Carlos Correa seems to have started something.
The Houston shortstop melted hearts when he proposed to girlfriend Daniella Rodriguez on the field after the Astros won the World Series. On Saturday, a few college football players followed his lead.
In the midst of the on-field celebration following Georgia Tech’s 28-22 upset win over No. 17 Virginia Tech, Yellow Jackets linebacker Tre’ Jackson proposed to girlfriend Desi Nathe. His teammates chanted “Yes! Yes! Yes!” as he slipped the ring on her finger.
Jackson asked coach Paul Johnson a couple of weeks ago if he could propose on the field - assuming the Yellow Jackets pulled out the victory.
“I missed it,” Johnson said, chuckling. “He had asked me and told me he was going to do that. In all honesty, I forgot about it.”
In Boulder, Colorado’s Trent Headley didn’t wait until after the Buffaloes’ game against USC to ask cheerleader Lizzie Trujillo to marry him. She said yes to the linebacker after he veered away from Senior Day player introductions and dropped to one knee.
“I had no idea. I’m still in shock,” Trujillo said. “I took my ring off and gave it to my coach, just to be safe and keep it protected.”
Like Jackson, Trent cleared the idea with coach Mike MacIntyre - all the way back in the summer.
“I said, ’You better make sure she’s going to say yes out there in front of all those people,’” MacIntyre said. “That was a great moment for Trent and everybody there. That’s something they’ll always remember. Every time I think of Trent, I’ll remember of a lot of things. I’ll remember that for sure. That was a great moment for him.”
South Carolina State linebacker Darius Leonard also celebrated Senior Day by proposing to girlfriend Kayla Michelle Sanderson after the Bulldogs’ 33-15 win over Hampton.
Her “yes” capped a big day for Leonard , an NFL hopeful who had eight tackles, two tackles for loss and two sacks in the game.
Over at Penn State, former offensive lineman Chance Sorrell proposed to his girlfriend Kayla Lonergan following the Nittany Lions’ 35-6 victory over Rutgers. Even the public address system was involved, playing “My Girl” for the big moment. Sorrell is currently part of Penn State’s staff.
Of course, on-field player proposals aren’t new. Boise State running back Ian Johnson famously surprised Broncos cheerleader Chrissy Popadics with an on-camera proposal following Boise State’s stunning 43-42 victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1, 2007.
But popping the question on the field may have been given a boost by Correa.
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AP Sports Writer Paul Newberry in Georgia and Pat Graham in Colorado contributed to this report.
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