Former University of Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback AJ McCarron got engaged to long-time model girlfriend and former Miss Alabama Katherine Webb Friday. McCarron popped the question at Coast Restaurant at The Beach Club in Gulf Shores, Alabama which was witnessed by other patrons.
McCarron, 23, a Heisman trophy runner-up, is noted for being the first quarterback to win back-to-back consensus national championships in the BCS era, following the 2013 BCS National Championship Game against Notre Dame. McCarron has also been a part of three national title teams under Alabama coach Nick Saban in 2009, 2011, and 2012.
Katherine Webb, 24, gained national notoriety during the 2013 BCS National Championship Game broadcast, in which announcer Brent Musburger began gushing over her as a camera zeroed in on her face as she sat watching the game in the stands. Musburger called a “lovely lady” and “beautiful,” and remarked to his broadcast partner Kirk Herbstreit, “You quarterbacks get all the good-looking women.”
After the proposal, Webb quickly took to Twitter, showing off the ring which McCarron had designed himself:
WE'RE ENGAGEDDD!!! @10AJMcCarron pic.twitter.com/f1abwtv9Fo
— Katherine Webb (@_KatherineWebb) March 29, 2014
He designed it himself ❤️@10AJMcCarron pic.twitter.com/YFJcZ868VC
— Katherine Webb (@_KatherineWebb) March 29, 2014
Big thanks & great working with Dave from Optimum Diamonds. Ring is amazing! I couldn't have had a better guy design it how I wanted it!!
— AJ McCarron (@10AJMcCarron) March 29, 2014
Judging by the size of the diamond, McCarron is likely banking on a lucrative NFL contract, though some analysts are unsure of how well the quarterback’s collegiate success will translate in the NFL. McCarron is currently ranked fifth heading into the 2014 NFL Draft by NFL Draft Countdown.
After Musburger’s BCS comments, Webb gained a bit of a celebrity status, and appeared as a model in the 2013 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Some had regarded Musburger’s comments as sexist, and ESPN spokesperson issued an apology. Though, Webb wasn’t offended and told Matt Lauer that “I think the media has been really unfair to (Musburger). I think that if he would have said that we were hot or sexy or made any derogatory statements like that, I think that would have been a little bit different. But the fact that he said we were beautiful and gorgeous, I don’t see why any woman wouldn’t be flattered by that.”
Image via Twitter