A former Clemson Tigers standout, Darien Rencher, has announced an important update worth celebrating. He and his wife, Makenzie Rencher, tied the knot in spring 2022 after he proposed in August 2021. The couple is now expecting their third child.

“Rencher family of 5 otw — baby #3 🤎 thank you Jesus, what a blessing!” Rencher wrote on his Instagram post. The carousel featured pictures of his wife, Makenzie, and their two children holding a sonogram.

Rencher, who always wanted a shot at the NFL and also got an invite to the Carolina Panthers’ rookie minicamp in May 2022, never secured a permanent NFL roster spot. But that didn’t stop him from celebrating his off-the-field moment, having a wonderful family of four, with the third child on the way.

His wife, Makenzie, is a social media influencer and the founder of House of Bex Co., a company that sells casual apparel and game-day tanks. Beyond her own career, she has supported her husband throughout his journey. Her love for him was evident in an Instagram post she shared two years into their marriage, featuring pictures from their wedding.

“2 years since I married the love of my life!! I’ve watched you in so many seasons of life and love you more than ever @d_rench saying yes to being your wife is truly the best decision I’ve ever made,” Makenzie wrote. “I always dreamed of who my husband would be when I was a little girl, and it feels like God hand picked you just for me. You’re the best dad, my closest friend, + I love you more and more as life goes on. I can’t wait to be next to you when we’re 80 and tell all of our grandkids how sweet God has been to us and the memories we made along the way!!! It’s only the beginning, happy anniversary my Darien Kyle.”

On the other hand, Darien also supports her wife in promoting her brand’s outfits. However, for his own career, Darien has kept working alongside playing football, as he started what he called The Journey, where he showcased other college football players’ journeys to promote them and give them a stage where they can be recognized. He interned at ESPN as a broadcast assistant while growing The Journey media brand as well.

His brand partnered with EA Sports this year as a storytelling partner across Madden NFL and College Football.

“I want to get into sports broadcasting once football is over and talk in front of a camera. I interned with Maria Taylor and met a few agents. They told me that I should start my own podcast and take advantage of my platform now so that I can get some practice,” Rencher said.

Rencher has been an influential figure at Clemson University throughout his college years. Playing on the Clemson Tigers team for six seasons, he helped the team win an Atlantic Coast Conference title in 2018, featuring in seven games that season. He was also awarded the Disney Spirit Award in 2020, which is presented annually to the college football’s most inspirational figure, for overcoming a difficult time with recurring knee injuries and being a “frequent community servant and public speaker” in the Upstate South Carolina community.

“Dreams come true. As a young kid, I grew up around this area, and to see all the things that I thought were setbacks, the Lord used them for major comebacks in my life,’’ Rencher said in 2020.

Now with his third child on the way, Simone Biles, seven-time Olympic gold medalist and wife of Colts safety Jonathan Owens, congratulated Rencher and his family on the big announcement.

“OMGGGGGGG CONGRATS,” Biles wrote on the post.

“I HAVE NO ONE TO TALK ABOUT THIS WITH OMG CONGRATULATIONS 😍😍😍,” another fan wrote.

“😭😭😭😭 LOVE Y’ALL SM!!!! Party of 5!!!!” A fan congratulated and wrote a heartfelt message.

“Sweetest family EVER!!!! Congratulations angel❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️” another fan commented on the post.

Now, building his brand and continuing to work for his community, Rencher will also welcome his third child soon, which calls for a celebration among his family and friends. Once an NFL dreamer, Rencher has turned his life around by forging a new path and growing his family.