Greg Olsen says tight ends' 'blue-collar' roots make them the right group for annual training event

What started out as just an idea has turned into one of the NFL offseason's most prestigious events.

Tight End University is entering year six next week, and this one expects to be the biggest yet — even if Travis Kelce's fiancée, Taylor Swift, did make a surprise appearance last year.

The annual event went from just one text message from George Kittle to Greg Olsen about working out with some fellow tight ends in Nashville in 2021 to bringing in fans for the first time this year at Vanderbilt University.

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Now, just about every team's primary tight end makes the trip to the event, which will be open to fans for the first time this year.

"Here we are now with 90 or so guys from around the league, major sponsors, and the ability to open it to the public for the first time at Vanderbilt. It's a really cool mix of football, camaraderie, guys spending time with each other, and picking each other's brains on the field and in the classroom," Olsen, one of TEU's founders, told Fox News Digital recently. "It's a really good mix of all those things, and we hope that each year we find ways to make it better and better."

No other position in football, or any sport, has anything quite like this. Sure, players might be friendly and work out with one another.

But this is a spectacle, and it's because of the position itself.

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"There's something about the position where the roots are more blue-collar and grind-it-out. It's only been in the last handful of years that it's become more of a glamorous, superstar position," Olsen said.

"When I first came into the league, it was a little different. So I think it's the right type of guys to get together, work hard and train, and be willing to run around when it's 100 degrees in Nashville in June, a month before training camp."

Attendees are able to bond, collaborate with and learn among their peers while participating in a variety of activities, including film study, on-field drills, recovery, rehabilitation and more. In addition to current players, TEU also features several retired legends who provide attendees with the invaluable opportunity to learn from some of the best to ever play the game.

"Whether you're a Kelce or Kittle, a perennial All-Pro trying to extend your career and continue your success, or an undrafted rookie who has never stepped foot in the NFL and whose first goal is just to make a practice squad, there's always another level to reach," Olsen added. "Maybe you're on a practice squad and now it's time to make a 53-man roster. That's what we try to encourage — can you take one thing from this week, bring it back to training camp, bring it back to your team and elevate your career one step?

"We're not trying to turn everybody into Travis Kelce, George Kittle or Rob Gronkowski, but there are levels to every part of this game. If we can help guys take that next step, then I think it's a success. Then there's the fun element. Can we give these guys and their families — their girlfriends, wives, kids, whoever they bring with them — a fun three days with this tight end fraternity down in Nashville? If we can accomplish those two things, on and off the field, it's a great week."

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