No. 2 QB in 2026 class, son of 12-year NBA veteran returns to Penn State football

The Penn State football team has locked in plenty of official and unofficial visits starting this weekend and going throughout the summer. Quarterbacks are hard to come by in the college football world. Especially, landing one of the top prospects over the larger schools with more resources. This weekend the Nittany Lions have a chance to make a big impression on 2026 recruiting class QB Dia Bell who is the son of NBA veteran Raja Bell.

No. 2 QB in 2026, son of 12-year NBA vet returns to Penn State

Dia Bell was most recently on campus at the end of October as he attended a game on an unofficial visit. Now, several months later Bell will return to campus after growing significantly in notoriety. Bell is currently the No. 1 player in Florida and the No. 2 QB in the 2026 recruiting class. The Fort Lauderdale, FL native currently holds a four-star ranking according to the On3 Industry Rankings. 

Bell has now announced that he will be on campus today for an unofficial visit. The timing couldn’t be better for the Penn State football team. In the past month, he has picked up offers from LSU, Texas, and Ohio State. If Penn State wants to continue to be part of this recruiting effort they need to make a great impression this weekend.

Excited to be back in Happy Valley with @PennStateFball tomorrow! #WeAre pic.twitter.com/xX1GGCoD4K

— Dia Bell 2026 QB (@DiaBell3QB1) March 23, 2024

The son of NBA veteran Raja Bell

Dia Bell is the son of Raja Bell who played in the NBA for 12 seasons. He played his college basketball at Boston University and FIU before turning pro where he played in the CBA before making it to the NBA.

During his NBA career Bell played for the 76ers, Mavericks, Jazz, Sun, Hornets, and the Warriors. He averaged 9.9 points per game and 2.8 rebounds per game throughout his NBA career and was named to the All-Defensive team twice in his career.

When speaking about his father to Sports Illustrated, Dia Bell said, “My dad always encouraged me to play all sports so I could figure out what I liked the best.  I played soccer, baseball, tennis, basketball, and football when I was younger. My dad said that he would support me in whatever my passion was. Sports or not.”

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