Who Is Lainey Wilson Dating? Meet the CMA Awards Nominee’s Boyfriend Devlin ‘Duck’ Hodges

No matter how big Lainey Wilson’s heart is, her boyfriend isn’t going to pull it through the muck! The Yellowstone actor and country singer made her boyfriend Devlin “Duck” Hodges’ debut at the 2023 Academy of Country Music Awards in May. But their romance goes back far farther, and Lainey is gradually filling fans in on their relationship details.

Who Is Lainey Wilson’s Boyfriend Devlin ‘Duck’ Hodges?

Devlin may be familiar to football fans; he played quarterback for Samford University in Alabama before signing as an undrafted free agent with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019. Though the Ottawa Redblacks announced Devlin’s retirement from professional football in April 2022, the announcement came less than a year after he signed with the organisation in September 2021. Mossy Oak Properties is Devlin’s Louisiana real estate company where he works today.

The duck calling skills of Devlin are just as well-known as his football prowess. He has the best duck calling performance in Alabama in 2018. But that’s not how he got the moniker “Duck.”

He was characterised by his college football coach as one of the top quarterbacks he had ever had the pleasure of coaching. “You make me think of a great quarterback I had the opportunity to work with a long time ago; we used to call him “Duck”,” Lainey said. “And thus, the squad began to refer to him as Duck.”

When Did Lainey Wilson and Devlin Hodges Start Dating?

Even though Lainey and Devlin didn’t make their red carpet debut together until 2023, they began dating in early 2021. Lainey said that she and Devlin had been dating for over two years in an interview that took place in June 2023.

According to People, the singer-songwriter said she was waiting to let him gain fame until she could tell if he was “in it for the right reasons.”

“As it happens, he is,” Lainey chimed in.

Speculation about Lainey’s relationship status with the former NFL great began in April 2023, when she opened up for Luke Combs in Pittsburgh, before they made their red carpet debut. Despite the fact that Devlin Hodges hadn’t played for the team since 2020, the country singer and her bandmates still sported his jerseys as they stepped onto the platform.

Devlin and Lainey matched in cowboy hats when they walked the red carpet together at the 2023 CMA Awards in November. As they locked eyes, it was clear they were head over heels for one another.

How Did Lainey Wilson and Devlin Hodges Meet?

Their first date took place at “this old place called Silverados,” as Lainey described it to People, after they were introduced by mutual friends in Nashville.

“From 5 to 10 p.m., it had free beer and wine,” she informed.  “I thought, ‘This kid likes to have fun without breaking the bank, too.'” “This will be successful.”

Now that his girlfriend’s country music career is taking off, Devlin is overjoyed to cheer her on. “As I walk out the door, Duck gives me a high-five and says, ‘Go get it.'” she went on to explain. “He is aware of the significance of this dream for me.”

Devlin has even inspired Lainey’s music in new ways, as she said, “I was never really able to write love songs, because I don’t know if I had actually felt it, but I’m writing me some love songs now. I’m grateful for him.”

The former football player has also proven himself to be Lainey’s biggest fan. She often appears on his TikTok account. In one June 2023 video, he tagged along to one of his girlfriend’s photoshoots and was mesmerized by her beauty.

The two of us went on one of those photo sessions. “Yeah, I’m really infatuated,” he captioned the video.

Are Lainey Wilson and Devlin Hodges Still Together?

While the couple is known to be private on social media, the athlete gave his girlfriend a special shoutout on social media ahead of her attending the 2024 Grammys. 

“Grammys Night!!!!” he captioned the post as he shared a photo of Lainey in February 2024.