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          On The Trail

          UA jersey tour: Abdul Bello

          • Derek Tyson, RecruitingNationOct 30, 2014, 04:40 PM ET
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            • SEC recruiting reporter
            • Joined ESPN in 2011
            • Attended Northwood University
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          MONTVERDE, Fla. -- ESPN 300 offensive tackle Abdul Bello was presented with his Under Armour All-America Game jersey Wednesday afternoon in a ceremony sponsored by American Family Insurance. It's quite an accomplishment for Bello, who moved to the United States just over a year ago and started playing football for the first time last year.

          The No. 6 offensive tackle in the ESPN 300 and the 68th-ranked player overall said he felt honored to be selected to one of the top all-star games in the country.

          "It’s such an honor to me,” Bello said. “It’s such a prestigious game, where only the big-time players go. I also want to thank ESPN, Under Armour and American Family Insurance for inviting me to the game."

          Bello has been committed to Florida State since July and hasn’t wavered. In fact, the four-star lineman said he won’t take any other visits despite still being recruited by several schools.

          "Florida, Missouri, LSU and Auburn sometimes still try to talk to me,” Bello said. "They are still recruiting me, but I don’t think I will visit anywhere. I love the school; I feel really good about it. I see myself playing there next year. I feel good about the coaching staff. Anywhere I go, I know I’m going to improve, but I know I will improve my technique there. Coach [Rick] Trickett is one of the main reasons I’m going there."

          Five questions with Abdul Bello

          If you could start a team with one other recruit in this class, who would it be?

          Bello: Byron Cowart. He’s like a very good football player. I went against him a couple of times and he’s really really good. I would love to go against him again in practice. I feel like if I work with someone like that, I’ll get really really good. He’s athletic, he’s smart and he’s big and strong. I like the way he plays.

          What is your first memory of playing American football?

          Bello: My first memory is when I came over from Nigeria and I tried to put on my shoulder pads and I didn’t know how to do it, so I put them on upside down and backwards. My teammates where laughing, so my coaches had to come tell me they were on the wrong way. Also, when I first started, guys would get by me and my coach would say, 'Don’t let your guy get a sack,' and I was like, 'Sack?' Because in Nigeria, a sack is like a bag or sack full of food or groceries. So I didn’t understand. I do now, though.

          Has the language barrier been difficult?

          Bello: Yeah, my English is pretty bad. I’m from Nigeria, so my voice kind of shakes. I have a Nigerian accent, so speaking and writing is sometimes hard for me. But I'm getting better at it.

          What are you looking forward to the most at during the Under Armour week?

          Bello: I’m looking forward to improving more. Every time I go to one of these camps, I just want to improve on my footwork and my run-blocking. It’s good right now, but I want to improve on everything and ask a lot of questions. I’m going to be going against the top guys in college very soon, so I want to improve as much as I can before then.

          What is something about yourself not many people would know?

          Bello: When I was little, people would say I’m too fat, I can’t run, I can’t this or I can’t that. But I’ve always been strong. So when they would say you’re too fat, I would say to myself, 'What can I do about that?' So I would get up at five o’clock and go to the stadium in Nigeria and run like 13 laps around the track. So I started doing boxing because I thought it would help me. At first it was hell, it was hell, but I kept on pushing so boxing gave me this quick fix. But it has really helped my feet and how quick my feet are and my quick hands. When I’m playing football, I use some of the boxing technique. When I pass set, I don’t just block you, I block and bend you to the ground. I just use some boxing technique in football. It’s really helped me a lot.