Penn State Football: Top-25 players of the James Franklin Era
By Brad Weiss
Penn State Football: Top-25 players of the James Franklin Era
Nittany Lions . Brandon Bell. 23. player. 806. . Linebacker
Brandon Bell played both running back and linebacker in high school coming out of the state of New Jersey, but it would be his play at linebacker at Penn State that lands him on our list at No. 22. Bell got some playing time as a true freshman back in 2013, but he really got his career going once Franklin arrived in Happy Valley.
Starting ten games as a sophomore, Bell had the first interception of his career against Rutgers and would finish the season with seven tackles for a loss. His best game, as would be the norm during his career, would be against Ohio State that season, where he racked up 13 tackles, en route to a sophomore campaign that saw him finish with 47 stops.
As a junior, Bell became one of the best players on this team and played a key role in the Nittany Lions upset victory over Ohio State the following season, racking up 19 tackles against the Buckeyes. He seemingly always played his best football in the biggest of situations, and he was another player who was key in getting this Penn State football program back from the dead during the second half of the 2010s.