Life 'coming full circle' as Oklahoma State football recruits former star Tatum Bell's son
FRISCO, Texas — Oklahoma is not Tatum Bell Jr.’s home state.
He grew up in Colorado until the family moved to Texas four years ago. Yet when he makes a visit to the Oklahoma State football facility in Stillwater, he feels a connection.
“It’s amazing, going up to OSU all the time and being around all those people and the coach and staff,” Bell told The Oklahoman. “Hearing stories and seeing things about my dad and what he did at OSU, it makes me see what I could possibly do in the future.”
His father, of course, is Tatum Bell Sr., who starred for the Cowboys from 2000-2003, leading the team in rushing for three of those seasons before a five-year NFL career in which he rushed for nearly 2,800 yards.
He still holds a spot in OSU’s top 10 for career yards at OSU with 3,409. The school has had 25 1,000-yard rushing seasons, and he claims two of them.
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Tatum Jr. is now at the tail end of his sophomore year at Frisco Heritage High School, and his college recruiting began to pick up steam after his breakout season last fall in which the 5-foot-11, 180-pound receiver had 767 yards and nine touchdowns on 45 catches.
Texas Tech was the first to offer in late December, followed by TCU, Houston and Colorado State in January.
Then, in mid-February, Oklahoma State entered the fray.
Tatum Jr. only recently turned 16 years old, so he’s not in a rush to make a college decision. And his father is simply providing guidance based on the experiences of his past in high school, college and the NFL.
“All we got in this life is choices, so make the right choices,” Tatum Sr. said. “I just try to teach him what I learned along the way, teach him to be accountable. Your word is all you got. So when we commit to somebody, that’s where we’re gonna be. Just be locked in on your decision.”
Tatum Sr. came out of the Texas football powerhouse of DeSoto High School, and he feels the family’s return to Texas has benefited his son’s growth. The family had lived in the Denver area after Tatum Sr. finished his NFL career that was spent mostly with the Broncos.
But they settled in Frisco prior to Tatum Jr.’s seventh-grade year.
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“Colorado, I would say, is watered down compared to Texas,” Tatum Sr. said. “They don’t have spring football. There’s a lot of stuff that factors in. Texas just has more athletes and more dogs. I’m so happy we moved back here and he’s getting to experience that, because I feel like if you come out of Texas, you can play anywhere.”
Tatum Sr. relied on his father in the recruiting process, and is happy to be in that role with his son.
“It’s coming full circle now,” he said. “I’m in that same role now, being actively involved in it. It’s just fun seeing what we’ve been working for come to light now.”
Tatum Jr. is also a basketball player and sprinter on the track team, but he also stays busy on the 7-on-7 circuit. With plenty to keep him busy, he sees no need to rush his college decision.
“We’ve talked about wanting to get into college early so I can go through spring and get used to the college rhythm,” Tatum Jr. said. “So I’ll probably commit around next spring, after my junior year.”
Tatum Jr. shows the agility to be an inside receiver and the speed and ball skills to be on the outside — even if he isn’t quite as quick as dad was in his day.
“I was faster,” Tatum Sr. said with a smile. “That’s the only thing I have on him. He has more wiggle than me. He has better hands than me. He’s a better basketball player than me. I was better on the track.
“But football, he’s way ahead of me at this age.”
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State football recruits Tatum Bell's son in 2026 class
