How a College Setup Turned Into an NFL Love Story Skyler Skoglund and Will Howard’s Game-Day Romance
From a sister’s bold matchmaking play to two NFL sidelines, Skyler Skoglund and Will Howard prove that love, like football, demands heart, grit, and timing.
Pittsburgh, October 12 EST: Some stories start with a whistle. Others start with a text. For Skyler Skoglund and Will Howard, it was both a love story drawn somewhere between the locker room and the line of scrimmage. It began in college, a setup hatched by Skyler’s sister Sara and her boyfriend Seth McLaughlin, who just happened to be snapping the ball to Howard every Saturday. Sara saw something in the way the two talked about life steady, serious, no nonsense. So she did what sisters do best: schemed a little. One double date later, Skyler and Will were running the same route.
When Football Meets Real Life
Howard wasn’t just another quarterback chasing stats. He was chasing purpose, trying to prove he could lead a team, any team. By the time he met Skyler in November 2024, his name was already being whispered around NFL scouts’ circles.
Skyler, for her part, wasn’t some sideline accessory. She was grinding through long shifts as an anesthesia assistant, juggling a career built on precision and calm under pressure two skills that translate just fine to loving an athlete.
They clicked fast. Maybe it was timing, maybe it was trust. Either way, when Howard was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Skyler was already in his corner, part of the whirlwind that turns college sweethearts into full-blown NFL couples.
The Sister Playbook
Meanwhile, Sara and Seth had their own script playing out in another city. Seth, the Ohio State center who could read defenses like sheet music, had his career nearly derailed by a brutal Achilles tear. Ten games in, gone.
But if you’ve followed this guy, you know quitting isn’t in his vocabulary. He rehabbed for months, limped into the draft process, and still ended up signing with the Cincinnati Bengals as a free agent. That’s not luck that’s straight backbone.
Now he’s clawing his way up from the practice squad, building from the ground up. Sara’s been there through all of it, a quiet constant while he sweats through recovery and roster cuts.
Two sisters, two teams, one insane coincidence and an unspoken rivalry across the AFC.
What the Cameras Don’t Catch
The TV shots of smiling girlfriends in the suites only tell half the story. What they don’t show are the goodbyes before road trips, the long silences after a tough game, or the ache that sits in your chest when someone you love takes a hit you can’t protect them from.
Skyler told People she didn’t even know what the term “WAG” meant until someone online used it. At first, it sounded strange. Then she realized it didn’t have to be an insult just shorthand for a reality she’d already accepted. She’s not chasing fame; she’s just showing up, same as Will does every Sunday.
Still, it’s not easy being part of that ecosystem. There’s pressure to smile, to stay out of headlines, to live up to expectations that have nothing to do with you. But Skyler seems to handle it the same way her boyfriend handles a blitz: stay calm, stay grounded, find the open man.
Steel, Sweat, and Second Chances
Howard’s story is just getting started in Pittsburgh. A new quarterback in a town that practically worships its signal callers that’s no small burden. Every throw matters. Every misread is magnified. Yet there he is, learning the rhythm of the pros, with Skyler quietly cheering from the shadows of Acrisure Stadium.
Down in Cincinnati, Seth’s fight to make the 53-man roster rolls on. You’d bet your last dollar the guy will make it he’s got that edge you can’t fake. Sara knows it. She’s seen the hours, the setbacks, the disbelief in other people’s eyes.
And somewhere between these two cities, the Skoglund sisters stay on the phone, trading stories, comparing notes on life in football’s blast zone. It’s not glamorous all the time. It’s not easy. But it’s theirs.
Love, Like Football, Is Contact
If there’s a moral in all this, it’s that connection the real kind isn’t random. Sometimes it’s drawn up like a play. Sara and Seth called the shot, Skyler and Will ran with it, and now two families are living out their own version of a game plan that no coach could’ve scripted.
And who knows? Maybe one day, if the schedule gods allow it, the Steelers and Bengals will meet in December with everything on the line. Somewhere in the stands, two sisters will be screaming themselves hoarse each rooting for her own guy, both knowing the bigger victory’s already been won.
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A former college-level cricketer and lifelong sports enthusiast, Arun Upadhayay brings the heart of an athlete to the sharp eye of a journalist. With firsthand experience in competitive sports and a deep understanding of team dynamics, Arun covers everything from grassroots tournaments to high-stakes international showdowns. His reporting blends field-level grit with analytical precision, making him a trusted voice for sports fans across New Jersey and beyond.
