Travis Kelce is expected back in Boca Raton this offseason for an eight-week workout stint with his longtime training guru, Andrew Spruill.
But this time there could be a wrinkle. Spruill, a 2012 Florida Atlantic graduate who majored in exercise science, hopes Kelce’s girlfriend can be part of some sessions.
Spruill, who grew up in Kansas, has been connected with Kelce since training him in Boca Raton for the 2013 NFL Combine. Kelce, the 34-year-old superstar tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, has spent seven of his 11 NFL offseasons renting a house for two months in Boca to work with Spruill.
“According to him, he’s coming back,’’ Spruill said. “I went up for two games to go see him. I trust he’ll be back, especially if he wants to keep playing at the age he is. He needs to get in the gym and make sure he’s ready.’’
Spruill met Kelce’s girlfriend, Taylor Swift, after both games this season at a post-game party. They chatted, but Spruill has yet to offer his services to the singing icon. The 39-year-old Spruill, who once served in the Air Force based in Germany, feels he can help Swift maintain her performance stamina.
“I’ll see her next month,’’ said Spruill, who lives in Delray Beach. “I met her twice. Maybe I can talk to her about her workout routine and see if she needs help. I read where she talked about it, the different things she does to work out. She has a workout routine where she runs on a treadmill and sprints while trying to sing her songs.’’
Spruill currently works with Palm Beach County/Broward high school and college athletes for his company, Game Speed, renting out Johnny O’s Gym.
At FAU, after the Air Force stint, Spruill interned at XPE Sports, which worked solely with college players prepping for the draft combine.
Spruill stuck with XPE after graduation. He estimates working with about 500 combine participants. Kelce, who attended Cincinnati, stuck with Spruill once his NFL career started with the Chiefs.
“The whole Kansas connection was coincidental,’’ Spruill said. “We were lucky to establish a good relationship and he kept coming down to see us.’’
Injuries, not Taylor Swift, to blame for Travis Kelce’s struggles
The Kelce-Swift connection has lifted the Chiefs All-Pro into a new stratosphere of scrutiny. Kelce’s numbers are a bit off this season, averaging his fewest yards per game (69.1) since 2017. Advanced stats show Kelce is not breaking as many tackles as past seasons. The pundits are already blaming Swift as a distracting bad-luck charm.
That’s ludicrous, says Spruill.
“He started off hurt and missed game one,’’ Spruill said. “Two days before the game, he hyperextended his knee at practice. He started off already on an injured note to where he’s never dealt with. He’s been as healthy as you can be for an NFL player for his career. Rookie year he missed but hadn’t missed a game until this year.
“That, plus a new offense, and receivers they have, it hasn’t come together as it was expected to,’’ Spruill added. “It definitely put a damper on his typical production.’’
Of course, Kelce’s still having a solid season, relatively. “His next game he needs 30 yards to hit 1,000 yards for the eighth year in a row,’’ Spruill said. “He’ll get that, but it’s not the numbers we’re used to seeing from him. It’s combination of lot of different things. It’s not just him getting old.’’
When Spruill trained Kelce for the combine, the tight end was coming off hernia surgery. Hence, their workouts were limited. Kelce was drafted in the third round – fifth tight end taken. Spruill didn’t know his potential until after his first active season when he came back to Boca.
“That’s when we really saw how athletically gifted he was,’’ Spruill said. “As big and tall as he is, it’s how he moves at 6-6, 250 like a slot receiver.’’
They missed each other this past offseason, but Spruill can’t wait to get Kelce back in Boca because of his diligence at training.
“A lot of guys like him are so good, but when they’re training, they’re still in the, ‘I-don’t-know-anything’’ mode,’’ Spruill said. “They never think they already know it all. As good as he is, guys like him are still in the gym, listening, taking notes and getting coached. Being so coachable, on top of their athletic ability, it’s a perfect recipe for great players.’’