Kayla Varner is Kayla Harper, a former competitive soccer player from Henderson, Nevada, who played at Brigham Young University and Ohio State before earning an Ohio State degree in Communication in 2015. She is also the wife of Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper. As of August 25, 2026, MLB identifies Kayla as Harper’s wife and says the couple has four children—two sons and two daughters.
The strongest public record of Varner’s life is not a celebrity biography but an athletic one. University records document an accomplished high-school career, two seasons at BYU, two more at Ohio State and a memorable NCAA Tournament moment. That record gives a clearer picture of who she was before her relationship with Harper became the main reason her name appeared in national coverage.
Key takeaways
- Kayla Varner, now Kayla Harper, grew up in Henderson, Nevada, and became a decorated soccer player at Green Valley High School.
- She played at BYU in 2011 and 2012 before transferring to Ohio State for the 2013 and 2014 seasons.
- Her best-documented college highlight was the winning penalty kick for BYU against Marquette in the 2012 NCAA Tournament.
- Ohio State records confirm that she received a Communication degree on December 20, 2015.
- She married Bryce Harper on December 16, 2016, and MLB’s current player biography says they now have four children.
Kayla Varner profile summary
| Detail | Verified information |
|---|---|
| Current name | Kayla Harper |
| Maiden name | Kayla Varner |
| Hometown | Henderson, Nevada |
| High school | Green Valley High School |
| College soccer | BYU and Ohio State |
| Ohio State major | Communication |
| Degree received | December 20, 2015 |
| Spouse | Bryce Harper |
| Marriage date | December 16, 2016 |
| Children | Four as of August 2026 |
A standout soccer career in Nevada
Before she became widely known through Bryce Harper, Varner had built a substantial soccer résumé of her own.
BYU’s official player record identifies her as a Henderson native who attended Green Valley High School. It credits her with NSCAA All-American recognition in 2009, Nevada High School Player of the Year honors in both 2009 and 2011, and a place on Green Valley’s 2011 Nevada 4A state championship team.
She was also a three-time team MVP and captain during the later years of her high-school career. BYU and Ohio State both credit her with 111 career goals and 85 assists, with the latter figure described by the universities as a Nevada career record. A separate MaxPreps record lists 83 assists, so the most precise way to state the figure is that BYU and Ohio State credit Varner with 85.
Those numbers help explain why she moved into Division I college soccer with an established reputation rather than as an unknown recruit.
From BYU to Ohio State
Varner spent the 2011 and 2012 seasons at BYU. Ohio State’s later biography credits her with one goal and three assists across 33 games for the Cougars.
Her most notable BYU moment came during the 2012 NCAA Tournament. In a Sweet Sixteen match against Marquette, she converted the decisive penalty kick in a shootout to send BYU through.
That detail is worth getting right because some later online profiles have misattributed the moment to Ohio State. Ohio State’s own Kayla Varner profile explicitly places the winning kick in her BYU career.
Varner transferred to Ohio State ahead of the 2013 season. When the Buckeyes announced their incoming class, coach Lori Walker highlighted Varner’s speed, her ability to attack defenders with the ball and the experience she had already gained at a high-level college program.
As a junior in 2013, Varner appeared in 20 matches, started 16 and recorded two goals and five assists. Her senior season followed in 2014. Official Ohio State statistics list her in 19 matches with three goals, four assists and 10 total points. She also converted both of her penalty attempts that year.
Rather than a brief stop at two schools, her college career therefore stretched across four seasons and two major programs, with meaningful playing time at each.
Her education at Ohio State
Varner’s college record includes a verified academic endpoint as well as her soccer career.
An Ohio State commencement announcement from December 20, 2015 lists her among the student-athletes receiving degrees at autumn commencement. The university identifies her major as Communication.
That record is more precise than the looser claim, common in biographical summaries, that she simply “graduated from Ohio State.” It establishes both the degree date and field of study.
How Kayla Varner and Bryce Harper met
Kayla Varner and Bryce Harper knew each other long before Harper became one of Major League Baseball’s biggest stars.
According to The Knot’s account of their relationship, they met as freshmen while attending different high schools in the Las Vegas area and began dating during their school years. Their relationship therefore predates Varner’s college soccer career and Harper’s rise through professional baseball.
The two were publicly engaged by May 2014. Their relationship did not move directly from that engagement to marriage, however.
A wedding planned for January 2015 did not take place. Contemporary reporting from The Washington Post confirmed the cancellation but said at the time that it was unclear whether the wedding had been postponed or abandoned altogether. That uncertainty matters: later summaries sometimes supply a cleaner breakup-and-reunion narrative than the public record supports.
By later in 2015, the pair had begun appearing together publicly again. Kayla then announced another engagement in July 2016. The Washington Post’s report on the second engagement documented the announcement around that year’s ESPYs.
There is no need to assign a precise private reconciliation date or speculate about why the original wedding did not happen. The verified chronology is enough: first engagement, cancelled wedding plans, renewed public appearances, a second engagement and then marriage.
Their 2016 wedding
Kayla and Bryce Harper married on December 16, 2016 in San Diego.
The Knot’s wedding coverage includes comments from Kayla about the importance of having the ceremony at a San Diego temple and about dealing with heavy rain on the wedding day. Those remarks offer a rare first-person glimpse into a major event in her life without requiring speculation about her private beliefs or personality.
MLB also reported the marriage contemporaneously that December, helping corroborate the timing through public posts from the couple and their photographer.
Kayla and Bryce Harper’s children
As of August 2026, Kayla and Bryce Harper have four children: two sons and two daughters.
Their first son, Krew Aron, was born in August 2019. Daughter Brooklyn Elizabeth followed in 2020. Their third child, daughter Kamryn Ray, was born in April 2024.
In 2025, the couple announced that they were expecting another son. Associated Press reporting carried by ESPN later reported that they had welcomed Hayes Three Harper in October 2025.
The newest status is more useful than older profiles that still describe the Harpers as having two or three children. MLB’s current biography lists two sons and two daughters, and Bryce Harper separately referred to life with four children in a July 2026 MLB interview.
Because the children are minors, their names and broad birth chronology are sufficient for a public biography. Their schools, routines and other private details are not relevant to understanding Kayla’s public profile.
What is Kayla Harper doing now?
Varner’s college career and education are well documented, but there is no similarly authoritative public record establishing a current independent profession.
Some online profiles describe her as an influencer, entrepreneur or lifestyle personality. Those labels are not supported by a verified employer, company record or clear professional biography in the available evidence, so they should not be treated as established facts.
Her recent public activity is easier to describe narrowly. She continues to appear with Bryce Harper at baseball-related events; Getty Images documented the couple together at the MLB All-Star Red Carpet Show in Philadelphia on July 14, 2026.
There is also a documented philanthropic record. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Philadelphia Phillies reported that Bryce and Kayla donated a combined $500,000 to relief efforts. Of that, $250,000 went to Philabundance, while another $250,000 was divided between Direct Relief and Three Square in Las Vegas.
That is a stronger basis for describing her public activity than assigning her an occupation that has not been clearly established.
What is not reliably confirmed
Several details repeated in online biographies do not meet the same evidentiary standard as Varner’s soccer, education and family history.
Her exact date of birth and current age are widely repeated, but no authoritative or first-party record confirming the commonly cited date was established in the available evidence. Her height is also better omitted: BYU and Ohio State listed different measurements during her college career.
There is likewise no credible basis for publishing a personal net-worth estimate. Bryce Harper’s salary, contracts or household assets cannot simply be converted into Kayla’s personal wealth.
The same caution applies to a current residence or occupation. Both can change, and neither is necessary to explain why she is publicly known.
Conclusion
Kayla Varner’s public story is more substantial than the label “Bryce Harper’s wife” suggests. Long before she married an MLB star, she was an All-American high-school soccer player, a two-time Nevada Player of the Year and a Division I athlete who competed for both BYU and Ohio State. Her 2012 NCAA Tournament penalty for BYU, her Ohio State career and her 2015 Communication degree are all documented parts of that record.
Today she is publicly known as Kayla Harper, and current MLB information identifies her as Bryce Harper’s wife and the mother of their four children. The clearest biography is therefore also the simplest: an accomplished former college athlete whose later public life became intertwined with one of baseball’s most recognizable players, without the need to fill gaps with unsupported claims about her age, wealth or career.