From middle school crush to Super Bowl sideline: How Drake Maye and Ann Michael Hudson built a decade-long romance before the NFL ever knew his name

Drake Maye was 12 when he started dating Ann Michael Hudson. He was 23 when he kissed her on the field at Levi's Stadium before Super Bowl LX on February 8, 2026. Between those moments sit ten years of Friday night games, a high school transfer, four years at North Carolina, a beach proposal and a June 2025 wedding. The Patriots lost to Seattle 29-13, yet the couple had already become one of New England's favorite stories of the season. Here is how it all came together.How Drake Maye and Ann Michael Hudson's romance began in middle schoolThe two started dating as seventh graders in North Carolina in 2015. Ann Michael has embraced that origin story herself. In a 2024 TikTok, she captioned a video of the pair "So middle school."They both attended William A. Hough High School in Cornelius, where Maye played quarterback for the Hough Huskies. Hudson was in the stands on Friday nights. Maye later transferred to Myers Park High School to play football, and the relationship held. When he moved on to North Carolina, her Friday nights simply became Saturday afternoons.Football ran through her family, too. Her younger brother, Tad Hudson, also played quarterback at North Carolina and overlapped with Maye there. So she was never just a girlfriend watching from a distance. She grew up around the position.Maye made things public on Instagram on New Year's Day 2020. His caption read "Bringing in ’20 with a 10." By then, the relationship was already more than four years old. Most fans only met Ann Michael after the story was well underway, which may explain why it felt so settled once they did.How the NFL pulled the couple in different directionsThe Patriots took Maye third overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. At a draft event at Gillette Stadium on April 26, 2024, he introduced his brothers Beau, Cole and Luke, along with his girlfriend since seventh grade, Ann Michael. She posted her own reaction online: "I can't wait for this next chapter!"That chapter started with distance. Maye moved to New England for his rookie season, and Ann Michael stayed in Chapel Hill to finish college. She graduated in 2025. It was a demanding stretch for a young quarterback who was learning a new city and a new playbook while the person who knew him best was hundreds of miles away. He also became the Patriots' starter in the middle of that season, so the pressure only grew.Then the season ended, and Maye proposed on a beach in January 2025. They married in North Carolina on June 21, 2025. That was five months after the engagement and almost exactly a decade after they first started dating. Few NFL quarterbacks can say their marriage is older in spirit than their pro career.Why Ann Michael Maye became a Patriots fan favoriteNobody planned this part. During the 2025 season, Ann Michael went viral on TikTok for her "Bakemas" videos, where she shared recipes for sweet treats. Patriots fans filled her comment section with love, and some started calling her the "First Lady of New England."The appeal makes sense when you think about it. Her content had nothing to do with football strategy or celebrity. It was cookies and cakes from a woman who had been around the team's quarterback since middle school. Fans got a way into the Patriots that did not involve a depth chart.It spread into the locker room, too. Several Patriots players were asked about her treats during Super Bowl week, and Maye was asked to rank them. He seemed happy to play along. He called watching New England embrace his wife the "coolest" part of the season. "It's been awesome to follow her journey," he said.That detail matters. Plenty of athletes talk about supporting a partner's career. Maye sounded like someone who simply enjoyed watching it happen.What the Super Bowl loss showed about the coupleThe football season itself was remarkable. The Patriots went 14-3, won the AFC East and reached Super Bowl LX one year after finishing 4-13. Maye finished second in MVP voting, behind Matthew Stafford, in only his second season.The final game was rough. Seattle sacked him six times, and he committed three turnovers. The Patriots were shut out for the first three quarters. Maye also said his throwing shoulder had been injected with painkillers and he could not feel it much. Late in the game, he set a Super Bowl record with 235 passing yards in a quarter, but by then the result was settled.Ann Michael's response came a few days later on Instagram. She wrote, "Not how we wanted it to end but still thanking God for this incredible season." Maye's own outlook was just as steady. "I have a beautiful wife. I look forward to spending this offseason with my wife," he said.A loss on that stage can swallow a young quarterback whole. It helps to have someone who met him long before the stats, the contract or the cameras. A few days before kickoff, Maye had said he would advise all of his teammates to get married at some point. After the game, you could see why he meant it.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.