Nebraska tight end proposes to cheerleader on field after first collegiate touchdown

Nebraska tight end Luke Lindenmeyer proposed to Cornhuskers cheerleader Kailyn Storovich on the field after scoring his first collegiate touchdown in a 66-0 victory over Akron on Saturday in Lincoln.

The moment came following the final whistle, when Lindenmeyer — a former walk-on now listed as the team's starting tight end and a redshirt junior — told teammates he wanted to ask Storovich to marry him. Coach Matt Rhule described the scene afterward: "Luke Lindenmeyer at the very end proposed to his girlfriend, I'm so embarrassed, I don't know her name, but she's a lovely young lady and she's a Scarlet and he proposed and she said yes. Excited for him."

A video released by Nebraska's social media team shows Lindenmeyer pacing with visible nerves and speaking briefly with Rhule in the moments after the game before returning to the sideline. Teammates, cheerleaders and family members encircled the couple as Lindenmeyer knelt and revealed a ring. Storovich, a Nebraska native and member of the spirit squad, responded by nodding "yes," and the two embraced and kissed as applause filled the stadium.

Lindenmeyer caught three passes for 44 yards and finished the game by hauling in his first touchdown for the Cornhuskers, who improved to 2-0. Quarterback Dylan Raiola, speaking to reporters after the game, congratulated Lindenmeyer and added, "My man is going to be a husband and a father hopefully one day. That was cool, I've never seen that before. That was a touching moment for sure."

The couple said they met about a year earlier after Lindenmeyer first noticed Storovich on the field and later introduced himself at a church service. Lindenmeyer told reporters that he "couldn't think of a better place to do this" and that getting to know Storovich led him to fall in love.

Nebraska's on-field proposal continues a sporadic college-football tradition that gained national attention in 2007, when Boise State running back Ian Johnson proposed to his cheerleader girlfriend after scoring the winning touchdown in the Fiesta Bowl. Other recent campus proposals include Rhode Island's Patrick Conserve and Florida State's Brady Scott, who proposed following a 2021 game.

Lindenmeyer's gesture came one week after Nebraska's victory over Cincinnati, which itself drew national attention amid high-profile attendees. The Cornhuskers, coached by Rhule, now turn their attention to a game next week against Houston Christian.

Rhule and teammates said the proposal unfolded partly because players who knew of the plan spoke about it in the hours leading up to the postgame moment. "I didn't really tell the whole team, I just told a couple of guys," Lindenmeyer said. "And then Coach Rhule said something about it yesterday and the whole team they were just standing there. It was just awesome. Her family was there too. It was great."

The proposal was celebrated in the immediate aftermath on the field and in the locker room, and it became a prominent story out of Nebraska's dominant win as the program looks to build momentum early in the season.