Tight End University may have started as a niche NFL summit, but today, it’s officially a cultural moment. TEU was founded in 2021 by three of the most recognizable names at the position: George Kittle, Travis Kelce, and Greg Olsen. Since then, it has grown into a premier offseason gathering.
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Each summer, over 70 current and former tight ends unite in Nashville to train, swap techniques, and build community. The three-day program features drills at Vanderbilt University, a golf outing, charity events, and even a ladies’ luncheon hosted by Claire Kittle.
Since its inception, the event has donated more than $2.5 million to charity, including $900,000 last year alone. And in its 2025 edition, TEU added another headline-grabbing moment to its growing legacy: Taylor Swift’s surprise performance.
Yes, the world’s biggest pop star stepped on stage at the “Tight Ends and Friends” concert, part of the TEU festivities, and delivered an impromptu rendition of her hit song, Shake It Off. Naturally, the surprising moment caught fans and media alike off guard, and now, the Kelce brothers are giving us the backstory.
“Let’s get to what everybody else wants to talk about,” Jason Kelce said on the recent episode of the New Heights podcast. “There was a surprise guest [at] Tight End University…”
“Tay Tay showed up,” Travis Kelce confirmed with a grin. But, how did it come together?
According to Travis, it was something he and Swift had loosely planned in advance. “We’re in Nashville. She grew up in Nashville, moved there when she was younger,” he said. “We had this plan for a while… especially for the ‘Tight Ends and Friends’ evening events.”
And perhaps, the wildcard catalyst that made Swift’s appearance at TEU possible was country star Kane Brown, one of several artists performing at the Brooklyn Bowl-hosted show.
“We knew Kane could figure it out… he’s a pro,” Travis explained. “She just kind of went up to him and the band and was like, ‘Hey, if you guys are down, I’ll go up there, play a song, and see if we can pop the roof off this place.’”
Safe to say, Swift’s mission was accomplished. “She killed it,” Jason said. “She shook it off, for sure. She shook down the roof, that’s for damn sure.”
Initially, many believed Swift’s appearance and her performance afterward to be a spur-of-the-moment karaoke cameo. But Taylor Swift, being the perfectionist she is, had come prepared, Travis revealed.
“She was in the back doing like musical notes… writing out I think the high hats, maybe, I don’t know… I’m not a musician,” he said, laughing. “And then just went out there without practicing and was pitch-perfect and just killed it.”
Jason, never one to miss a comedic beat, concluded the conversation by asking one last question to his younger brother: “Was this her first time at an event sponsored by Dude Wipes?”
“It has to be the first and only, I would assume,” the Chiefs superstar shot back with a laugh.
While TEU remains primarily a private, player-driven summit, the spotlight continues to grow. This year’s edition was broadcast in part on ESPN’s NFL Live, and organizers are already planning to expand fan participation in 2026. And intriguingly enough, there are even talks of moving this event to other cities, or countries.
But for now, the biggest talking point is simple: Taylor Swift brought the house down at Tight End University.
