Kendrick Bell follows family鈥檚 guidance to Michigan
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (BVM) 鈥� At an early age, Park Hill senior quarterback Kendrick Bell didn’t have the affection he currently has for football. His dad would help him find that.
鈥淚 really started playing because my dad gave me the chance to play,鈥� Bell said. 鈥淚n fourth grade, I was playing receiver, and I really liked it, and I played with my twin brother Marqueas and [we] were the best players. We just continued to play, and I always loved watching the NFL. Randy Moss was my favorite guy to watch.鈥�
With his passion for football in full bloom, Bell has recently begun to look back on what his dad’s introduction to football meant for their relationship.
鈥淚t made my dad and I closer,鈥� Kendrick said. 鈥淗e and I share our knowledge of what we see, and we鈥檒l watch football together. Even if we鈥檙e not talking about football, we鈥檙e talking about something.鈥�
Alongside his father, his older brother, University of Michigan senior receiver , has been a mentor Kendrick has always looked to during his football journey.
鈥淲henever I reached middle school, Ronnie was the best player on his high school team,鈥� Kendrick said. 鈥淲atching him play, I felt like I was watching a Randy Moss. It felt really cool, too, because he was my brother. I felt like I could see myself being that great.鈥�
It wasn鈥檛 long before Kendrick鈥檚 visualization of greatness became a reality, and he was a star for the Park Hill Trojans. As the starting QB, Kendrick passed for 2,267 yards, rushed for 313 yards and scored 30 total touchdowns.聽
This was in part to the new head coach Andrew Sims joining the staff. Sims had coached for seven seasons at Blue Valley North High School and helped produce one of Kansas鈥� best QBs: Wisconsin Badger junior Graham Mertz.
鈥淗is offensive mind is really great,鈥� Kendrick said. 鈥淏eing in his offense was great because I get to show my athletic abilities. Coach Sims coming over to Park Hill was a great addition for Park Hill, me and for the future of other kids.鈥�
With a new head coach, Kendrick and his teammates were eager to get their senior season underway and go out on top. With that emotion and excitement for the season, Kendrick carried the same mentality he鈥檚 always had with him to the football field.聽
鈥淕o kill,鈥� Kendrick said. 鈥淕o be the best player on the field because I鈥檝e shown it, and I know I can be the best player on the field.鈥�
Despite finishing 3-8, Kendrick passed for a school record 3,228 yards, scored 45 total TDs (35 passing, 10 rushing) and added 680 rushing yards on 127 attempts, showing that mentality paid off.
Couldn鈥檛 have asked for a better group to play with!
3,165 passing yards (school record) 247 (school record)/339 72% completion rate (school record) 35 TD鈥檚 | 670 rushing yards 10 TD鈥檚 | 3,812 TOT yards | 45 TOT td鈥檚— Kendrick Bell (@kendrixkb8)
However, Kendrick brings that mentality to not only the gridiron but also other sports, including basketball and track and field.聽
鈥淲hen you play multiple sports, you get so many different experiences,鈥� Sims said. 鈥淒ifferent coaches, different players [and] different scenarios that require you to achieve in different methods. All of that makes an athlete so much better.鈥�
Great meet today at districts!!
2nd in long jump 6.65 PR | 3rd place in high jump | 4th place in triple jump 13.19 PR
(advancing to sectionals in all three events)— Kendrick Bell (@kendrixkb8)
Alongside his mentality, Kendrick has another person giving him motivation to succeed: his mother.
鈥淢y mom is mostly like my dad,鈥� Kendrick said. 鈥淚f I鈥檓 playing bad, she鈥檒l get on me. If I鈥檓 playing good, she won鈥檛 say much. But if I鈥檓 playing bad, she鈥檒l get on me about it. If I鈥檓 missing reads, she鈥檒l tell me I鈥檓 missing reads.鈥�
With the drive to compete in different sports, Kendrick has become accustomed to finding other ways to keep his motivation going.
鈥淚 would say continue to work hard and respect others,鈥� Kendrick said. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 know how far you can go, especially if you respect others. Even when eyes aren鈥檛 on you, you have to work hard, especially if you have to play at the level Michigan is at.鈥�
Nonetheless, Kendrick is in the early stages of his athletic journey. There are many roads that he can take to continue that journey too. One optional route he could take is joining forces with Ronnie and forming a dynamic duo on the gridiron.聽
鈥淚t would be great,鈥� Kendrick said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e had that little brother and big brother moment a lot. Having it on the football field would be even better.鈥�
He will, in fact, be following in his brother鈥檚 footsteps after committing to the Wolverine football team.
Go Blue銆斤笍
— Kendrick Bell (@kendrixkb8)
Given his brother’s success with the program, this is an exciting time for both the Bell family and the Michigan fans.
Unequivocally, Kendrick has shown he is capable of being a high-caliber DI athlete, and being a dual-threat QB will only help his chances of making those dreams come true.聽
鈥淸The] sky is the limit for him offensively,鈥� Sims said. 鈥淗e is a dual-threat QB that can bring a different dynamic to the Michigan offense. If there is a reason why he does not start at QB, he could easily switch to wide receiver. At 6-foot-4 and [with a] 34-inch vertical and his knowledge of defensive coverages, he would definitely be a threat at wide receiver.
Kendrick has done a lot to improve himself on and off the gridiron, and many people have helped Kendrick along the way. However, if there is only one thing he鈥檒l remember in his life, it鈥檒l be that no one should ever lose faith in what they鈥檙e doing.
鈥淓verybody鈥檚 timing is different,鈥� Kendrick said. 鈥淓verybody will have their offense, but God has a plan for you. Continue to work hard and trust the process. And trust God because God has a plan. When things get hard, don鈥檛 give up. Continue to work hard and never lose faith.鈥�
