If you’ve been anywhere near the buzz this summer, you’ve probably heard whispers about Travis Kelce. Like, not just from Chiefs fans, but from family and friends close to Taylor Swift, too. “My relatives, my cousins, were like, ‘Please, please, please, he’s amazing.’ There were friends that were like, ‘He’s actually an amazing guy, he’s so great.’ There were a lot of people whispering in my ear about you,” Swift revealed on the New Heights podcast on Wednesday (August 13), shining a spotlight on the kind of person Kelce is off the field. But beyond the glow of celebrity endorsements and fanfare, someone who’s truly seen the real Travis up close is Chiefs head coach Andy Reid. And his take is quite similar to what Taylor Swift has been told about before they started dating.

Andy Reid, in an exclusive excerpt from The Kingdom reposted by a fan account of the tight end, gave a straightforward camp recap. He made it more personal about Travis Kelce. “He makes everybody feel good and happy, and his goal is to make you smile. I think that’s infectious,” Reid said of Kelce’s off-the-field atmosphere, repeating something that’s now become impossible to ignore. It’s easy to excel on the field, and it’s another to lift morale wherever you are.

Reid’s intuition is absolutely in sync with what Taylor Swift admitted about Travis Kelce during her New Heights visit: “a vibe booster in everyone’s life that he’s in. He’s like a human exclamation point,” and crediting him for making her use exclamation marks in her texts more than ever. Beyond that, Kelce’s fun-loving nature shines brightly, whether he’s showing off his dance moves during Swift’s Eras Tour, famously grooving to “Shake It Off” and stealing the spotlight with his playful energy, or lighting up any room he walks into with his infectious vibe. When your head coach and one of the planet’s largest pop acts both refer to the same attribute, you know it’s important. It’s more than just hype.

What’s so fascinating about all of this is how much Andy Reid and Travis Kelce’s relationship goes beyond X’s and O’s. Reid and Kelce’s bond extends into locker-room leadership and off-season conditioning regimens. Reid witnessed Kelce sprinting drills up close this summer. It’s evident that even in his 13th year, Kelce’s work ethic hasn’t diminished.

And you don’t have to just believe Andy Reid. There have been off-field glimpses into Travis Kelce’s magic from Chiefs fans, teammates, and coaches, including last season’s locker room video that went viral, during which Kelce choreographed the post-victory dance for the team, making a grueling grind into a grin-fest for all. And there was the instance when he rounded up rookie receivers after one had dropped a pass, whapped them on the back, and told a joke that made the room erupt with laughter rather than pout. And again, he was caught with Noah Gray laughing at puny jokes during the training camp. In addition to his good-natured personality off the field, Kelce is also enjoying an equal number of good moments on the field, too, particularly for the coming season.

Travis Kelce’s preseason grind pays off ahead of Week 1

Entering Week 1, Travis Kelce is showing off that offseason effort more prominently than ever. Accounts from daily practice emphasize his burst in sideline sprint drills. They also highlight his smooth route-running in one-on-one drills, where he consistently left defenders standing still. Even coach Reid cracked wise and said Kelce looked “He’s svelte right now. He looks like he’s 20” after seeing him outrunning younger teammates in conditioning tests.

Getting into this, you understand why the Chiefs are so optimistic. Travis Kelce’s accurate footwork on seam routes makes him a perfect red-zone target. His knack for discovering soft spots in zone coverage only adds to that advantage. Mix in his veteran savvy for knowing when to block and when to slip. It’s no surprise Patrick Mahomes continues checking down to him when tight windows present themselves.

Down the road, if Travis Kelce’s conditioning gains continue, expect him to be a driving force in high-leverage situations. Think third downs, goal-line dives, and that ride-saving catch we all replay in our minds from last year’s playoff push. Because of that infectious optimism Reid mentioned, Kelce’s contributions won’t only show up on the stat sheet. They will also resonate through the team’s psyche as they pursue another Lombardi Trophy.