LE’VEON BELL
Running Back
Michigan State University Spartans
6-1 – 244
Columbus, Ohio
Groveport Madison High School
2nd Round – 48th Overall
CAREER NOTES
Bell appeared in 40 games for Michigan State, starting his final 19 contests…Carried 671 times for 3,346 yards (4.99 avg.) and 33 touchdowns for the Spartans…Caught 78 passes for 531 yards (6.81 avg.) and one TD…Added 219 yards on 11 kickoff returns (19.91 avg.), 18 yards on three punt returns and completed his only pass attempt for 29 yards…Scored 204 points and 34 touchdowns…Touched the ball 763 times for 4,114 all-purpose yards, the ninth-best total in school history, and averaged 102.85 yards per game…His rushing attempts rank sixth in school history…His 3,346 rushing yards rank seventh in school annals…Bell’s 33 rushing touchdowns stand sixth on the MSU all-time record chart…His 34 total touchdowns are tied for fifth in school annals…In 19 starts, Bell rushed 477 times for 2,309 yards (4.84 avg.) and 19 touchdowns to average 121.53 yards per game…In three bowl games, Bell gained 206 yards on 53 carries (3.89 avg.)…Michigan State went 18-3 (.857) when Bell scored at least one rushing TD (2010: 5-0; 2011: 7-1; and 2012: 6-2).
2012 SEASON
Bell was named to the All-America Super Sleeper Team by The NFL Draft Report, a squad consisting of the most underrated player in college football at each position…Added All-America honorable mention from Sports Illustrated and received fourth-team accolades from Phil Steele…The consensus All-Big Ten Conference first-team choice and Doak Walker Award semifinalist was the recipient of the College Football Performance Awards Elite Running Back Trophy; winners of the award are selected exclusively based upon objective scientific rankings of the extent to which individual players increase the overall effectiveness of their teams…Voted Most Valuable Player (Governor’s Award) by his teammates…Won the Big Ten rushing title, averaging 137.92 yards per game, the third-best mark in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision…Became the first Spartan to win the Big Ten overall rushing title since Tico Duckett in 1990…Totaled 1,793 rushing yards, the second-most in a season in MSU history and the fifth-most in the nation in 2012…Ranked first in the FBS in carries (382) the third-most in program history and fourth-most in the Big Ten record book…Ran for 12 touchdowns and scored 78 points…Totaled 32 receptions for 167 yards (5.22 avg.) with one TD…Added 46 kickoff-return yards on four attempts, 18 punt-return yards on three attempts and also completed a pass attempt for 29 yards (vs. Texas Christian)…Finished second in the conference and 14th in the nation with 155.69 all-purpose yards per game…His 2,024 all-purpose yards rank fourth on the school season-record chart…Became the 13th player in school history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season…Gained 922 of his 1,793 rushing yards (51.42 percent) after contact, which ranked first among all NCAA FBS running backs…Broke 16 tackles…Recorded eight 100-yard rushing games, the second-most by a Spartan in one season…One of just four players in the FBS in 2012 to record three 200-yard rushing games…Became just the second Spartan to record three 200-yard rushing games in a season…During the 2012 regular season, named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week three times – vs. Boise State; Eastern Michigan; Minnesota…The Columbus, Ohio, native produced the top single-game total in the NCAA FBS this season for carries (44 vs. Boise State) and eighth-most rushing yards (266 vs. Minnesota)…Carried 32 times for 133 yards vs. Northwestern…Gained 188 yards on 36 carries and scored two touchdowns vs. Nebraska…With 77 yards on 21 carries in MSU’s 16-13 overtime victory at Wisconsin, eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards for the first time in his career, becoming the 13th running back (21 times overall occurrences) in Spartan history to record a 1,000-yard rushing season. His first career touchdown reception came on a 5-yard shovel pass from Andrew Maxwell with 1:08 left in the fourth quarter and sent the game into overtime…Rushed 29 times for 140 yards and one TD vs. Iowa…Rushed for a game-high 121 yards on 37 attempts in MSU’s 31-27 win at Indiana. The 37 rushing attempts were the second-most in his career (44 vs. Boise State)…Set career highs for receptions (eight) and receiving yards (58) in a 17-16 loss to Ohio State…Earned Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors after rushing for 253 yards on 36 attempts with one TD vs. Eastern Michigan. His 253 yards mark the seventh-highest single-game rushing total in school history…Scored on first-half runs of one and seven yards as MSU gained a
24-0 halftime lead en route to a 41-7 win at Central Michigan…Named CBS Sports Heisman Player of the Week and Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for 210 yards on a career-best 44 carries vs. Boise State. His 210 rushing yards were the most by a Big Ten running back in a season opener since Purdue’s Ralph Bolden in 2009 (234 vs. Toledo) and the most by a Spartan in an opener since T.J. Duckett in 2000 (219 vs. Marshall). He also had six catches for
55 yards vs. the Broncos…Rushed 35 times for a career-high 266 yards – the most by a Big Ten player this season – and a touchdown vs. Minnesota as the Spartans became bowl eligible for a school-record sixth consecutive season. Bell was named CFPA National Running Back of the Week and Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week for his career day vs. the Gophers. His 266 rushing yards are the sixth-highest single-game total in MSU history. He carried the ball eight consecutive plays for 51 yards and capped an 11-play, 57-yard drive with an eight-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter that iced the game for the Spartans. Accounted for a career-best 275 all-purpose yards – the ninth-best single-game total in MSU history – vs. Minnesota…Selected Offensive Player of the Game after accounting for 187 combined yards (rushing, passing and receiving) in the Spartans’ 17-16 come-from-behind win over Texas Christian in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl. He carried 32 times for 145 yards vs. the Horned Frogs with 107 of those rushing yards coming in the second half including a four-yard touchdown run that gave MSU its first lead at 14-13 with 7:00 left in the fourth quarter. His 32 rushing attempts and 145 rushing yards mark the fifth-highest single-game bowl totals in Spartan history. He became the first Spartan back to post a 100-yard rushing game in a bowl since Javon Ringer carried 21 times for 101 yards vs. Boston College in the 2007 Champs Sports Bowl. Bell also completed a 29-yard pass to TyQuan Hammock to set up MSU’s first touchdown and caught two passes for 13 yards.
2011 SEASON
Bell was named All-Big Ten Conference honorable mention by the league’s coaches and media…College Football News selected him to their Sophomore All-America team (honorable mention) and he was the recipient of his team’s Most Outstanding Underclass Back Award for offense…Led the Spartans and ranked eighth in the Big Ten in rushing with 948 yards on 182 carries (5.21 avg.)…Started the Spartans’ final six games at tailback…Led the team and ranked fifth in the Big Ten in rushing touchdowns with 13, finishing 11th on the school’s season-record chart…Had a team-best 10 20-yard rushing attempts…Ranked second on the squad with 1,246 all-purpose yards (948 rushing, 267 receiving, 31 kickreturn)…Finished third on the team with 35 receptions for 267 yards (7.63 avg.)…After entering the starting lineup, Bell carried 95 times for 516 yards (5.43 avg.) and seven touchdowns and 86.00 yards per game…Rushed for 48 yards on 17 carries, including touchdown runs of eight yards and one yard, in the triple-overtime win over Georgia in the 2012 Outback Bowl and added five receptions for 39 yards. His one-yard touchdown vs. the Bulldogs with 14 seconds left in the fourth quarter sent the game into overtime…Recorded his second 100-yard rushing game of the season in the Big Ten Championship Game vs. Wisconsin, collecting 106 yards on 18 carries, including a six-yard score…Ran for 86 yards, including a seven-yard touchdown, on 16 carries at Northwestern…Named Spartan Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for 112 yards on 20 carries, including a 25-yard score vs. Iowa and posted two catches for 49 yards…Selected Spartan Co-Offensive Player of the Week after accounting for a season-high 165 all-purpose yards vs.Minnesota…Scored on a one-yard and 35-yard run and posted 15 carries for 96 yards and five receptions for 38 yards vs. the Gophers…Posted 114 all-purpose yards vs. Wisconsin, 87 yards on 16 attempts and four catches for 27 yards…Earned Spartan Offensive Player of the Week honors after tying his career high with three rushing touchdowns while leading MSU with 81 yards on eight attempts vs. Central Michigan.
2010 SEASON
Bell earned Big Ten Conference All-Freshman honors from ESPN.com and Rivals.com and was a midseason addition to the Doak Walker Award Watch List…Appeared in all 13 games as a true freshman…Ranked second on the team in carries (107), rushing yards (605) and rushing touchdowns (eight)…Averaged 5.65 yards per carry…28 of his attempts resulted in either a first down or a score, including three 20-yard attempts…Added 11 receptions for 97 yards (8.82 avg.) and six kickoff returns for 142 yards (23.67 avg.) and compiled 844 all-purpose yards (64.92 yards per game).
HIGH SCHOOL
Bell attended Madison (Groveport, Ohio) High School, where the lettered three times in football for head coach Tim Brown and also excelled in basketball and track and field…A teammate of former Michigan State and New York Jets safety Eric Smith, Bell first earned postseason honors as a sophomore as the All-Ohio Capital Conference second-team choice scored nine touchdowns with 789 rushing yards…The following season, he amassed 1,100 rushing yards with 13 TDs, to again earn All-OCC recognition…Bell’s senior campaign was his finest as he accounted for 1,750 all-purpose yards and 25 TDs…The Super Prep and Prep Star All-Midwest pick and first-team All-OCC pick carried 200 times for 1,333 yards (6.7 avg.) and 21 touchdowns …Bell rushed 30 times for a career-best 336 yards and four scores vs. Dublin Jerome and gained 228 yards and four TDs on 26 attempts vs. Marysville.
PERSONAL
Sociology major…Son of Lisa A. Bell…Born 2/18/92 in Reynoldsburg, Ohio…Resides in Columbus, Ohio.