Kelce preserves tradition

Former Bearcat makes leap to pros

By Hunter Tickel | Sports Editor

It's the final day of the 2011 NFL draft. Exactly 190 players have been picked six rounds in, and yet, not a single Cincinnati Bearcat has been selected.

But that changes when an incoming call containing the first three digits 215 appears on Jason Kelce's phone in his home in Cleveland.

"I was sitting there and saw [on my phone] that the Eagles were coming up with a few picks," Kelce says. "I said, ‘Well, if I'm going to get picked, it's probably going to be right here.' I stared at my phone. I saw the Philadelphia area code pop up."

After speaking with head coach Andy Reid, Kelce joins the Eagles franchise Saturday.

The 6-foot-3-inch, 282-pound NFL draftee's frame was a shell of its current self when Kelce first set foot on the Cincinnati campus.

He weighed in at 215 pounds when he was recruited by current Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio in 2006. After redshirting his first season as a walk-on, Kelce was primed to play linebacker, but that changed with the hiring of current Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly.

"The coaching changes really helped me get where I am at today," Kelce says. "Kelly brought on strength coach Paul Longo. He was really the one that saw that I had the build and mentality of an offensive lineman. I made the switch and, from then on, he was building my body."

Kelce earned a scholarship in 2007 and began his journey to becoming a larger presence on the offensive line in the Big East. Initially, the Cleveland Heights, Ohio, native was not overwhelmed with the prospect of joining a BCS program without a roster spot.

"I was very confident," Kelce says. "I entered the UC program as a walk on, but in my head, I was better than everybody else was. I'm a little bit big-headed — I guess I try to be humble as much as I can."

In his first year of playing time he appeared in nine games as the offense averaged a program-best 36.3 points per game.

Kelce finished his college stint with 38 starts and was a two-time second team all-Big East selection. He led a unit that earned UC its first 1,000-yard rusher in nearly 10 years.

All of these feats helped pave the way for the highlight of his career.

"You work your whole life for one common goal: to make it to the NFL," Kelce said. "Once you are there, it all starts all over again. You are basically a freshman again. At least now I know the opportunity is there for me to make it."

Kelce already begins his transition from the collegiate level to the pros with skepticism among NFL experts. Kelce has been told that he lacks the physique to have an impact on the next level.

"I find it very hard to believe that I am undersized," Kelce says. "I have heard this from a lot of scouts. There are plenty of centers in the league that are my size or smaller that start in pro bowls."

He's right; five-time all-League center Jeff Saturday stands at 6 foot, 2 inches and 295 pounds — a similar frame to Kelce.

As the lone Bearcat selected this year, Kelce kept the school's five-year run of players drafted intact. Kelce is confident that the current players will carry on the school's success despite a 4-8 record last season.

"This program has completely transformed since I have been on campus," Kelce says. "I think it's a testament to show where the program is at now and that the UC program is here to stay."

Kelce will join former UC stars Brent Celek and Trent Cole in Philly. Celek has already reached out to the rookie, sending him his phone number through Twitter. The trio of former Queen City inhabitants will look to represent the city on the East Coast.

"It sucks that I am leaving Cincinnati, it really does," Kelce says. "I love this city and university. [But with] everything I have heard about Philadelphia — I can't help but be excited."