$927,000 NIL-valued Longhorns commit Dia Bell follows DJ Lagway's path as he signs a lucrative NIL deal with major sports drink brand 

On Tuesday, Texas Longhorns 2026 Class QB recruit Dia Bell added a lucrative NIL deal to his roster. Steve Sarkisian's elite high school recruit signed an NIL deal with Pepsico owned sports drink brand Gatorade. The 2024 Gatorade Player of the Year follows dynamic Florida QB DJ Lagway, becoming the second athlete to sign a deal with Gatorade following a Gatorade POY win.

The deal is set to boost Bell's NIL value to a staggering $927,000. On3's NIL Instagram handle posted regarding the same.

"Texas 5-star QB commit Dia Bell has signed an NIL deal with Gatorade. Bell was the 2024 Florida Gatorade Player of the Year. He has a $927,000 On3 NIL Valuation," read the caption.

Among other NIL deals, Bell partnered with Leaf Trading Cards in August, believed to be one of the lucrative deals by a Florida High School athlete.

Dia Bell is the son of former NBA player Raja Bell, who played for the Philadelphia 76ers, Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, Charlotte Bobcats, and Golden State Warriors across 12 seasons.

Bell, a product of American Heritage (Florida), is ranked first in Florida and fifth among quarterbacks in the Class of 2026. On the national level, he is ranked No. 14 (On3) and has been invited to the Elite 11 Finals, which will take place in Los Angeles this summer.

During his junior year at American Heritage, he accumulated 2,597 yards and 29 touchdowns over 11 games. According to MaxPreps, Bell's high school stats were 4,916 yards, 53 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and 136.6 yards per game.

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After LSU, Ohio State and Alabama on hot trail, Dia Bell reaffirms his commitment to Steve Sarkisian's Longhorns.

Dia Bell committed to Steve Sarkisian's Longhorns in June via an X post.

"Thankyou to everyone who offered me a chance to pursue my dreams at your school. I am grateful for all of you and the relationships we built! These 📸’s were from 2 years ago to the day. It was always the plan! @TexasFootball time to build the best 2026 class in the country! 🤘🏽 #HookEm," read the caption.

Despite his commitment, Alabama, Florida State, LSU and Ohio State are after him. Last month, he reaffirmed his commitment to the Longhorns roster per Sam Spiegelman's report.

"As long as Coach Sark and Milwee are there, I don’t have any plans of going anywhere else," Bell said. "People are still recruiting me and I’m gonna hear them out because it’s a long time until Signing Day but my heart and my head are with Texas right now”.

The Longhorns' Class of 2026 athletes, who have given their verbal commitment, include: Dia Bell, Keisean Henderson, Troy Huhn, Ja'Michael Jones and Deshonne Redeaux, among others.