Chris Bell will weigh jump to NFL vs. return to NSU

NORFOLK

Norfolk State receiver Chris Bell will test the NFL waters before deciding whether to return for his senior season, coach Pete Adrian said Monday.

"He and I talked about it, and he's going to investigate it," Adrian said. "I don't blame him for doing it."

The NFL's advisory committee each year provides evaluations to underclassmen considering entering the draft. The deadline for declaring for the 2010 draft is Jan. 15.

Bell, a junior from Granby High, caught 51 passes for 958 yards and 13 touchdowns for the Spartans, who finished the season 7-4 after a win over Winston-Salem State on Saturday. He led the MEAC in receiving yards per game and touchdowns and was second in receptions.

"He certainly was the most dominant receiver in this league," Adrian said.

Bell, 22, played two years at Penn State before transferring to NSU, where he sat out last season. Adrian said Bell is in good standing academically.

One Web site, cbssports.com, rates him the 15th-best receiver in the class of 2011, and projects him as a fourth-round pick in that draft.

Adrian ready for busy recruiting season

The games may have ended Saturday, but another season is just getting into high gear: recruiting season.

"Recruiting never stops, but now we get into it full-time," Adrian said.

Adrian plans to bring in a 15-player class, heavy on offensive and defensive linemen. He's also wants to add two quarterbacks, one of them possibly a transfer. Starter Dennis Brown is graduating and back-up Dexter Merritt recently had a second knee surgery.

Adrian said he doesn't expect to bring in more than three transfers, though there could be a glut on the market. In addition to the usual Football Bowl Subdivision and junior college transfers, players from Winston-Salem State and Northeastern will be looking to relocate. Winston-Salem abandoned plans to move up to the Football Championship Subdivision level, and Northeastern announced it's dropping football.

Quick kicks

Brown, safety Terrell Whitehead and kicker Justin Castellat have been selected to play in the Dec. 18 HBCU Bowl in Montgomery, Ala. The game showcases players from Historically Black Colleges and Universities for NFL scouts.... Whitehead, a Kempsville grad, was named MEAC defensive Player of the Week for the second week in a row. The senior intercepted a pass in the first quarter and returned it 58-yards for a TD against Winston-Salem. He also forced and recovered a fumble and made four tackles.