By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Veteran recruiting analyst Tom Lemming made it a point recently to visit St. Thomas More School in Oakdale, Connecticut because he was eager to evaluate one specific player – cornerback Charles “CJ” Bell.

“The coach brought out like ten guys, but I was there to see CJ,” Lemming said Monday in a telephone interview.

Lemming liked what he saw in the 6-foot-1, 170-pound Bell, as have the Iowa coaches.

Bell, who is from Massachusetts, announced his commitment to Iowa Monday afternoon on X, which was formerly known as Twitter.

He picked the Hawkeyes over a long and impressive list of scholarship offers from schools that include Notre Dame, Penn State, Wisconsin, Rutgers and Tennessee among others.

“He’s a real good player,” Lemming said. “I gave him four stars. I like him a lot.”

Asked what he likes specifically about Bell, Lemming said:

“He’s a quick-twitch athlete with exceptionally good body control and balance. He’s very loose hipped. He’s got all the tools to be an outstanding corner. When you have a guy with that height, 6-1, that’s great height for a corner. So, he’s a legit four-star player.”

Bell will also have Phil Parker as his position coach at Iowa and as his defensive coordinator in college.

Parker is considered one of the best defensive coaches in college football. He was also a former All-Big Ten safety for Michigan State in the 1980s.

“Phil’s one of the best coaches around,” Lemming said. “So, that means the kid is almost like a lock. If he’s got the work ethic and Parker as his coach, he could be a number one draft choice. He’s that good.”

Bell is the 11th player to commit to Iowa’s 2025 recruiting class and the third in the past 24 hours.

Offensive linemen Cameron Herron and Lucas Allgeyer both committed to Iowa on Sunday.

All three players took official visits to Iowa this past weekend.

“Cam Herron is better than a lot of people think,” Lemming said. “He plays both ways. I liked him first on defense. But he could be a defensive tackle or an offensive guard. He’s, I think, one of the top ten players in Indiana.

Lemming also likes Allgeyer’s potential.

“Lucas has got great height,” Lemming said of the 6-6 Allgeyer, who is from St. Louis. “He’s not there yet, but no one does a better job of developing offensive lineman than Kirk Ferentz. So, Lucas is a guy you could put another forty or fifty pounds on him. He’s got a good frame. He’s just not big and strong yet, weight-wise. He’s got height.

“He’s got real good feet. He’s a good athlete for a big guy. And he’s a perfect guy for Iowa so they can put weight on him.”

2025 Iowa Verbal Commitments 

Joey VanWetzinga (OL/DL, Pleasant Valley)

Burke Gautcher (LB, Illinois)

Carson Cooney (LB, Illinois)

Jimmy Sullivan (QB, Indiana)

Eli Johnson (TE, Wisconsin)

Thomas Meyer (TE, Clear Lake)

Drew MacPherson (S, Illinois)

Mason Woods (TE, Iowa City West)

Cameron Herron, (OL, Indianapolis)

Lucas Allgeyer, (OL, St. Louis)

Charles “C.J.” Bell, (DB, Connecticut)