Haley Cavinder Exposes the Unexpected DM from Now-Husband Jake Ferguson that Started Their Love Story (Exclusive)

Skyler CarusoSun, October 11, 2026 at 2:00 PM UTC

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Jake Ferguson and Haley Cavinder.Credit: Tiffany Sage/BFA.com/Shutterstock -

Haley Cavinder opened up about her love story with Jake Ferguson on an episode of PEOPLE’s WAG World series

The former college basketball star revealed the unexpected DM her now-husband sent her that started it all

The couple married in Miami in June after Ferguson proposed during a beachside moment

Jake Ferguson’s got game on and off the field.

During a recent appearance on PEOPLE’s WAG World series, Haley Cavinder revealed the unexpected DM her now-husband sent her that started their love story.

“He just DMed me and asked how my golf game was,” Haley, 25, told WAG World host Skyler Caruso in the Friday, Oct. 9 episode released exclusively on the PEOPLE app.

Haley and Jake Ferguson at a Dallas Cowboys game.Credit: Haley Cavinder/Instagram

Haley, who was born in Indiana and raised in Arizona with twin sister Hanna, was a standout basketball star at Fresno State University and the University of Miami. Attending school in Florida put her in proximity to Ferguson’s family, as well as her own.

“When I first met Jake, I just graduated from the University of Miami,” she recalled of their beginnings in 2023. “His mom has a place in Fort Myers Beach, and my grandparents live in Naples, so we were very close, like two hours.”

Haley said she “wasn’t looking for anything” at the time when she and the Dallas Cowboys tight end, 27, initially connected.

“I don’t like to get high or too low when it comes to that stuff,” she said. “I wasn’t looking for anything, and I don’t know if Ferg was at that time either. But then we spent 10 days together straight, and he’s just a good, down-to-earth human being.”

Haley and Hanna Cavinder on “WAG World.”Credit: Astrid Stawiarz

The social media powerhouse, who has over five million followers across Instagram and TikTok, praised Ferguson’s character for defying the stereotypes that can come with dating an athlete.

“Right away I was just like, wow, outside of who he is on the field, dating athletes in this space and even probably dating us, we all come with a lot and being in the environment, you never know what you’re going to get,” she admitted. “I found a good one. My first impression is still who he is today.”

She added, “He’s just really, really grounded. He makes me better in everything.”

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Hanna, who joined her sister on WAG World, shared her first impression of the NFL star.

Jake Ferguson and Haley Cavinder on their wedding day.Credit: Nathan Clark

“I thought it was fake, really, because I thought that’s way too good to be true. There’s no way somebody’s going to continue that,” Hanna said, noting she wanted to see how things progressed in six months.

The sisters share a unique twin bond, making them extremely close and protective of one another. That trickles into who they choose to date, so naturally, Haley said Hanna had to approve of Ferguson before they took the next step.

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“Hanna’s the most important human being in my life, and I think that she knows me best,” she said. “So when you bring another person into our relationship, it’s not in a weird way. It’s like, obviously you want the person closest to you to like the person you’re dating and spending time with.”

Ferguson’s sweet persona outlasted Hanna’s six-month rule. “Now, I mean, he still shows it to the day... with the rings!” she said with a laugh, proudly pointing to Haley’s engagement ring and wedding band.

Ferguson proposed to Haley in a dreamy beach setting in April 2025. One year later, the pair tied the knot in a beautiful beachfront wedding ceremony on June 20 at the Biltmore Hotel in Miami.

Since the wedding, Haley said “nothing” has surprised her about being married.

“Married life is great... I think that it’s just what we were doing. I think nothing’s changed. I still feel like we’re dating, but we’re married,” Haley said.

“I didn’t want anything to change,” she continued. “I think that maybe it’s more serious, I would say. Serious meaning we’re family now. I have my family, but now we have our family... and my little puppy, Boozer.”

on People

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”