You can’t make this up. Imagine being a professional athlete and your literal last name is the same as the world’s most famous boxed dinner. It was only a matter of time before the Green Bay Packers’ breakout tight end found himself buried under a mountain of yellow-orange noodles.
Tucker Kraft has become a cult hero in Wisconsin, not just because he’s a beast in the open field, but because he leaned into the pun. Hard. If you’ve spent any time on NFL Twitter or the Packers subreddit lately, you’ve seen the term Tucker Kraft mac and cheese popping up more than a mid-season injury report. It’s a marketing match made in heaven that actually happened.
The Viral "YAC and Cheese" Moment
It started as a joke. Then it became a literal truckload of food. Kraft Mac & Cheese (the company) sent the other Kraft (the player) exactly 85 boxes of macaroni and cheese. Why 85? Because that’s his jersey number.
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The boxes weren’t just the standard blue ones you find at a local Piggly Wiggly. They were custom-labeled as "Kraft YAC & Cheese." For the non-football nerds, YAC stands for "Yards After Catch." It’s basically a measure of how much of a problem you are for defenders once you actually have the ball.
Tucker Kraft is a big problem.
He shared the unboxing on social media, featuring a massive, Costco-sized replica box that held the 85 smaller ones. There was even a custom "YAC & Cheesehead"—a foam hat that looks like the iconic Green Bay cheesehead but with a macaroni-themed twist. Honestly, it's the kind of goofy, authentic branding that usually costs millions in consulting fees, but it happened because a guy named Kraft happened to be really good at catching a football in a state obsessed with dairy.
Why the "Draft Kraft" Promo Actually Worked
Most celebrity endorsements feel fake. This one didn't. In late 2024 and early 2025, the brand launched a campaign called "Draft Kraft." The premise was simple: if you drafted Tucker Kraft to your fantasy football team and sent in a screenshot, the company would send you a free box of mac and cheese. They even had a grand prize where 85 winners got a box autographed by Tucker himself.
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People actually won. By early 2026, fans were still posting photos of these signed boxes on Reddit, treating them like legitimate sports memorabilia. It’s a weird world where a box of dried pasta becomes a collector's item, but here we are.
Is It Good for a Tight End's Diet?
Look, Tucker Kraft is 6'5" and weighs about 260 pounds. He’s a mountain of a man.
You’d think an NFL player would be strictly on a "chicken, broccoli, and brown rice" regimen, right? Kinda. But these guys burn thousands of calories a day. A standard box of Kraft Mac & Cheese has roughly 360 to 400 calories per serving, and if you eat the whole box (which most people do), you're looking at over 1,000 calories.
For a guy like Tucker, that’s basically a light snack.
The macros for a typical serving look something like this:
- Protein: 9g to 13g
- Carbs: 47g to 71g
- Sodium: Around 580mg to 950mg
While it’s not exactly "performance fuel" due to the high sodium and processed carbs, it’s the ultimate comfort food for a guy who spent his college years in South Dakota. He’s been vocal about his roots and being a "normal guy." Eating a bowl of blue-box mac is about as normal as it gets.
The Injury and the "Bittersweet" Connection
Football is a brutal game. In late 2025, the hype around Tucker Kraft mac and cheese hit a bit of a snag when he suffered a knee injury.
Fans who had just received their "Draft Kraft" boxes in the mail found the timing heart-wrenching. You’ve got this celebratory box of noodles sitting on your counter, but the guy on the box is headed to the IR. It didn't stop the nickname, though. If anything, it solidified it. The "Big Tuck Cheese Truck" became a symbol of the team's grit.
How to Get Your Own "YAC & Cheese"
You can't really buy the specific Tucker Kraft "YAC & Cheese" edition in stores right now. They were limited-edition promotional items. However, the legacy lives on through the fans.
If you want to replicate the vibe at home, here are a few things you can actually do:
- The Fantasy Strategy: Keep an eye on his status for the 2026 season. If he's healthy, he's a top-tier YAC monster.
- The "Pro" Recipe: Word on the street is that the best way to make the boxed stuff is to swap the milk for evaporated milk and use half the butter. It makes it creamier, which is definitely what a tight end needs for those extra calories.
- The Merch: While the official boxes are rare, you can still find "YAC & Cheese" hoodies and shirts made by local Green Bay creators.
Tucker Kraft has proven that you don't need a sophisticated brand strategy when your name already matches the most iconic comfort food in America. It’s authentic, it’s cheesy, and it’s exactly why people love the NFL.
If you're looking to snag one of those signed boxes, your best bet is secondary markets like eBay or keeping a close eye on Packers fan forums, as they rarely pop up for sale. Just make sure the autograph is legit—Tucker’s signature usually features his #85 prominently.