Sources tell Dave Campbell’s Texas Football that Texas State defensive end Ben Bell is contemplating a redshirt for the 2024 season to preserve a year of eligibility. He did not play in the Week 5 loss to Sam Houston. Bell isn't 100 percent healthy and would've likely missed the Sam Houston game regardless of the redshirt decision. 

Bell has played in three games this season while recording 12 tackles, including six tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. He can only play in one more game this season if he wants to keep a redshirt because players can participate in four games without burning it. 

Bell is one of the best defensive ends in the G5 ranks. The 6-2, 255-pound Cedar Park graduate began his college career at La Tech before he and his brother, Ben, transferred to Texas State prior to the 2022 season. He was an All-Sun Belt Second Team selection last season as a junior. 

Sources tell DCTF that Bell is still mulling through his options. He hasn’t completed decided to redshirt or play the rest of the season. Some of the decision will be made by how quickly he returns to full health. Some of it likely depends on the types of offers he receives to play elsewhere in 2025. 

This could be a growing trend in college football with NIL. G5 stars such as Bell, who may not have the prototypical NFL body or speed, might not have a bigger earning opportunity on the football field than their final season(s) of college football. UNLV quarterback Matthew Sluka leave UNLV over an NIL dispute. The source says the Bell decision is not an NIL dispute, but the possibility of preserving a year after 2024. 

Stay tuned for more updates on a fluid situation. Keff Ciardello first reported Bell's possible redshirt.