Jason Kelce to Appear at Ohio State-Penn State Game: A Look at His College Football Roots

Jason Kelce, the legendary former center of the Philadelphia Eagles, is set to make an appearance at the highly anticipated college football matchup between No. 3 Penn State and No. 4 Ohio State on Saturday. However, Kelce’s connection to this game is not rooted in his allegiance to either of these teams, but rather in his participation in ESPN‘s “College GameDay.”

Kelce played his college football at the University of Cincinnati from 2006 through 2010. During his time with the Bearcats, he started his final three seasons and earned All-Big East honors twice as an offensive lineman. Initially, Kelce began his collegiate career as a walk-on linebacker but made the switch to center during his redshirt freshman season in 2007. He was instrumental in leading Cincinnati to the 2008 Orange Bowl and the 2009 Sugar Bowl.

Despite having no direct ties to Ohio State or Penn State, Kelce has a strong connection to the state of Ohio, being from Cleveland Heights, which is about 150 miles northeast of Columbus. His main reason for attending the Ohio State-Penn State game is to participate in a kicking challenge on “College GameDay,” a challenge that was issued by a student from Cal and further promoted by ESPN analyst Pat McAfee on Kelce’s podcast “New Heights.”