Cincinnati is putting Jason Kelce in the school's Hall of Fame, and honestly it's about time. Pete Thamel broke the news that the Bearcats are inducting the former star offensive lineman as part of their 50th anniversary Hall of Fame class, and it's the kind of story that reminds you just how weird and great Kelce's path to stardom actually was.
The walk-on-linebacker detail isn't a throwaway line, it's the whole story. Kelce showed up in Cincinnati in 2006 as a preferred walk-on linebacker, redshirted, and won Scout Team Defensive Player of the Year honors before anyone thought of him as an offensive lineman at all. He didn't move to the line until the following year, when he started competing for snaps at center and guard. From there he bounced between guard and center for four seasons before locking in at center as a senior in 2010, when he earned second-team All-Big East and honorable mention All-America honors.
That center-in-college-to-perennial-All-Pro-in-the-NFL arc is exactly why Philadelphia fans still talk about the switch as the turning point of his career. The Eagles took him in the 6th round of the 2011 draft, and he ended up starting all 16 games as a rookie center, kicking off a run that turned into a Super Bowl ring, multiple All-Pro nods and a Hall of Fame case of his own in Philly. None of that happens if a linebacker walk-on doesn't get talked into trying the O-line.
Kelce isn't walking into this class alone, either. Brett McMurphy confirmed that Bob Huggins, the winningest coach in Bearcats basketball history, is going in with him as part of the same 50th anniversary group.
Former Cincinnati OL Jason Kelce & legendary basketball coach Bob Huggins named to Bearcats' 50th anniversary 2026 Hall of Fame class
Huggins is a legend in his own right in Cincinnati, having coached the program for 16 seasons, racking up 399 wins and taking the Bearcats to 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Final Four run in 1992. Pairing him with Kelce in the same class gives this induction some real weight, two guys from very different sports who each defined an era of Bearcats athletics.
The induction ceremony is set for October 23, the Friday night before Cincinnati hosts Texas Tech, with the rest of the 50th anniversary class expected to be announced in the coming weeks. Expect Kelce's brother Travis and plenty of Philly Eagles faithful to make noise about this one once the full class and ceremony details are locked in.