Kelly Stafford’s revelations about her college romance with NFL quarterback Matthew Stafford have fans buzzing online. On June 11, during an episode of Off The Vine with Kaitlyn Bristowe, the Los Angeles Rams star’s wife opened up about the turbulent start of their relationship at the University of Georgia. Her candid account of dating Matthew’s backup quarterback to make him jealous has reignited conversations about the couple’s love story, college drama, and the twists that ultimately brought them together. Social media users quickly weighed in.
> _One fan on X commented, “Feel bad for Matt.”_
> Feel bad for Matt
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> — george domantay (@georgedomantay) [October 11, 2025](https://twitter.com/georgedomantay/status/1976953363683299376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
Matthew Stafford and wife Kelly. Photo credits: Imagn and Instagram
Kelly Stafford explained that she and Matthew met before classes began at Georgia, where he was the quarterback and she was a cheerleader. She was eager to pursue a relationship, but Matthew preferred casual dating, confusing her about the rules of romance. Kelly told Kaitlyn Bristowe that the relationship was “off and on” in the early days.
To get his attention, Kelly dated Matthew’s backup quarterback, whom she described as a “bad boy” compared to Matthew’s “Southern gentleman” persona. The arrangement created high drama on campus, mainly since the backup lived in the same dorm as Matthew. Kelly recounted a tense moment where Matthew confronted her after following her out of the dorm:
> _“He would see my car there. And so at one point, he waited, and followed me out and got in my car and wouldn’t get out… I was like, ‘Get out of my car,’ and he’s like, ‘He’s not right for you.’ And I’m like you, ‘You can’t tell me that.’”_
Despite the chaos, Kelly found humor in the situation, admitting that during the argument she thought, “This is amazing, it’s working!”
> _One fan stated, “That’s wild, college drama on Heisman-level timing. Stafford really had to win both the starting job and his girl back.”_
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> _Another quipped, “So she backed up on the backup”, highlighting the mix of disbelief and amusement among followers._
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> _One said, “We already knew she was a nut job.”_
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> _While one chimed, “And then she glorifies stalking behavior….great role model 🙄.”_
Kelly and Matthew Stafford’s story proves that even the most prominent NFL stars have messy, unpredictable beginnings. From college drama to raising four kids, their journey shows resilience, humor, and commitment can turn a rocky start into a winning partnership, on the field and at home.