The 34-year-old brothers, now working as Kelce’s manager, developed a special relationship with the NFL star years ago after drawing out their plan in college. Aaron, who was studying sports management and entrepreneurship at Bowling Green State University in northern Ohio, wanted to help athletes grow their careers. However, he wanted to be more than a sports agent.

“Agents are contract advisers,” Aaron told The New York Times. “I thought instead about a music model and building a business where there’s coordination with all their external providers.”

André, who also had similar dreams, launched an event management business while still in college. The company booked venues and hosted various events. 

As he was running his company, André connected with Kelce. A mutual friend named D.J Woods, who was Kelce’s college roommate, introduced the pair to each other. Kelce received VIP passes and became a regular at André’s parties.

“He was always the life of the party,” André said about Kelce, The Times reported. “Everyone wanted to go hang out with Travis.”

Aaron also continued to pursue his dream, launching his sports management business, A&A Management, and pitching it to college football players. Kelce took notice of the brothers’ plan and agreed to work with the duo. 

“It was unusual,” Kelce’s agent Mike Simon told The Times. “I think his thought process at the time was, ‘Let’s all do this together, and we’ll figure it out as we go.'”

Kelce and his representatives have certainly figured it out. With his managers behind him, Kelce is now one of the biggest stars on and off the field. The star tight end is helping his team win championships, landing major endorsements and making appearances on shows like Saturday Night Live. His popularity skyrocketed to an even higher level after he started recently dating pop megastar Taylor Swift.

André and Aaron manage Kelce’s 28 investments, along with his event appearances, TV and movie roles and overall publicity. 

“People say to me, ‘Man, it’s been a crazy year,'” Aaron said. “When I say, ‘Actually, it’s not that crazy,’ people look at me funny. It’s because it’s easy when you have a plan. We’re executing that plan.”

While Kelce’s popularity continues to soar, his managers are also making sure he’s not overwhelmed. The brothers said the plan for the next year is to accept fewer partnerships and make fewer public appearances, focusing on quality over quantity.

“We positioned Travis to be world famous,” André said. “We didn’t know how it would happen, or when it would happen, or what would help push that further along. But it’s always been the thought in the back of our minds.”