This is probably not the couple you want to challenge to any sort of athletic competition.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie first round pick and star wide receiver Emeka Egbuka and his girlfriend, Notre Dame soccer star Laney Matriano, announced their engagement on Instagram on Friday, January 2 — just one day ahead of a Win-Or-Go-Home game for the Bucs in the Week 18 regular season finale against the Carolina Panthers.
Egbuka has been a breakout star for the Buccaneers this season and leads the team with 62 receptions for 930 yards and 6 touchdowns after they selected him at No. 19 overall in the 2025 NFL draft.
“Everything we prayed for and more,” Matriano wrote on a shared Instagram post with Egbuka accompanied by a slideshow of pictures of their engagement on the beach.
The pictures showed Egbuka getting down on one knee in front of an elaborate setup of roses and candles and a sign which read: “Will You Marry Me Lainey?”
Just to prove romance isn’t dead, the first comment under the engagement came from a Buccaneers fan.
“Drop 100 yards in the next game to show her you really love her,” Hector 19 wrote under the couple’s engagement announcement.
Here’s everything you need to know about Egbuka and Matriano’s high-profile engagement.
4-Year Starter for Powerhouse Irish Program
Matriano was a 4-year starter for the Notre Dame women’s soccer program, capping her career in the fall of 2025, with the Irish losing to Ohio State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
While we’re not totally clear how the 2 sports stars met, Matriano is a native of Willoughby, Ohio, and starred at Willoughby South High School. Egbuka, a Tacoma, Washington, native, starred at Ohio State and helped lead the Buckeyes to a College Football Playoff National Championship in 2024.
In 2024, Matriano, a midfielder, led Notre Dame with 1,836 minutes and into the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament.
“I believe Laney is one of the best connecting players in the country,” Notre Dame head coach Nate Norman told FightingIrish.com. “She is a very technical midfielder that always seems to be calm and composed no matter what the situation. She makes the game look very easy. She also has a fantastic defensive presence.”
Egbuka One of NFL’s Brightest Young Stars
Egbuka had to take on a bigger role as a rookie as injuries kept last year’s trio of starting wide receivers all out for extended periods of time with Mike Evans missing 9 games, Chris Godwin missing 8 games and Jalen McMillan missing 13 games.
Through the first 6 weeks of the season, Egbuka seemed like a runaway pick for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year only to be supplanted by a pair of NFC South rivals.
According to Vegas Insider, the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award now essentially comes down to a 2-man race between Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (-175) and New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough (+150).
Egbuka’s odds were sitting at +1600 headed into the regular season finale against the Panthers, with the Buccaneers having lost 7 of their last 8 games.
“EMEKA EGBUKA YARDS + TD STRAIGHT BET,” Dave on Bets wrote on X. “HE JUST GOT ENGAGED! YOU THINK HES NOT GOING CRAZY AFTER THAT. LOCK IT IN.”
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The post Everything to Know: Bucs WR Emeka Egbuka’s Fiancee is Notre Dame Soccer Star Laney Matriano appeared first on Heavy Sports.