Travis Kelce recalls committing to Cincinnati: 'There really wasn't much of a recruiting process'

Today, Travis Kelce is one of the best tight ends the NFL has ever seen and is among the most famous athletes in the world. That wasn’t always the case, though, and at one point he was a diamond in the rough player on his way to the Cincinnati Bearcats.

In a recent appearance on Bussin’ With The Boys, Kelce looked back on the recruiting process and his decision to commit to Cincinnati.

“There really wasn’t much of a recruiting process for me,” Travis Kelce said. “Once I got the offer from Cincinnati, my brother [Jason Kelce] was already there, I missed being around that dude. It was just like I wanted to go somewhere where I had that family feel to it, and I gave my parents one place to go to see both of us.”

Travis Kelce went to Cincinnati as a three-star recruit in the Class of 2008, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. He was the 1,075th-ranked recruit overall and the 67th-ranked tight end in that class.

“It just made so much sense. I initially signed in the hopes that I could do some basketball stuff after football season. I was able to play quarterback. That was a huge thing for me. I wanted to give quarterback a run. It all just made sense. The Bearcats had just figured out how to, like, be really good at football,” Kelce said.

“So, we were going to the Orange Bowl, going to the Sugar Bowl, winning the Big East, which was a power conference so you at least had a chance at playing for the national championship if you won or going to a big bowl game.”

When Travis Kelce initially went to Cincinnati, Brian Kelly was the team’s head coach. He then left part of the way through Kelce’s college career to be replaced by Butch Jones.

Kelce also did get his chance to play quarterback in 2009 when he saw time as a wildcat quarterback for the Bearcats. However, he was clearly better suited to play tight end and that’s where he spent the rest of his college career. He also thrived at that spot, snagging 45 receptions for 722 yards and eight touchdowns in his redshirt senior season.

In April of 2024, Travis Kelce got his degree from Cincinnati. He made sure it was a party when he celebrated it too, slamming a beer after he received his diploma. With that, his college career seemed to come full circle.