Bell attended
Fairview High School in
Boulder, Colorado, where he was a three-sport star in
football,
track and
basketball. In football, Bell helped Fairview High to a 12–1 record and a state semi-final appearance in 2009. As a junior, Bell earned first-team All-Front Range League honors, playing
wingback and rushing for 958 yards and 12
touchdowns. As a senior, Bell caught 18 passes for 328 yards and three touchdowns, and added an interception and
kickoff return for a touchdown. He missed much of the season with an injury, but scored five touchdowns in his first five games back in action. Despite his limited action, Bell's impact was recognized, as he was a first-team All-Colorado selection and first-team Class 5A All-state pick by
The Denver Post. In basketball, Bell helped his team to the state title game as a senior. Also a standout track & field athlete, Bell was one of the state's top performers in both the sprinting and jumping events. In the
long jump, he posted a personal-best leap of 7.62 meters (24–9), while in the
high jump he had a best of 2.02 meters (6–7.25). He also ran the
100-meter dash in 10.8 seconds. Bell was ranked among the top 10 players in the state of
Colorado, and was rated as a three-star recruit by
Rivals.com. Bell committed to play
college football at Nebraska after also visiting
Minnesota and
Texas Tech. He also had offers from several other schools, including
Colorado,
Cal,
Arizona and
Arizona State. ==College career==