Where did Travis Kelce play college football? Chiefs TE's playing career explored

Talking about the Kansas City Chiefs and not including Travis Kelce feels like a crime. Over the years of his professional football journey, the star tight end has solidified himself as one of the best in the NFL.

Kelce was drafted as a 63rd pick by the Chiefs in 2013 after hiring coach Andy Reid to begin a new era for the team. Since then, Kelce has set multiple NFL records and won the Super Bowl twice in the 2019 and 2022 seasons.

So where did the Chiefs TE's football journey begin in college? Coming out of Cleveland High School, Kelce received numerous offers from colleges such as Eastern Michigan, Akron and others. But he decided to join Cincinnati, where his elder brother Jason Kelce was already playing football.

Kelce redshirted his debut season with the Cincinnati Bearcats. Then, a year after his debut season, he took part, playing in 11 games for the team both as a tight end and quarterback. But then, during the 2010 season, he was suspended from the team for one year for violating team rules.

After serving his suspension, Travis Kelce played two more seasons with the Bearcats. After the hiatus, he no longer played quarterback and focused primarily on being a tight end. His final season in 2012 was his best season during his college football career. During that campaign with the Cincinnati Bearcats, Kelce recorded 722 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns.

This led to him earning first-team all-conference honors. Then, later on, Kelce was awarded the College Football Performance Awards Tight End of the Year for the 2012 campaign, after which he made his way to the NFL.

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Why was Travis Kelce suspended in college?

Belk Bowl - Cincinnati vs. Duke

Travis Kelce was part of the Cincinnati team that made its way to the 2010 Allstate Sugar Bowl. However, Kelce failed his drug test, which led to him being suspended for a year for violating the rules and regulations of the program. He reportedly tested positive for marijuana.

During an appearance on the "Bussin With The Boys" podcast in January, Kelce revealed an interesting outcome due to the suspension. He said that the experience was a major factor that shaped him into becoming a full-time tight end.

"What it did was it really kicked me into the tight end room," Kelce said. "I was still playing QB then. It was like, ah, you can come walk on the team, but we don't need a quarterback. You can just be an athlete on scout team for a year, we'll figure it out."

Maybe fate had things planned out for Travis Kelce since college. Why do you ask? It is because he is one of the best tight ends to play football in the NFL today.