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We’re hours away from the NFL Draft and it’s a big day for both the prospects and those around them, including wives and girlfriends.
In the draft, players realize their lifelong dreams after decades of training, games, travel and additional training. This week marks a big step for NFL hopefuls as they wait for their names to be announced — the signal for the end of one journey and the beginning of another.
For families and friends, the emotions will be so high when their loved ones enter the biggest league in the country. However, some recruits are fortunate to receive additional support from loved ones.
When the red carpet rolls out and the clock starts ticking in Detroit, it will also usher in a new era for these women as they enter the world of NFL WAGs.
Here, Dailymail.com highlights some of the wives and girlfriends of the 2024 NFL Draft.
1. Caleb Williams and Valery Orellana
Former USC quarterback Caleb Williams has been dating Valery Orellana since 2020
Orellana studies communications and business administration at UNC Chapel Hill
The projected number one pick, USC’s Caleb Williams, has been dating Valery Orellana since 2020.
With a photo of them going to prom as partners, the quarterback made their relationship Instagram official. While the post was deleted, the couple remains present in each other’s lives, as seen in his Instagram stories, with Valery constantly supporting Caleb during his Heisman-winning college career.
Williams, projected to join the Chicago Bears, already hinted that the power couple will perform tonight in “unique outfits.”
Orellana will graduate from UNC Chapel Hill in 2025 and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Public Relations, Advertising and Applied Communications, as well as a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.
2. JJ McCarthy and Katya Kuropas
JJ McCarthy from Michigan and his girlfriend Katya Kuropas have been dating for more than five years
Shortly after Michigan won the national title in January, McCarthy and Kuropas got engaged.
After winning a national championship with Michigan, JJ McCarthy is expected to be a top-five pick in Detroit, and ESPN projects him to go fifth to Minnesota.
Sitting next to him will be his high school sweetheart, Katya Kuropas, whom he has been dating for over five years. Kuropas and McCarthy attended Nazareth Academy in Hillsdale, Illinois, before the former joined her partner and headed to Ann Arbor for college.
Kuropas was a regular at Wolverines games throughout McCarthy’s career. In January, their relationship took another step when McCarthy got down on one knee and the couple got engaged.
3. Bo Nix and Izzy Smoke Nix
Bo Nix’s wife, Izzy Smoke Nix, was a cheerleader at Auburn, where she played for three years.
Bo’s move to Oregon did not hinder the relationship as the couple married in July 2022.
From a couple who will soon get married, to another who got married long before the draft.
In a class full of quarterback talent, Oregon’s Bo Nix joins the mix with his wife, Izzy Smoke Nix.
The couple met during Bo’s three-year stint at Auburn before heading to the Pacific Northwest to join the Ducks. Bo and Izzy, a cheerleader for the Tigers football team, began dating during her now-husband’s sophomore year and exchanged vows on July 2, 2022.
While Izzy remained in Alabama after Bo opted to take his talents elsewhere, the happily married couple can now root for the same team: whoever Nix calls.
4. Blake Corum and Makiah Shipp
Blake Corum’s Girlfriend Makiah Shipp Previously Appeared on ‘Black Girl Speak’
Shipp, pictured with her boyfriend, is pursuing a degree in public policy analysis at Michigan.
Another member of the national championship Michigan Wolverines, Blake Corum, wins on and off the football field.
While the running back has continued to impress as an athlete, his girlfriend, Makiah Shipp, is also a big catch.
Shipp earned a research internship at the UM School of Education in 2019, paving the way for her scholarship at Michigan. Shipp’s efforts led her to appear on ‘Black Girl Speak’ as she works to amplify marginalized voices.
She is on track to complete a bachelor’s degree in public policy analysis this year, which will make Shipp the first college graduate in her family.
Despite being active in their respective fields, Shipp and Corum tend to keep their relationship largely hidden, only rarely seeing each other on their respective social networks.
5. Brock Bowers and Cameron Rose Newell
Brock Bowers’ girlfriend, Cameron Rose Newell, is an active member of Tennessee Greek life.
Bowers and Newell began dating in 2021 despite attending different football-mad schools
From prom dates to the NFL Draft, former Georgia tight end Brock Bowers will be accompanied by arguably his biggest supporter: his girlfriend, Cameron Rose Newell.
The former Bulldog began dating the University of Tennessee student in May 2021.
Hailing from Napa, California, Newell is an active member of UT Greek life as assistant director of recruiting operations for Kappa Delta sorority. In addition to her involvement in the sorority, she also worked as an administrative assistant for her family business, Newell’s Property Management.
ESPN projects that Bowers will be the 10th pick tonight and will join Aaron Rodgers with the New York Jets.