The similarities are so obvious, Los Angeles Chargers fans have already given Jimmy Bell Jr. a nickname.
Antonio Gates 2.0.
Bell just hopes the comparisons continue all the way to the Hall of Fame.
Bell, who played football and basketball for two seasons at Saginaw Arthur Hill High School, signed as an undrafted free agent Saturday with the Chargers despite never playing a down of college football.
“When I signed, a lot of Chargers’ fans were posting about it and calling me Antonio Gates 2.0,” Bell said. “We kind of had the same path to get here.
“It’s funny, because I was talking to his son (Antonio Gates Jr.) last summer because he was in the transfer portal. It was just kind of a meet-and-greet thing. I was talking to him about basketball. We never talked about football.”
After starting out at Michigan State and Eastern Michigan University, Gates played college basketball for two years at Kent State, where he led the Golden Flashes to two MAC championships and an NCAA tournament run that ended in the Elite Eight.
But instead of pursuing an NBA career, Gates went to an NFL tryout and signed with the Chargers as an undrafted free agent. He played 15 years for the Chargers, setting team records in receptions (955) and receiving yards (11,841).
Gates, who went to Detroit Central High School, is a member of the 2025 Football Hall of Fame class.
There is one difference. While Gates played tight end, the 6-foot-9, 335-pound Bell heads to rookie camp as an offensive tackle.
“Football has always been my first love,” Bell said. “I transitioned to basketball because I was so tall. At the time, I was so young, so tall. Basketball just took over.”
Bell, 24, played both varsity basketball and football at Arthur Hill his first two years of high school. But after his sophomore season, Bell transferred to Bella Vista prep school in Colorado, where he dropped 80 pounds to play as a 290-pound center.
He played in 154 career games in college, starting 114, at St. Louis, Moberly Area Junior College, West Virginia and Mississippi State. Bell finished with 491 points, 479 rebounds, 50 assists, 49 blocked shots and 44 steals.
His final game came in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, falling to Michigan State in the first round, 69-51. Bell came off the bench, scoring two points with one rebound.
But his pro dreams did not go away, although his focus shifted.
“When I went to West Virginia, I got a call from the football team after the basketball season, and I ended up doing spring camp with them,” Bell said. “When I transferred to Mississippi State, I did another year of spring camp with their football team.
“Football was always there in the back of my mind.”
Bell, who graduated with his Master of Business Administration degree in 2024, jumped into football mode after his final basketball game.
“I basically just took a year off to get ready for NFL Pro Day … just straight football training,” Bell said. “I played basketball at 280, but I’m up to 335. I still look at pictures of me in high school, 370 pounds and still a baby.
“I’m eating more protein instead of greens to add muscle … a lot of chicken, a lot of fish. My body has more muscle. It’s more agile.”
NFL scouts noticed.
“I had a good pro day, but I wouldn’t say it was crazy, but the scout who called me was the same scout who talked to me at my pro day,” Bell said. “He told me they were going to sign me. Other teams were interested and were calling my agent.
“They liked my size, but the big thing is my feet. Everybody says I have good feet because I played basketball. But even when I played football in high school, I’ve always had good feet.”
Bell is the second Saginaw product to find an NFL opportunity through Mississippi State. Brian Cole, from Saginaw Heritage, played at Mississippi State and was picked by the Minnesota Vikings in the seventh round of the 2020 draft.
He will spend the next week preparing for the Chargers’ rookie mini-camp from May 8-11, trying to get rid of any butterflies that still exist.
“It still feels kind of different,” Bell said. “I’m not really nervous though. I’ve been training for the past year for this moment. I’m just going to take all of my training and do the best I can.”
And he knows it can be done. He doesn’t have look far to find an example. Antonio Gates went to Detroit Central High School, approximately 100 miles from Saginaw.
“I didn’t even realize he was from Michigan too,” Bell said. “All the similarities are kind of weird, but in a good way. He had a great career. Hopefully, I can do the same.”
