Joy overflowed across social media this weekend as Pat McAfee and his wife, Samantha McAfee, shared a heartfelt series of pictures announcing that their family is growing again. Samantha posted the announcement on Instagram with ultrasound photos and a blue-themed gender reveal that read, “It’s a boy.” Fans immediately flooded the comments with love and congratulations. The moment quickly spread across the NFL community, too, with players and personalities chiming in to celebrate the good news.

“IVF pushed my body to its limits and stretched our spirits in ways we never expected.” Samantha wrote in the caption. “It was hope and heartbreak, faith and fear — all tangled together as we trusted science and prayed for another miracle. And now, with humbled hearts and overwhelming gratitude, we are overjoyed to share that we are expecting a baby boy, arriving in June 2026. 💙

“To every woman and couple still in the thick of this journey: you are not alone. I hope our news doesn’t cause you pain, but instead offers a spark of hope. Hope that your story isn’t over. Hope that the impossible can become possible.”

For Samantha, this milestone carries enormous weight. Previously, she suffered two devastating miscarriages and nearly lost her life after internal bleeding resulted in the removal of both her fallopian tubes, making natural conception impossible.

But she persevered through the challenges, and in July 2022, the couple started their IVF journey. Then, after years of heartbreak, she was blessed with her first child, Mackenzie Lynn McAfee, in 2023.

And now, she has been blessed with a baby boy who will become a little brother for Mackenzie to grow up with. The NFL and the college football world were quick to celebrate the news. Fans were proud of Samantha’s journey and sent their congratulations and love messages in the comment section of the post.

How fans reacted to the McAfee announcement

Before fans could react to the post, Pat McAfee jumped in and commented, “Let’s GOOOOOOOOO ❤️❤️❤️❤️… You’re a badass,” perfectly capturing the strength his wife has shown. The comment section was full of congratulations messages, with one fan commenting, “AMAZING! Congrats to you both. Nothing like that feeling. So happy for you both!”

Floods of congratulations followed, including an emphatic “CONGRATS!” from JJ Watt and a fired-up “Let’s goooo! Congratulations!” from Travis Kelce, each adding to the wave of NFL star power rallying around the couple. Even college football royalty joined in, as Kristen Saban, wife of the legendary Nick Saban, dropped a warm “Congrats!” of her own. ESPN analyst Adam Schefter rounded out the early reactions with a cheerful “Congratulations!” as players, personalities, media figures, and fans from every corner of the football world united in celebrating the McAfees’ growing family.

Other fans, who have been in a similar situation, understood how hard the journey was for the couple. One fan echoed that emotion, sharing that they had gone through their own difficult journey to conceive a child, commenting, “People don’t understand how difficult it is to want children, but not be able to. It was a 10+ year journey for us. I literally got goosebumps thinking about it.”

Another fan shared their story while congratulating the McAfee family with the comment, “Congratulations! We did our second transfer on Tuesday. Now in the waiting period. Nobody can prepare you for this journey, but once you’re in the mix of it, it’s so comforting to know that some people completely understand. So happy for y’all. What a blessing!”

For now, the McAfees celebrate a long-awaited blessing, and the sports world is celebrating right alongside them