Kennedy Bell

Kennedy Bell (born 2005) is an American college soccer player who plays as a striker for the Michigan State Spartans. She previously played for the Maryland Terrapins. She was named the Big Ten Forward of the Year with the Spartans in 2025.

Early life

Bell grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina. She played club soccer for Charlotte Soccer Academy, serving as team captain and being named ECNL All-American and the Conference Co-Player of the Year in 2022. TopDrawerSoccer ranked her the 34th-best recruit in the 2023 class. She moved from right back to winger as a sophomore in 2024, starting 18 games and leading the team in points with 3 goals and 2 assists. She then transferred to the Michigan State Spartans, where her father played college football, before her junior season in 2025. Michigan State head coach Jeff Hosler converted Bell to striker, a move that paid off immediately. She led the Big Ten with 11 goals and added 7 assists in 25 games. Michigan State earned a program-best two seed in the NCAA tournament and reached the quarterfinals for the first time. Bell was named second-team All-American, first-team All-Big Ten, and the Big Ten Forward of the Year.

International career

Bell was called into training camps with the United States under-15 team in 2019 and 2020. She went to camps with the under-20 team in 2025.

Personal life

Bell is the daughter of Kimberly and Myron Bell and has two brothers. Her father played eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals. Her brother Corey played college football for North Carolina.

Honors and awards

Individual Second-team All-American: 2025 First-team All-Big Ten: 2025 Big Ten Forward of the Year: 2025 Big Ten all-freshman team: 2023