This Sunday, February 11, the San Francisco 49ers and reigning SuperBowl champs the Kansas City Chiefs will face off for the LVII championship title in Las Vegas, Nevada at Allegiant Stadium. And while both teams come in with strong teams led by quarterbacks only a few years into their professional career, the latter of which Patrick Mahomes would have secured two Super Bowl championships and four overall appearances in his five years in the league, it's 49ers QB Brock Purdy that's been the player no one can quite stop talking about right now.
The newly 24-year-old Arizona native went from being the last draft pick (number 262) back in 2022, starting his NFL career as the third-string quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, to leading the team to his first Super Bowl appearance at the helm not even a full two years later after being thrown into the game as a starter following the first- and second- injuries. And while NFL fans, not just 49ers ones, are thrilled to see what this former Iowa State quarterback will do during this championship showdown, it's his close supporters that have been waiting on the sidelines for years to see his achievements first hand — one of which being his longtime girlfriend and recent fiancé Jenna Brandt. But who is this partner who's gone unnoticed by the public for the most part these past few years?
Here's what we know about the college sweethearts.
The couple grew up in close, athletic families.
Brock was born on December 27, 1999, in Queen, Arizona, to Shawn and Carrie Purdy. He is the middle child, with an oldest sister, Whittney, who played softball at Southeastern University, and a younger brother, Preston a.k.a Chubba, who also played football. Athletics were always in Brock's blood, as his dad was drafted to the minor leagues in 1987 but the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Jenna, who was born only about two months earlier on October 26, 1999, grew up in Sumner Iowa with her parents, Kevin and Amy, and three siblings, Kylen, Morgan and Isiah. She also grew up in an athletic family. She played club volleyball and track and field. Her sisters also played volleyball, and sources say her brother is an athlete as well.
They first met in college.
The couple met at Iowa State University after high school, where Brock was the quarterback for the Iowa State Cyclones and Jenna was on the volleyball team. Brock was a communications major, while Jenna majored in Kinesiology.
Although Jenna ultimately transferred after three seasons to the University of Northern Iowa for her final two seasons of volleyball (COVID allowed athletes an extra season), the two remained close. It's not clear when the two started dating, but in November 2022, they officially confirmed their relationship on Instagram.
She's close with his family.
The two keep their relationship fairly low profile, but it's clear from Instagram that Jenna is close with Brock's family. She's often photographed cheering alongside his parents and siblings at his games, and in the last year she's shared photos ringing in the 2023 new year with his sister, Whittney, and sharing pictures from a Florida vacation she took with Brock, her friend and his siblings last summer.
He popped the question to her back in July 2023.
It was also in Florida that the two got engaged, with Brock popping the question on a pier in Saint Cloud back on July 2. He captioned the photo, "My Jenna girl forever. I can’t wait to be your husband and grow together in Christ. Here’s to forever babe. I love you JB!".
In her own post following the engagement, Jenna wrote, "I get to love you forever. Purdy excited to get a new last name 😘."
The couple is very dedicated to religion.
Sources allege that it's the two's deep commitment to God and their "shared Christian faith" that really solidified their relationship to one another. Both are very vocal about their commitment to their faith, with Brock speaking openly about how his faith has guided him in his NFL journey, and given him a sense of purpose and stability.
Jenna celebrated her bachelorette party with Brock's sister and friends in Colorado.
In early January, Jenna had her bachelorette party in Telluride, Colorado, where she spent the weekend skiing, going out and hot tubing with friends. Brock's sister Whittney was in attendance.
Jenna will be in the stands supporting Brock in his first Super Bowl appearance.
Although we're sure wedding planning is well underway, the big priority for the couple right now is Brock's first Super Bowl appearance. The 49ers were last in the Super Bowl back in 2020 in another showdown against the Kansas City Chiefs, and ultimately lost 31-20, this rematch will be the first with Brock on the team — and it's shaping up to be quite the game!
