South-Carolina
Darius Rucker is engaged to another South Carolina native. Who is Emily Deahl?
Scotty McCreery talks exploring collaborations with Darius Rucker at CMA Fest 2025
Scotty McCreery talks with Hadley Hitson at CMA Fest 2025 about his new collaboration Darius Rucker.
South Carolina native Darius Rucker is getting hitched to another South Carolinian.
Rucker and Emily Deahl shared the news of their engagement with people on Oct. 8 in a joint Instagram post.
“Thank you for showing me a level of happiness I have never known. The day I met you, I knew I didn’t want to go another one without you,” the Hootie and the Blowfish frontman wrote online. “Now I don’t have to.”
Photos of the two on social media show Rucker, barefoot and down on one knee, popping the question to Deahl on a bridge as she smiles down at him. Another photo shows Rucker kissing Deahl’s cheek, with the ring visible in a selfie.
Here’s what to know about the two and how long they have been together.
Who is Emily Deahl? Who is Darius Rucker’s fiancée?
Deahl was born in South Carolina and is a singer, songwriter, and content creator, according to social media accounts.
While her last music on Spotify was in 2023, her YouTube channel shorts are more recent and include content talking about an unnamed boyfriend in 2025.
“I never intended on keeping this part of my life from you guys for so long, but somewhere along the way of loving him, I discovered how sacred love is to me. And all I wanted to do was protect it,” Deahl wrote online of her engagement.
How long have Darius Rucker and Emily Deahl been together?
The two have kept their relationships under wraps, but there have been signs.
Deahl and Rucker confirmed their relationship online in early September, sharing a selfie taken outside the Sphere arena in Las Vegas. “Wizard of Oz at @spherevegas with my love & my boys. 1000/10!!!!!” Rucker wrote.
In February, Deahl posted in a YouTube vlog that she would be moving to London, shortly after Rucker revealed online that he had also relocated to the U.K.
Deahl’s social media shorts gave more clues, including the appearance of two King Charles Cavaliers, which we now know are Rucker’s dogs, Freddie and Larry.
In her post about their engagement, Deahl expressed how happy she was that their relationship was cemented and that she had to spend less time on Photoshop.
“But … I’m glad I don’t have to spend the time photoshopping him out of every photo now,” she said.
How old is Emily Deahl? Darius Rucker?
There is a 26-year age gap. Rucker is 59, and Deahl is reportedly 33.
Diana Leyva with The Tennessean contributed to this report.
Columbia, Mo. — The South Carolina softball team (25-21, 4-13) dropped the second game of its series at Missouri (24-23, 7-10) 5-0 Saturday night (Apr. 18).
Kai Byars led the Gamecocks with a pair of doubles on the night. It was her second multi-hit game of the season and her first game with multiple extra base hits.
The Tigers scored a run in the third inning without the aid of a hit. They would extend the lead and add four more in the fourth.
Carolina’s best opportunity for a run came in third. Byars doubled to lead off the inning and Shae Anderson followed with a bunt single. A double play on a potential sacrifice fly ended the rally.
Emma Friedel (8-4) took the loss, allowing one run on no hits in 3 1-3 innings. She struck out six and walked three.
The rubber game of the series will be tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET.
Audi Crooks on being in the transfer portal
USAT’s Sam Cardona-Norberg catches up with college basketball star Audi Crooks, who is still looking for her next team.
Sports Seriously
Jordan Lee entered the transfer portal after a breakout season at Texas and the junior guard isn’t going too far. She’s staying in the Southeastern Conference.
Lee announced on Instagram Friday that she’s transferring to South Carolina to play for Dawn Staley after spending the first two years of her collegiate career at Texas under Vic Schaefer. Lee captioned her Instagram post, which featured a video montage of her visit to Columbia, South Carolina, “Feeling cocky.”
Lee was one of four players from Texas to enter the transfer portal after the Longhorns’ second consecutive trip to the Final Four ended in a devastating loss to UCLA. She was named to the All-Region team in the Fort Worth 3 bracket in this year’s NCAA Tournament following her Sweet 16 and Elite Eight performance, where she recorded 22 points, six assists, three rebounds and four steals while also providing strong defense.
After being limited to five starts her freshman year, Lee slid into the starting lineup last season and started a career-high 38 games. She also averaged career highs in points (13.2), assists (2.5), rebounds (2.5), steals (1.5), field-goal percentage (42%) and free-throw percentage (75%), while shooting 34% from 3-point range.
Texas’ Aaliyah Crump, Justice Carlton and Aaliyah Moore also entered the transfer portal. On Friday, Crump announced she’s transferring to Duke, citing her connection with head coach Kara Lawson.
“For me, choosing Duke University goes far beyond one sentence. The moment I connected with Kara Lawson and her coaching staff, I knew I was exactly where I belonged,” said Crump, who averaged 7.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game her freshman season at Texas.
Crump continued: “Their dedication and vision for the program is truly special, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be a part of it. The connection Coach Lawson and I have built is one of a kind, and I fully trust in her plan for the success of this program. I can’t wait to be coached by genuine people who support my growth not only as a basketball player, but as a person as well.”
Three-time All-American Madison Booker and junior starting forward Breya Cunningham are expected to return to Texas.
Contributing: Mitchell Northam
Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.
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Each offseason, the NFL shakes up the landscape with free agency, as some of the top names at each position move around the league to new teams. The New Orleans Saints have fallen victim to this in 2026 so far, with Demario Davis and Alontae Taylor both moving on, and Cameron Jordan not having re-signed as of yet. Cornerback was a position that could already use a talent influx alongside Kool-Aid McKinstry and Quincy Riley; now, it is even more of an issue.
Adding a new defensive back to fill the STAR role for the defense is certainly going to be a focus this spring, and that has been clear from the Saints’ pre-draft meetings. Recently, they added another name to the growing list; this time, it was South Carolina prospect Jalon Kilgore.
There is a lot to like about Kilgore, especially in that nickel or STAR role long term. He is enormously athletic and absolutely rapid both in straight-line testing and on the field. He got a decent chunk of his collegiate snaps at slot corner, 1,382 to be exact, but also had 541 in the box, 238 at free safety, 53 along the defensive line, and 24 as an outside corner.
His coverage metrics in 2025 were very solid, as on 65 targets, he allowed 34 receptions (52.3%) for 390 yards and 2 touchdowns. He picked up 2 interceptions, 10 pass deflections, 54 total tackles, and 2 fumble recoveries in 694 total snaps this season. Throughout the combine, he ended up performing well in pretty much every drill, which bodes well for his ability to translate to the NFL. If the Saints are looking to add someone with slot experience already, Kilgore may be one of the best options available.
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