"I knew it was the right place for me," Bell said. "I knew it was the place I wanted to be, a great institution with a great football program."
Bell said he had 12 scholarship offers and seriously considered committing to Rutgers. He said he made several visits to Rutgers.
Bell said he was impressed with Penn State coach Bill O'Brien, as well as linebackers coach Ron Vanderlinden.
Bell is rated by scout.com as the No. 13 linebacker in the class of 2013. Rivals.com ranks him as the No. 36 linebacker in the class.
"In all my years he's one of the few players I've seen who can dominant the game from the defensive side," Oakcrest coach Chuck Smith said. "He's that much of a force on the field. Brandon is a great person with tremendous core values."
Lions recruit injured
Adam Breneman, a Penn State recruit for the class of 2013, suffered a knee injury Thursday, according to several web reports.
Breneman, who will be a senior at Cedar Cliff High in the fall and is considered one of the top tight end recruits in the country, confirmed the injury in a text message to Lions 247, a website that specializes in Penn State sports.
"Since the rumors are out, I guess I'll make a statement. At our 7v7 today I did suffer a knee injury. We are unsure how minor or severe it is. Doctor Bixler said it could be very minor or it could be ACL. We should know in the next 24 hours after I get an MRI."
Contact staff writer Phil Anastasia at 856-779-3223, panastasia@phillynews.com, or on Twitter @PhilAnastasia. Read his blog, "Jersey Side Sports," at www.philly.com/jerseysidesports
The Daily News contributed to this article.
