Who is Brock Purdy’s fiancée? They're getting married the month after the Super Bowl
On Feb. 11, the man once dubbed “Mr. Irrelevant” — Brock Purdy, who earned the nickname when he was the last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft — will prove his worth as “Mr. Relevant” when he steps on the Super Bowl field as the San Francisco 49ers' quarterback.
The 24-year-old rising football star will also have one very special, highly relevant fan in the stands: His fiancée Jenna Brandt, also 24. The pair have been dating since they were in college. Purdy grew up in Arizona, but they met at Iowa State University, located in Brandt's home state.
While we know lots about Purdy, what should we know about Brandt, other than that they’re set to wed March 9, according to their modest Crate & Barrel registry — and that she shouldn’t be confused with romance author Jenna Brandt?
Here’s everything we were able to find out about the future GWB!
Jenna Brandt is a volleyball whiz
She played volleyball as a setter all through Sumner-Fredericksburg High School (in Sumner, Iowa, where she grew up) and at Iowa State University, according to the ISU profile of Brandt at Cyclones.com, which notes that her major was in kinesiology.
As a freshman at ISU in 2019, she tried out for the U.S. Collegiate National Team, and the USA Women’s Volleyball team, according to Cyclones.com. Ultimately, she played with the ISU Cyclones for three seasons, and even went to South America to play against international teams.
But in 2020, she transferred to the University of Northern Iowa. As she noted in an Instagram post in December that year, “(I) am thankful for the opportunities, experiences, and friendships (love y’all) made at iowa state. i am PUMPED to join the panther family to continue my academic and athletic journey. God bless.”
She rounded out her collegiate volleyball career at UNI, and wrote on Instagram in 2022, “A dream come true to wear this jersey. i cannot thank UNI enough for this life changing experience."
Family is 'big time' to her, she says
Brandt’s immediate family includes her parents Kevin and Amy, and three siblings. Her sisters, Kaylyn and Morgan, were also setters for ISU's volleyball team, per the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. They have a brother, Isiah.
As Brandt said during a video introducing herself to the Iowa State team, “Family time is big to me. I love hanging out with my family…. I also like to volunteer around the community.”
Jenna and Brock have been together since their college days in Iowa
Though they haven’t shared their first meeting together publicly, it’s a good guess that they met while sharing the same campus.
After a summer making occasional appearances in groups on social media, in November 2022 they seemed to go Instagram official, with Brandt posting pictures from the farm and writing, “(M)y roots and my boy.”
Over the years she's been a vocal supporter, writing “love cheering you on” in one series of game photos on Instagram at the end of 2022, and adding in 2023 in a couple of sideline pics, “(A)lways cheering you on, babes.”
She’s over the moon to ‘get to do life together’ with Brock
Purdy took a knee last summer to propose to Brandt on a dock in Saint Cloud, Florida — with some of their friends also on hand, according to an Instagram carousel he posted on July 2, 2023.
“My Jenna girl forever,” he wrote in the caption. “I can’t wait to be your husband and grow together in Christ. Here’s to forever babe. I love you JB.”
She shared the photos on her own Instagram, writing, “WE GET TO DO LIFE TOGETHER…FOREVER! Brock Purdy — I love everything about you & your heart for Jesus more than any words can say. "
Since then, she held her bachelorette party in January in Telluride. In the Instagram pictures, Brandt and her eight guests dug into the winter weather by skiing and hanging out in the hot tub.
“Snowwwwww in love w/ @brock.purdy13 ??,” she wrote in the caption. “Best friends in the best spot for the best weekend.”
At least … the best weekend for now!
This article was originally published on TODAY.com