Before the world knew him as the pass-catching tight end of the Kansas City Chiefs, Travis Kelce starred on Saturdays in college. As a kid from Westlake, Ohio, where did Kelce go to college?
And just how heavily recruited was Kelce coming out of high school?
Travis Kelce Legacy Begins at Cincinnati
For four seasons, Kelce attended and played football at the University of Cincinnati. The Bearcats paired Travis with his older brother, Jason Kelce, out of high school as a two-star recruit from Cleveland Heights High School.
Jason, who had joined the Bearcats two years earlier, and Travis played together for the 2008, 2009, and 2010 seasons in the Queen City. But it wasn’t all roses for Travis’ tenure at Cincinnati.
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Kelce saw the field briefly during his first few seasons with the Bearcats after he took a redshirt during his first year of 2008.
He appeared in 11 games the next season, playing a bit of a unique role within the offense as the team’s wildcat quarterback and sparingly as a tight end. When it was said and done, he recorded just one catch for three yards and eight carries for 47 yards with two touchdowns.
But then things took a turn.
Kelce would receive a suspension for the 2010 season for a violation of team rules. That violation as later recognized as a failed drug test for marijuana.
After a suspension saw his 2010 season vanish, Kelce found his way back to the roster and into the lineup in successive seasons with Cincinnati. He caught 13 passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns during the 2011 season before setting career-high marks in every category a year later.
Back into action and rounding into form, Kelce hauled in 45 catches, 722 yards, and eight touchdowns during the breakout 2012 season. He was honored with all-conference awards and put his name on the NFL Draft radar.
Throughout his five-year career with Cincinnati, Kelce recorded 59 receptions, 875 yards, and 12 total touchdowns.
Kelce took that breakout season and showed incredible athleticism at the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine. There, he recorded a 4.61-second 40-yard dash and great marks in all the athleticism drills from Indianapolis. At 6’4″ and 255 pounds during workouts, Kelce was ultimately selected in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs.
The rest is history for Kelce’s career, but it all began to turn in his favor back during that 2012 season with Cincinnati.
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