LaMarcus “Bam” Bell has been running through defenses for a very long time.

But in his latest move, Bell – an incoming senior running back on the Lake Oswego football team – made his longest run yet, a run that will take him all the way to Utah.

On Tuesday, June 10, Bell – the reigning Three Rivers League and Class 6A Player of the Year – announced his commitment to the University of Utah football program.

“It feels great, just being able to settle down and lock down my spot for the future takes so much stress off of me,” said Bell, a 5-foot-11, 190-pound, three-star recruit and MaxPreps Junior All-America second-team selection.

Longtime Lake Oswego football coach Steve Coury said he thinks that Utah will be a great fit for Bell.

“If you look back at the running backs they’ve had and they’ve got, his style of running back – a physical guy that runs downhill and catches the ball out of the backfield – I think it fits with what he’s doing,” Coury said. “I think he’ll find his way into playing there. It’s a great program.”

Bell said that Utah’s family atmosphere played the biggest part in his decision to head to Salt Lake City.

“The family feeling they have there, the coaches’ and players’ bonds are so genuine, it just feels like one big family,” Bell said, adding that running backs coach Mark Atuaia has a plan to integrate him quickly. “That’s a plan I definitely want to complete with him.”

Coury believes that Bell has what it takes to compete at the next level.

“He’s a very powerful runner,” Coury said, also noting Bell’s good speed and nose for the end zone. “He’s the kind of running back that’ll break through tackles, and once he heads downhill, he’s going to be a tough guy to tackle. “That’s probably the biggest thing that he’s got going for him.”

Bell, still just 16 years old and on the verge of his final season as a Laker, is coming off a stellar 2024 campaign that saw him rush 189 times for 1,666 yards (an average of 8.81 yards per carry) and 28 touchdowns.

Despite his modest playing time in some of Lake Oswego’s blowout victories, Bell averaged almost 139 yards per game as the Lakers won the TRL and advanced to the 6A state championship game before falling to West Linn.

With his commitment now settled, Bell said he is ready for big things in 2025.

“Definitely, (the goal is) to win it all, get that state championship that we have always wanted,” Bell said.