Madisen Skinner must be feeling like on top of the world right now. Leading Team USA to defeat France in the last match of the second week of VNL, the former Longhorns star was justifiably on Cloud 9 ahead of turning 24. However, that’s not the only thing making Skinner’s birthday special.

When rumors of the NCAA champ Madi Skinner dating Texas’s football sensation Jordan Whittington started doing the rounds, Longhorns fans could hardly keep their calm. After all, it’s not every day that a couple can draw parallels with the iconic Aaron & Sonya Richards-Ross! And yet, apart from users of only a few select social media platforms, Skinner and Whittington’s activities were mostly unreachable for most of their fans. But that’s all in the past now.

In her Instagram story from July 1, Skinner shared a special message for her rumored wide receiver boyfriend, Whittington. The LA Rams’ 213th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft took to IG to wish Skinner a happy birthday with a mushy message, “Happy Birthday Luvaaa,” and the former Longhorns’ volleyball player returned the favor with a lovey-dovey message of her own. 

“thank you hun,” wrote Skinner in her own Insta story. This is the first time that the NCAA champ went on a social media platform, other than TikTok that is, to share anything related to her relationship with the NFL star. In his OG story, Whittington shared several pics of himself with the ex-Texas star from their various vacations. However, we’re pretty sure we’ve seen at least two of those outfits before!

But while this was quite possibly the first time that Skinner hopped on a more popular social media site to post something about her relationship, her TikTok is filled with a lot more content with Whittington around. From Madi showing off her “accessory” for a date night to the two having a quaint seaside stroll, the Rams’ kickoff returner has shown up in many of the volleyball star’s uploads there. However, we daresay their first appearance on IG together was something special.

But what prompted Skinner to suddenly lift he embargo? Could that have something to do with how good her career has been recently?

Madisen Skinner’s birthday jubilation heightened by recent success

Madi’s final year at Texas didn’t turn out to be as great as she would have wanted it to be. While the Longhorns were strong contenders to bag the elusive NCAA three-peat, Creighton put an end to the hopes by defeating Texas 3-1 in the 2024 regional semis. However, despite Skinner’s final campaign coming to an abrupt end, coach Jerritt Elliot had nothing but praise for his star player. “Madi is a unique individual that will leave a lasting impression on me and this program,” Elliot said about the exiting senior. And his confidence in Skinner soon proved to be well-placed.

After wrapping her illustrious NCAA career, Skinner went pro with the League One Volleyball’s LOVB Houston, and lo and behold, her talent kept shining through. Despite a rough start to her rookie pro season, Skinner ultimately had the final laugh as she defeated Lexi Rodriguez’s LOVB Omaha to win the inaugural LOVB trophy. And then came her much-awaited 2025 VNL campaign.

Skinner was named in the final roster for the 2025 Volleyball Nations League. After a fairly unimpressive at the first week of the tournament, Team USA finally found its footing in the second week. In both the last two matches in the tournament so far, Madi showed terrific form, scoring 13 points against the Netherlands for a 3-0 victory, and 21 points against France to post a 3-2 win. And she managed that all the while adjusting to a new position in the national team!

Now, the VNL awaits its third week, which will unfold in Arlington, USA. Do you think Madi’s birthday bash will give her the necessary break from the hectic schedule so she can lace up again to continue with her form? How do you suspect Whittington to cheer for his bae from the stands? Tell us!