Who Is Seahawks QB Sam Darnold’s Fiancée? All About Katie Hoofnagle

Football star Sam Darnold and Katie Hoofnagle went Instagram-official in 2023.

To announce their relationship, she posted a series of photos of the couple on his June 5 birthday, along with the caption: “your huge heart, goofy energy, and ability to quote every movie you’ve ever seen are unmatched. Happy 26th birthday, celebrating you is so easy!”

Among the photos shared were the couple doing a word puzzle over FaceTime and posing together at an event for The Jessie Rees Foundation, an organization Darnold supports that is dedicated to helping pediatric cancer patients.

In July 2025, the couple got engaged. She posted on Instagram about the special day, writing in the caption, “from the best day ever🕊️ here’s to forever together.”

So, who is Sam Darnold’s fiancée? Here’s everything to know about Katie Hoofnagle and her relationship with the Seattle Seahawks quarterback.

She attended the University of South Carolina

Per Hoofnagle’s LinkedIn, she graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2020, where she majored in marketing and minored in nutrition. While there, she made the Dean’s list for students with a grade point average of 3.5 or higher every semester and played on the university’s soccer team.

Post-college, she moved to Charlotte, N.C., explaining the reason in a LinkedIn post: “Going home to the San Francisco Bay Area after graduating college would have provided me with countless opportunities for professional growth, but not the personal growth I knew I needed. At the end of the day, I felt like there was more to life than just my career and I knew I needed to dig my roots somewhere new,” she wrote.

Darnold was also Charlotte-based for the 2021 and 2022 football seasons, playing quarterback for the Carolina Panthers.

She works in healthcare

Before moving to Seattle, Hoofnagle worked for a loan management firm in Charlotte from 2020 to 2023, starting as an assistant before being promoted to loan officer.

Since October 2024, Hoofnagle has worked remotely as an account manager for Renvio, a technology company that specializes in dialysis machine software to assist patients with kidney conditions.

She loves to snowboard, hike and do yoga

Hoofnagle’s Instagram is filled with photos that show her on the slopes in Lake Tahoe, Calif., Breckenridge, Colo. and Park City, Utah.

She also practices yoga and enjoys hikes, many of which she has also posted about on social media. Darnold has said Hoofnagle’s love of sports helps her understand his demanding football schedule.

She’s friends with other football girlfriends, wives and moms

When Darnold played for the Minnesota Vikings, Hoofnagle and the team’s WAGS (which stands for Wives and Girlfriends) made a fashion statement with custom-made, matching team jackets.

She’s also been spotted hanging out with Lavonne Allen, the mother of Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Hailee Steinfeld, his wife.

Now, Hoofnagle hangs out with the Seahawks WAGs and often posts about their sideline happenings.

Darnold and Hoofnagle go on vacation in the off-season

Darnold and Hoofnagle don’t go out much during football season, he has admitted, but she does convince him to leave the house every now and then. In the off-season, though, the couple get to travel together.

In May 2024, Darnold and Hoofnagle went to her family’s cottage on Lake Michigan and less than a year later, she posted a series of photos, including several from a beach getaway, captioned: “offseasoning.”

She’s Darnold’s biggest fan

Since going public with their relationship, Hoofnagle has regularly posted photos hugging Darnold on the sidelines, cheering him on from the stands and celebrating wins in box suites at his games.

In September 2024, she even wore a top with Darnold’s name written on the back to support her beau. Hoofnagle sometimes also wears a “14” necklace, which is Darnold’s number.

“Thanks for letting me be a part of your journey, Sam, standing by your side is a blessing that I’ll never take for granted,” she wrote on Instagram.

In June 2025, Hoofnagle thanked her partner again for the “joy” in their lives.

“Amidst the chaos of our everyday lives, every day spent with you is filled with an abundance of peace, laughter, presence, joy, and love,” she wrote.