4-8 and miss a bowl for a fourth straight season, Bell never stopped giving his full effort and started in all but one game. He was also the fifth-highest graded cornerback in the Big Ten, per PFF, and also graded the best defender on Michigan State.
Everyone may want to forget that Smith coached the program into the ground for two years, but Bell was a bright spot in an otherwise dark era.
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