Lainey Wilson surprised her legion of stans last year when she revealed she had been secretly dating former NFL player Devlin “Duck” Hodges since 2021! The country music star made her red carpet debut with Duck in May 2023 and later revealed they had been together for quite some time during a June 2023 episode of The Bobby Bones Show. “He’s been around for a while. I just decided to make him wait for two and a half years,” Lainey joked.
“But I’ll tell you, he is good as gold,” she gushed. “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.”
Now that the cat, er duck, is out of the bag, let’s learn more about the man who stole the “Things a Man Oughta Know” singer’s heart, below.
Where Did He Play Football?
Devlin was born in Alabama on April 12, 1996. He became 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. In 2019, he 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.
The pro football experience has helped Devlin support Lainey, as she said he understands what it’s like to pursue one’s passions.
“He knows what it’s like chasing a dream because he’s done that for himself,” she said on The Bobby Bones Show. “He was in the NFL. He tried out literally for the Steelers and made it and had a really great run with them. Went out to LA Rams and did that.”
How Did Devlin Get The Name ‘Duck’?
When Lainey revealed her two-year romance with Duck, she was asked about his unique nickname and how he ended up with it.
“First of all, if you read something online, it probably ain’t right,” she explained on The Bobby Bones Show. “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. Turns out [Devlin] was also a duck hunter.”
He Is An Avid Hunter
One only has to glance at Duck’s Instagram page to see that he really does enjoy the sport of duck hunting. Several posts show the former athlete in camouflage, toting guns and the spoils of his efforts. He also appears to enjoy hunting wild turkeys, as he is often snapped with a huge smile while holding up their carcasses.
Duck Slid Into Lainey’s DMs
While it’s still unclear how the two started their romance, Duck has not been shy about his social media love for the country music star, who is also dabbling in acting on Yellowstone. In April, he tweeted, “Lainey Wilson damnnn she’s so gooooood.”
He also responded to a tweet from iHeartCountry that featured photos of several country musicians alongside the question, “Whose DMs are you sliding into?” Duck got straight to the point when he replied, “Lainey Wilson … literally.”
He Has His Own Podcast
While he may have put playing football in his past, Duck has no problem talking about it on his eponymous podcast, The Duck Hodges Podcast.
“Waterfowl podcast with a mix of other hunting and sports and maybe even a little music,” reads the description on the website. “If you enjoy those talks that happen around the fire and at duck camp, this is the podcast for you.” The first season kicked off in April 2022!