A lot of people have kept their eyes on KJ throughout the preseason, and I think he’s got the ability to be the distributor the Chargers’ offense needs to maximize their high-level potential this year. A big key in this game is not to turn the football over. Burns on offense will try to run the ball and control time of possession, so possessions in this game are going to be treasured and can’t be wasted with bad decisions.

Bell moves from Kings Mountain to Crest, and the ultra-talented, multi-sport athlete could put up massive numbers for the Chargers. He’s a high-upside quarterback with early starting experience and a big arm. In Crest’s quarterback-friendly system, expect fireworks from the rising junior.

Coming over from the rival Kings Mountain Mountaineers, KJ is projected to slot into the starting quarterback role. He will be filling some big shoes, as the previous starting quarterback, Ely Hamrick, played well in leading them to a state title last season. Hamrick moved on to play college football for the Virginia Cavaliers. KJ has some college-level traits – a strong arm, good athleticism, and he’s a multi-sport athlete, so expect him to show some dual-threat abilities in the Chargers’ offensive attack. KJ will have multiple threats in the passing game, and that’s going to be important as the Chargers figure out who will be their main running threats on the ground offensively.

KJ just made a big move, going from Kings Mountain to Crest High School for his junior year, and he will have a lot of talent to work with in the Chargers’ offensive attack. KJ has some excellent traits and a strong arm from the quarterback position, and it will be fun to see if the hometown college in Gardner-Webb pulls the trigger on an offer. Outside of that, I’m interested to see how KJ has developed so far this offseason, also.

It was a tough choice on who #5 would be out of this group of players, but I settled on KJ, who has the physical look and attributes of a player who is just starting to see how good he can become. This past season, KJ threw for 2100 yards and 21 touchdown passes with a new offensive coordinator, and his projected starting running back was hurt for most of the season. I think that’s pretty impressive for a player really going into his first full year as a varsity starter. KJ picked up an early offer from Gardner-Webb and has had some college interest since then, but I think it’s only a matter of time before that picks up some more. KJ is not a dual-threat player, but he shows some ability to throw on the run, and I think he’ll develop that side of his game as he continues to grow.

Bell has FBS size and arm talent and wasted no time adjusting to the varsity level in his first year as a full-time starter. He generates a ton of velocity with minimal effort, with a smooth throwing motion. We were impressed with his touch and ability to layer balls between coverages, making him the ideal candidate for a college spread system.

Bell is a multi-sport athlete who may consider making football the main priority in the future, because he has some crazy upside as a quarterback. He has elite size and controls his body well through a repeatable throwing motion. He’s not often asked to make complex reads, but when things break down, he can usually find a solution and deliver with accuracy.