Former NFL QB Duck Hodges says marrying country star gave friends 'false hope' about landing Ella Langley date

Who could forget when the news broke that legendary backup quarterback Devlin "Duck" Hodges was dating Lainey Wilson, who at the time was labeled as having country music's biggest butt.

That's an honor that has since passed her by. It was more than three years ago now that the months of speculation had finally come to an end. The retired football player and the country star have since married.

Lainey Wilson and Devlin "Duck" Hodges have married after five years together. (Christopher Polk/Billboard/Getty Images)

Duck is now the supportive husband of one of the biggest stars in country music and an inspiration to his buddies who want him to set them up with his wife's friend Ella Langley.

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During a recent appearance on the "Game Runs Deep" podcast, he shared how he's given some of his friends false hope when it comes to their chances of landing a date with Ella Langley.

Ella Langley and Gretchen Wilson perform onstage at Nissan Stadium durning CMA Fest 2026 day one on June 04, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee. ((Photo by Terry Wyatt/WireImage via Getty Images))

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"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,'" Duck said. "And I felt bad because I gave all these guys false hope that if I did it, they can do it."

Who are these friends of his? Ella is on top of country music right now and unless any of these guys had a run like he had with the Steelers during "Duck Mania," do they really think they have a shot?

(L-R) Taylor Swift, Ella Langley, and Lainey Wilson attend the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 26, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for iHeartRadio)

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Not to discourage love or shooting your shot from full court. Hey, sometimes those shots go in. I get you think it's worth a shot if you're boys with Duck to at least throw it out there.

I say go for it, but don't expect to land a date with one of the singers on top of country music by hitting up Duck Hodges. He's got his own thing going right now. Not everyone is able to land a Lainey Wilson through mutual friends.