If this is Travis Kelce’s final season in the NFL, he might just have a second act waiting in the wings - and it doesn’t involve X’s and O’s. A resurfaced video from his college days shows the Kansas City Chiefs tight end belting out “Lean On Me” by Bill Withers during a Liberty Bowl sing-off, and let’s just say: the man’s got some pipes.
The clip, which has been making the rounds on social media, takes us back to December 2011, when Kelce was a 22-year-old at the University of Cincinnati. Ahead of the Bearcats’ Liberty Bowl matchup against Vanderbilt, Kelce and teammates Ralph David Abernathy IV and Maalik Bomar stepped up for a friendly musical showdown against the Commodores - and no, not the Lionel Richie kind.
Introduced as “The Singing Bearcats,” the trio brought some Memphis soul to the stage, with Kelce leading off the Withers classic. His voice?
Surprisingly smooth, with a soft tone that caught fans off guard in the best way. Abernathy and Bomar followed with their own verses before Kelce rejoined for the finale, closing out the performance with a harmony that had social media buzzing.
Fans were quick to react, with comments ranging from *“He has such a good voice!” * to *“We need this on the next New Heights episode.”
- Even though the sing-off was ruled a draw, the moment added another layer to the Kelce legend - and it came during a pivotal stretch in his football journey. Days later, Cincinnati won the Liberty Bowl, and Kelce went on to have his breakout season in 2012.
By April 2013, he was a Kansas City Chief. The rest?
Three Super Bowl rings and a Hall of Fame-worthy résumé.
It’s no secret that the Kelce family has a musical streak. Travis’s older brother, Jason, played saxophone in college and even joined the Baltimore Ravens Marching Band earlier this year while working as an NFL analyst.
And then there’s Travis’s viral moment from the Eras Tour in London this past summer, when he surprised fans by appearing on stage during Taylor Swift’s *“I Can Do It With A Broken Heart.” * Dressed in a tuxedo and top hat, Kelce didn’t sing, but he played the role of backup dancer - and stage chaperone - with flair, carrying Swift offstage to a roar of approval.
Reflecting on the moment during an August episode of New Heights (which featured Swift as a guest), Kelce admitted the moment was overwhelming: *“I rose from that stage and I saw how many people are looking at you and I was just like... blackout. I felt like an ant.”
- Swift, for her part, said the crowd’s reaction to Kelce’s appearance was *“one of the loudest, if not the loudest screams I have ever heard on the tour.” *
While fans are enjoying this lighter side of Kelce, the reality is that his NFL future is very much in the spotlight. The Chiefs are heading into a must-win matchup against the Houston Texans on Sunday night. A loss would all but eliminate Kansas City from playoff contention - a stunning scenario for a team that’s been a postseason fixture in recent years.
At 36, Kelce is out of contract after this season, and questions about his future are starting to pick up steam. But even with the Chiefs’ struggles, Kelce has been one of the few bright spots. He’s posted 719 receiving yards and five touchdowns - second-most among all tight ends in 2025 - proving he’s still got plenty left in the tank.
So, whether he’s catching passes or carrying pop icons off stage, Kelce continues to show why he’s one of the most dynamic personalities in sports. And if this season does end up being his last, don’t be surprised if the next chapter includes a mic - not just a helmet.