It’s no surprise that Cheez-It wants college football fans “feelin’ the cheeziest” and snacking on its signature crackers throughout the season, but the brand’s sponsorship of the December 31 Cheez-It Citrus Bowl — one of the oldest college football bowl games in the country — takes its love of football to a new level, and this year that includes a live launch of a fresh flavor combination in partnership with Kordell Beckham.
The brand is infusing as much Cheez-It flavor into the game as possible. That extends to everything from mascot Ched-Z officiating a two-minute timeout wedding to a fan reporting on game-day antics from the sidelines while inside the world’s largest bowl of Cheez-Its, a 47-inch-tall and 72-inch-wide bowl filled with Original-flavored crackers. But the best news for fans of the snack is that Cheez-It is adding one more spectacular twist to this year’s game between the Universities of Illinois and South Carolina, by releasing a bundle of two new flavors near the end of the first quarter.
Love Island USA season six winner and brother of NFL player Odell Beckham Junior, Kordell Beckham, has been named the brand’s “Chief Fantaseez Officer” (CFO) for the Orlando-based bowl game. Cheez-It also teamed up with Beckham to create a new flavor duo featuring Cheez-It Extra Toasty Cheddar Jack and Cheez-It Smoked Cheddar crackers, which the brand has dubbed The Kordeezy Fantacheezy.
The two flavors will be sold together in one box, with Beckham’s image on the front of the packaging, and a Cheez-It Citrus Bowl logo on the side. After its live debut during the game, the new bundle will become available for sale on CheezIt.com.
“Flavor innovation is a huge focus for Cheez-It,” Cara Tragseiler, senior brand director for Cheez-It, tells Food & Wine. “Whether it’s an entirely new product, a new way to enjoy our existing flavors, or creating a full menu of Cheez-It infused dishes, we’re always focused on ways to bring fans an engaging experience with our irresistible snack.”
This isn’t Beckham’s first run at creating new flavors with Cheez-It. He also partnered with the brand in August to craft two new renditions of the snack, White Cheddar and Hot & Spicy Cheez-Its, titled the Kordeezy Cheezy Couple. Boxes of the crackers were in such high demand that Cheez-It says they sold out in less than five minutes.
“Staying connected to cultural conversation and trends that are driving fan excitement is a key element to bringing these innovations to life,” Tragseiler notes. “It was clear after our first release with Kordell that Cheez-It fans absolutely adore him, as do we, so we are excited to bring even further fan connection to life at the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, where he’ll be releasing the new Kordeezy Fantacheezy bundle during the game.”
The Chief Fantaseez Officer famously said on his season of Love Island USA that he hoped to partner with Cheez-It in the future. Considering this dream and the success of his first launch with the brand, it’s no surprise that the two are teaming up again. Beckham says, “Cheez-It helped me achieve one of my long-term fantaseez of partnering with Cheez-It – so I’m all in on making these wild fantaseez a reality for others.”
For fans wanting a taste of Cheez-Its inside the stadium, the venue will feature a very cheesy menu by incorporating the crackers into classic comfort foods. Attendees can try Swicy Cheez-It Bird Dog chicken tenders, Loaded Cheez-It Brisket Potato Skins, Hot Honey & Cheez-It Pepperoni Pizza, Loaded Chili Cheez-It Crunch Dogs, Cheez-It Pimento Cheez & Bacon Burgers, Walking Cheez-It Nachos, and Mac and Cheez-It Nachos.
Because the launch of the new flavors will be live, fans watching the game at home can time the release of the new The Kordeezy Fantacheezy flavor bundle to the action on the field, and snag some boxes as soon as they go on sale.
