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Lainey Wilson<\/strong><\/a> surprised her legion of stans last year when she revealed she had been secretly dating former NFL player Devlin \u201cDuck\u201d Hodges<\/strong><\/a> since 2021! The country music star made her red carpet debut<\/a> 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.<\/em><\/a> \u201cHe\u2019s been around for a while. I just decided to make him wait for two and a half years,\u201d Lainey joked.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I\u2019ll tell you, he is good as gold,\u201d she gushed. \u201cSupports me, would never come in between anything that I\u2019m trying to do. He\u2019s like, \u2018Go get it, girl.\u2019 And I made him wait for a while. I mean \u2026 it\u2019s been a little over two years now.\u201d<\/p>\n Now that the cat, er duck, is out of the bag, let\u2019s learn more about the man who stole the \u201cThings a Man Oughta Know\u201d singer\u2019s heart, below.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n The pro football experience has helped Devlin support Lainey, as she said he understands what it\u2019s like to pursue one\u2019s passions.<\/p>\n \u201cHe knows what it\u2019s like chasing a dream because he\u2019s done that for himself,\u201d she said on The Bobby Bones Show<\/em>. \u201cHe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n When Lainey revealed her two-year romance with Duck, she was asked about his unique nickname and how he ended up with it.<\/p>\n \u201cFirst of all, if you read something online, it probably ain\u2019t right,\u201d she explained on The Bobby Bones Show<\/em>. \u201cHis college football coach was like, \u2018You\u2019re one of the best quarterbacks I\u2019ve 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.\u2019 And so he and the team just kind of started calling him Duck. Turns out [Devlin] was also a duck hunter.\u201d<\/p>\n One only has to glance at Duck\u2019s Instagram<\/a> 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<\/a> while holding up their carcasses.<\/p>\n While it\u2019s 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<\/em><\/a>. In April, he tweeted<\/a>, \u201cLainey Wilson damnnn she\u2019s so gooooood.\u201d<\/p>\n He also responded to a tweet from iHeartCountry that featured photos of several country musicians alongside the question, \u201cWhose DMs are you sliding into?\u201d Duck got straight to the point when he replied<\/a>, \u201cLainey Wilson \u2026 literally.\u201d<\/p>\n 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<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWaterfowl podcast with a mix of other hunting and sports and maybe even a little music,\u201d reads the description on the website. \u201cIf you enjoy those talks that happen around the fire and at duck camp, this is the podcast for you.\u201d The first season kicked off in April 2022!<\/p>\n \n\t\t<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/duck-hodges-5-things-to-know-ss-embed-.jpg?resize=620%2C903\")
Where Did He Play Football?<\/h2>\n
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How Did Devlin Get The Name \u2018Duck\u2019?<\/h2>\n
He Is An Avid Hunter<\/h2>\n
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Duck Slid Into Lainey\u2019s DMs<\/h2>\n
He Has His Own Podcast<\/h2>\n
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