Cal has offered an under-the-radar outside linebacker today. Mansfield (Texas) Lake Ridge High School prospect Rylan Kennedy has added the Bears to his list, and I'm going to be honest I didn't know a whole lot about him as a football player until tonight. He's not someone who has generated a lot of buzz on the recruiting scene up to this point. Like so many edge rushers in this class, Kennedy is a multi-sport athlete who plays basketball in addition to playing football. The 6-foot-5 prospect is also a high jumper at the high school level. He has mostly been known as a basketball prospect in high school and is newer to football. Those players tend to have a lot of upside and can translate well to the football field.
I just got off the phone with him, and he's definitely excited about the Bears and is thinking he will visit in December. His only other offer up to this point came from Missouri Southern. He was honestly shocked when he got the call from Cal and says he nearly cried. He only started playing football again this season after giving it up before starting high school to focus on hoops. His film is definitely impressive and I suspect more schools are going to start paying attention to him, so Cal should move quickly. He says Washington, Utah and Houston have already started to reach out.
He is a versatile linebacker who can get to the quarterback and has a ton of natural athleticism at the position. I'll have a full update on him later, but he is definitely excited about the chance of to play for the Bears. He said the staff jumped on Zoom call with him earlier tonight and gave him a virtual tour.
His senior season recently came to an end, but he turned in a heck of a performance for a first-year player. He led his team with four sacks and was third on the team with 48 tackles. He also finished the season second with eight tackles for loss.
Last edited:
