When Travis Kelce was denied the QB role and it took two years for him to transform into a star tight end
Travis Kelce is known to call an audible and throw a pass to help the Kansas City Chiefs move down the field. His comfort with throwing the ball comes from his days as a quarterback in high school before he became a tight end at the University of Cincinnati.
Kelce came to terms with becoming a TE when he arrived at Cincinnati. The coaching staff found ways though to use his skills as a former QB to get him acclimated to the offense.
Kelce's former teammate with the Bearcats, Mardy Gilyard, told The Enquirer in February 2021, that the team trusted his athleticism to make plays happen.
“It was all Travis’ world, whatever he wanted to do back there," Gilyard said. "What he did was crazy, but it worked because we all trusted his athleticism.”
Gilyard went on to say that being a "wildcat quarterback" in the Bearcats offense allowed Travis Kelce to grow and mature. It also helped him become an unstoppable TE.
Former Cincinnati Bearcats offensive coordinator Mark Elder told The Enquirer that after two years in the system, and a suspension from the team for violating rules, Travis showed that TE was his natural position.
“It was such a natural fit that we all thought tight end was what he should be doing," Elder said. "He was a big athlete, and he was tall, he would block you and bury you into the ground but had such great body control. For us, there was no question about it that tight end was the position he was meant to play.”
The Kansas City Chiefs thought so too as they went on to draft Kelce in the third round of the 2013 NFL draft.
Travis Kelce wore former Bearcats teammate's jersey during podcast
On Wednesday's episode of the "New Heights" podcast, Travis Kelce gave a nod to one of his former Cincinnati Bearcats teammates. The three-time Super Bowl-winning tight end wore Zach Collaros' jersey with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League. Collaros is the team's QB and a three-time Grey Cup Champion.
The two were also teammates with Jason Kelce during their time with the University of Cincinnati.