STARKVILLE — For Mississippi State football coach Jeff Lebby, adding Jimmy Bell Jr. to the roster was an obvious move.

A 6-foot-10, 280-pound former offensive tackle who has the athleticism to play SEC basketball? Lebby didn't need much convincing.

"He's a giant," Lebby said Thursday. "Natural length, big guy. Big people have tended to have success in this game. That's where it starts."

Bell joined spring ball on Thursday - more than two weeks after the Bulldogs started practice on March 19.

Bell spent the 2023-2024 season playing for coach Chris Jans on MSU's basketball team. He transferred to the Bulldogs from West Virginia where he had a brief stint with the Mountaineers' football team during spring practice.

Since he never took the field for West Virginia, Bell is expected to have a season of football eligibility remaining despite exhausting his basketball eligibility.

"We'll get him some good work," Lebby said. "We're going to take some baby steps with him and make sure we're setting him up for success. It'll be a little bit slower of a process than some others guys with, obviously, him coming off the hardwood. Love the fact that he wants to be out here after a long season. He's ready to get out there and get going. It says a lot about him."

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Will this become a regularity between the programs? Forward Cameron Matthews, whose strength and athleticism was put on display with a emphatic dunk against Tennessee in the SEC Tournament, would seem to be a top target. However, Lebby is trying to keep boundaries.

"I don't want Jans mad at me," Lebby joked.

Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, @skrajisnik3.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi State football: Jimmy Bell Jr reaction from Jeff Lebby