Lainey Wilson is a powerhouse in country music, so it’s not surprising that she has a boyfriend who is also very successful. The 31-year-old singer, who has the most nominations of any artist at the upcoming CMA Awards that are airing November 8, is dating former NFL quarterback Devlin “Duck” Hodges. Lainey debuted her relationship with Duck, 27, to the public when they walked the red carpet together at the ACM Awards in May 2023, over two years after they started dating.
Keep reading to learn more about Duck and his relationship with Lainey.
Who Is Duck Hodges?
Duck was a star athlete in high school before taking his talents to his home state college of Samford, where he excelled as a quarterback and was named the Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Year three times. He got the nickname “Duck” from his college football coach, Lainey revealed on The Bobby Bones Show in June 2023.
“His college football coach was like, ‘You’re one of the best quarterbacks I’ve ever worked with. And you remind me a lot of one of my favorite quarterbacks I got to work with years ago, and we called him Duck.’ And so he and the team just kind of started calling him Duck,” Lainey said. “Turns out [Devlin] was also a duck hunter.”
In 2019, Duck was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He then had a run at the LA Rams, before a quick turn in the Canadian football league with the Ottawa Redblacks. On April 22, 2022, the Redblacks announced that Devlin had retired from professional football.
Duck currently keeps busy as a real estate agent. He works for Messy Oak Properties, according to his LinkedIn. Duck has his own Instagram page for his real estate that he created in February 2023.
When Did Lainey Wilson & Duck Hodges Start Dating?
Lainey and Duck started dating over two years before they made their red carpet debut as a couple in May 2023. They sparked dating rumors in the weeks leading up to the ACM Awards. Lainey and all of her band members wore Duck’s jerseys onstage when they performed in Pittsburgh while opening for Luke Combs at the end of April. That same month, Duck showed public support for Lainey on Twitter when she was nominated for the CMT Awards. He responded to a CMT tweet about who should win the Female Video of the Year category. “Lainey Wilson and not even close!!” he gushed.
What Has Lainey Wilson Said About Dating Duck Hodges?
Lainey spoke about her relationship with Duck for the first time on Bobby Bones‘ podcast in June 2023. “I’ll tell you, he is good as gold,” Lainey said about her boyfriend. “Supports me, would never come in between anything that I’m trying to do. He’s like, ‘Go get it, girl.’ And I made him wait for a while. I mean…it’s been a little over two years now.”
In an interview with PEOPLE, Lainey revealed why the couple waited two years to go public with their relationship. “I said, ‘We gonna see if you’re in it for the right reasons.’ Turns out, he is,” said Lainey. “Somebody said how funny it was watching him high-five all of my artist friends at the ACMs, and I said, ‘Those are his friends!’”
She continued, “He’ll FaceTime me, and he’ll be with HARDY and Morgan [Wallen] and Luke [Combs], and I’m like, ‘Stop stealing all my buddies. They’ll always be out golfing and drinking a beer. I don’t have to convince anybody to like him. He’s a very lovable person.”