Former NFL Quarterback Devlin ‘Duck’ Hodges Admits He Gives Friends That Want to Date Ella Langley ‘False Hope’

Former NFL quarterback Devlin “Duck” Hodges might have hit the jackpot by marrying country music superstar Lainey Wilson, but he’s drawing the line when it comes to playing matchmaker for his friends who are hoping for a similar fairy tale romance.

During a recent appearance on the Game Runs Deep podcast, the 30-year-old former athlete opened up about his single friends constantly pleading with him to hook them up with rising country music star Ella Langley.

Rather than crushing their expectations, Hodges confessed that his own love story tends to give them a distorted sense of confidence.

“Some of my friends, they’ll get with me, and they’ll be like, ‘Dude, set me up with Ella, or set me up with somebody,'” Hodges said during the interview. “And I felt bad because I gave all these guys false hope that if I did it, they can do it.”

It’s not hard to see why Hodges’ friends are interested in Langley. She is currently sitting at the top of the country music world, dominating charts and hanging out with other global music stars like Taylor Swift and his own wife at industry events.

While Hodges, who retired from football in 2022 and is working in real estate, playfully admits that landing a date with someone of Langley’s caliber isn’t quite as simple as leaning on a married friend, he still champions men shooting their shot.

After all, Duck knows a thing or two about beating the odds. Following his viral “Duck Mania” NFL stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers, which was sparked by his roots as a duck caller and his unexpected rise to starting quarterback, Hodges crossed paths with Wilson in Nashville back in 2021.

What started as a saloon date blossomed into a whirlwind romance. The two made their first public appearance on the red carpet at the ACM Awards in 2023, got engaged in early 2025, and officially got married on May 10, 2026.