Naperville North quarterback Jacob Bell was not satisfied with his junior season.
After two years of sitting behind Aidan Gray, who then went to Northwestern, Bell finally got his chance to start. It could have gone better, in his view.
“It was a kind of an underwhelming offense,” Bell said. “My stats didn’t exactly jump out on paper.
“I knew it was time to take charge of our offense and really make a statement as a quarterback and really make history at my school.”
Bell, the 2024 Naperville Sun Football Player of the Year, did exactly that. Long touted as a rising star, he went supernova as a senior this past season, completing 250 of 396 passes for 3,075 yards and 38 touchdowns with seven interceptions in 10 games. He also had six rushing touchdowns.
“The skill set hasn’t changed,” Naperville North coach Sean Drendel said. “The maturity changed tremendously. He became a real student of the game in understanding of situations and when is a good time to do things.
“We gave him a lot, and the more we gave him, the more he took.”
That started in the offseason, when Bell worked to gain chemistry with his talented receiving corps. He also did his homework.
“I learned the importance of film and more so how to watch film,” he said. “Last year, I was watching a lot of film, studying teams, but a big part of it was what I’m looking for, what keys and looks to take into account.
“This year, I felt like I got a lot better at that. I was a lot more confident in the pocket, kind of had a better idea of where they were going to be, where the weak spots were, things like that.”
Bell, a Ball State recruit, found nearly every weak spot in opposing defenses. Just ask Homewood-Flossmoor, which gave up nine touchdowns to Bell — seven passing and two rushing — during Naperville North’s 63-62 double-overtime win on Oct. 18.
But it was the way Bell moved the ball which most impressed Drendel.
“Just the wanting to make the big play, but also understanding that sometimes making the big play was taking the easy play and not making it bigger than it needed to be,” Drendel said. “He just matured tremendously, having faith in what we were doing and how we were doing it. That’s a credit to him, and he had a great group of wide receivers.
“We had a good tight end, and we protected him well. Only getting sacked 18 times when you go back to throw about 450 times is a pretty amazing feat.”
That gave Bell time to light up defenses and amaze the fans.
“I feel like I had an answer for a lot of different looks that were thrown at me by defenses,” he said. “I knew when to take what they give me and when we had a chance to take a shot and throw one up to Quinn (Morris) and see what happens.
“Last year, I feel like I had not as good of an understanding of that, and this year, I kind of took charge. I was fine with taking the 3- to 5-yard pass to put together some nice long drives.”
Bell didn’t just take charge in the huddle. He was a consummate leader in every respect.
“Jacob is who you look for,” Naperville North senior cornerback Zach Mally said. “He works extremely hard at everything he does.”
That was vital for the Huskies.
“Last year, he didn’t have the season that he wanted,” Mally said. “He had to get better for himself and the team, so he put his head down to work the whole offseason, going to the field as much as we could as a group, just getting that chemistry with all the receivers.
“At practice, he’s pushing everyone to get better. He’s a great leader, a great teammate and just overall a great player and someone you would want on your roster.”
Bell is satisfied with the time he spent on Naperville North’s roster.
“I can honestly say I gave it my all,” he said. “Some guys aren’t even blessed to get two years starting on varsity. I’m definitely grateful for that.
“And then finishing off my senior year, I had to make history for my family name, my two little brothers that are coming in after me.”
Mission accomplished for Bell.
“He is exactly what you’d want a kid to be and more, how he carries himself, how he treats people,” Drendel said. “He was tremendous at everything.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
