OAK PARK — From Little Rock, Arkansas, to Duncanville, Texas, and now the surrounding hills of Oak Park in Ventura County have turned the 2026 high school football season into an adventure for four-star dual-threat quarterback Bryson Kennedy.
Kennedy met Super Bowl champion and future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers during his first week in Southern California through a workout as part of Oak Park’s partnership with Rodgers’ company Pro Active Sports last Tuesday.
Just a month ago, Kennedy was in Texas believing he was going to be leading Duncanville — the winners of 11 state titles. He was going to be tested in the vaunted Texas 6A division on Friday nights and follow in the footsteps of current Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell, who won the Gatorade Player of the Year award in 2024.
At 6-foot-2, he carries locomotive speed and strength to go with elite touch. His brother Anthony Kennedy Jr. is a defensive lineman at Arkansas. He was the kind of figure that Texas high school football fans dreamed of having on their team, with 19 Division I offers, including from Auburn, Oklahoma, Florida, Louisville, Arkansas, and Missouri.
But then Kennedy was ruled ineligible by the University Interscholastic League, the state governing board that oversees the ruling of transfers in the state last week. Even stranger? His stepbrother Bradlee Miller of the same grade and a talented 6-foot-1 linebacker and running back in his own right was ruled eligible.
Rather than split the family, their father, Anthony Kennedy Sr., took his family out west and found work in Ventura County.
Oak Park coach Casey Webb was optimistic but honest about how he’d approach the star that plopped into his program’s lap.
“He has a long way to go still, and no quarterback is going to ever be complete at 15-16 years old, and I told him my goal is to make him the best version of himself,” Webb said. “He’s got a great arm, great frame, and can run the ball. But my goal is to really dial him in to the Xs and Os. I’m going to make him a student of the game so he can read every defense by the time he gets to college.”
Kennedy isn’t dwelling on the past in Arkansas and Texas. Rather, he’s focused on getting acquainted with his new teammates who could join him after football season ends. Along with football, Kennedy is considered a skilled basketball player.
“I’m just trying to become a better leader,” Kennedy said. “That was the one thing I lacked last year. I’m going to be out cheering my teammates, knowing the defense, and I feel like I’ve gotten a year older and gotten better. I feel like I’m ready to go out there and lead a team this year.”
Webb also understands the pressure and expectations Kennedy has on himself, along with every game he plays being put under a microscope by fans and analysts alike.
“The team has taken well to them and taken both (Kennedy) and his brother under their wings,” Webb said. “Anyone that comes here, we are going to treat you like family, and I’m just happy to work with them.”
In just one week, Kennedy has found life in Los Angeles enjoyable. He saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time, walked in the cold waters, and participated in a beach workout.
He ate In-N-Out for the first time and decided it tasted better than the Texas staple Whataburger. But meeting Rodgers left possibly the largest impression.
“He told me to stay locked in and just focus on taking things day by day,” Kennedy said. “He just told me to go out there and win football games but also stay being a kid at the end of the day.”
Webb has enjoyed the increased competition among his quarterbacks after Oak Park finished 5-7 and went 2-3 last year in the Channel League.
In addition to Kennedy and Miller, Oak Park added wide receiver Gary Ferguson, a 6-foot-2 transfer from St. Bernard’s. Ferguson is committed to Sacramento State and will be the No. 1 target as a wide receiver for Oak Park after playing quarterback and completing 75 of 95 passes for 1,240 yards, 12 touchdowns and zero interceptions.
New faces, increased depth and confidence have fomented in Oak Park with less than a month before the team kicks off its regular season in week zero against Maya Angelou Community.
“Football is everything out here,” Kennedy said. “I’m blessed.”
More local football coverage
Late to football? No problem for Chaminade offensive lineman Jackson Hill