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Marcus Mariota is the quarterback for the Tennessee Titans. On Monday, November 5, the Titans will take on the Dallas Cowboys. It’s going to be a big night for Mariota, as his team’s 3-4 record this season could play a big factor in whether or not he continues his career in Nashville.
“To me, Marcus Mariota is in one of those places that I don’t really like as a quarterback, so I don’t really know how to judge it. I don’t know whether to say all of these issues are Mariota or maybe he’s not going to be an elite player. I don’t know. I just know the thing is not working. I feel like he’s a dynamic player. I would like to see him in other systems, but I don’t get to. I see him in Tennessee, and until further notice, I am just going to hold off. I am not sure who to blame for all of the ups and downs right now,” Hall of Fame quarterback and ESPN NFL analyst Steve Young said.
Mariota will have the support of his girlfriend, Kiyomi Cook. He and Cook have been dating for a couple of years now. Cook was first linked to Mariota in 2015 and has been with him ever since. She lives in Nashville with Mariota and works as a soccer coach.
Here is what you need to know:
1. She & Her 2 Siblings Are Really Into Soccer
Not too much is known about Cook, who keeps all of her social media accounts private. She does have Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook accounts, but she only allows her friends to see information and photos that she posts. Cook hasn’t shared any information about her personal life or about her relationship with Mariota and she has managed to keep her name out of the media.
Cook was born in Gresham, Oregon, to dad, Karl Cook, and mom, Carol Cook, (nee Tsuhako), who grew up in Hawaii. She has one sister named Kerri, and an older brother named Kevin, according to FabWags.
Kiyomi Cook started playing soccer at a young age. She was on the soccer team at Sam Barlow High School, where she was selected first team all-conference and second team all-state in 2008, according to the University of Oregon’s Athletics Department. Cook then went on to play soccer at the University of Oregon.
Both of Cook’s siblings play soccer. Kerri, 21, is pursuing a nursing degree at Middle Tennessee State University. She is the captain of the school’s soccer team. Meanwhile, Kevin, 27, attended the University of San Diego for one year before transferring to Seattle University. He graduated in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering and is currently coaching soccer for Seattle United.
Kiyomi is the only one of her siblings whose name is traditionally Japanese. According to Behind the Name, the name comes “from 聖 (kiyo) ‘holy, sacred’ or 清 (kiyo) ‘pure, clean,’ and �� (mi) ‘beautiful.’ Kiyomi is also a Japanese citrus fruit, a hybrid of Miyagawa Wase mikan and a Citrus sinensis orange created in 1949.”
2. She Started Dating Mariota in College, But They Weren’t Spotted Together Until 2015
#MarcusMariota arrives at #NFLDraft party in Honolulu. (PC: AP/Eugene Tanner) @HawaiiNewsNow will air live. #HISports http://t.co/GNLmpWAnho
Mariota had been dating his high school sweetheart, Nicole Watase, well into college. However, the two ended up going their separate ways and Mariota started seeing Cook a short while later. The two actually met in 2014 while both attending the University of Oregon, but didn’t take their relationship public until the following year.
Cook made headlines when she was spotted in Honolulu, Hawaii, with Mariota back in 2015. The soccer star attended Mariota’s NFL Draft party, marking the first time that they were photographed in public together.
Before she started college, Cook revealed that she had a celebrity crush on Trey Songz. During a 2011 interview, she shared that she’d like to take the entertainer to her “favorite place,” Red Robin.
In a Q&A years later, Cook revealed that if she could date any celebrity, it would be Marcus Mariota. It’s unclear if the two had already been dating at the time, or if she is just lucky enough to have her dream come true.
You can check out that Q&A below.
The countdown to our home opener continues! Get to know senior Kiyomi Cook! #19Days #Goducks http://t.co/kjNb5BPSrC
3. She Lives in Nashville & Coaches Soccer
Kiyomi Cook Marcus Mariota Girlfriend #Titans
Cook moved from Oregon to Tennessee where she currently works as the girls’ middle school coach for the varsity team at the University School of Nashville. She took on the role in September 2015, just months after she graduated from college.
“Kiyomi Cook will serve as the Middle School girls’ soccer head coach. Cook, a recent graduate of the University of Oregon, lettered four years for the soccer team. Originally from Gresham, Ore., east of Portland, she won seven state championships with her club team. Before devoting all of her time to soccer, Cook played basketball and volleyball and ran track,” reads her bio on the school’s website.
Cook also coaches the Nashville Football Club, a position that she has held since August 2015, according to her LinkedIn page.
Cook and Mariota live together in Nashville. After inking a 4-year deal with the Titans back in 2015, Mariota dropped a cool $1 million on a penthouse at Gulch Condominiums.
“Mariota’s two-bedroom condo features 15-foot ceilings, modern concrete accents, and a custom floor plan. The neutral-toned bathroom has a bit of whimsy with tiling that evokes zebra stripes—but otherwise, the penthouse’s design is serious, clean, and oh-so-luxurious,” Realtor.com reported at the time.
In an interview with The Tennessean a few months later, Mariota confirmed that he and Cook had been living together.
“A lot of times I’m just kind of hanging around the house. We don’t have a whole lot of (free) time, but I went down on Broadway for a little bit, just to hang out at some of the — like Acme (Feed & Seed) and I think it’s called Tootsies. Anyway, we kind of just got to see Broadway a little bit and heard a lot of music at the country bars. It was a lot of fun. … We’re still kind of exploring,” Mariota told The Tennessean in February 2016, shortly after he purchased his new home.
Last fall, Mariota paid $2.45 million on a four-bedroom home in Kailua, Hawaii, according to the Los Angeles Times. It’s a nice spot that’s close to his hometown where he and Cook can go during the off-season.
4. She Took Part in a Habitat for Humanity Build in Nashville
Marcus Mariota and his girlfriend, Kiyomi Cook, on the red carpet at NFL Honors. He said… t.co/mIxjsIeUfG
Cook has spent some time giving back to the Nashville community. In 2016, she joined Mariota and his parents, Alana and Toa Mariota, on a Habitat for Humanity build in Nashville. They worked together in the Ewing Park area, helping build a home for Mohammed Berema, his wife, Khadija Aldom, and their seven children, according to The Tennessean.
“I just like being a part of the community and this is a great way to get involved. We have some free time in the offseason and this is a good way to spend it. I got to meet the family when we started working and it’s all about giving them a roof over their heads and I’m happy to be part of that,” Marcus Mariota told the outlet at the time.
Mariota and his family were joined by several other volunteers, including four other Heisman Trophy winners: Tim Brown (1987 Notre Dame), Mark Ingram (2009 Alabama), George Rogers (1980 South Carolina), and Billy Sims (1978 Oklahoma).
5. She Earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Physiology
As previously mentioned, Cook attended the University of Oregon. As for why she chose the school, she previously said that she had been a Ducks fan her “whole life” and that “it seemed like a good option” when the school started recruiting her.
You can watch Cook’s interview in the video below.
Cook majored in human physiology and earned a bachelor of science degree in 2015. She was also a star athlete on the school’s soccer team.
According to the University of Oregon’s Athletics Department, Cook was a part of teams “that won six Oregon State Cup Championships, three with youth club Eastside United and three consecutive with THUSC Neon … She also enjoyed a very successful ODP career with the Oregon ’93 girls team, [was] selected to the Region IV ODP team in 2009, [and was] invited to the 2007 National ID2 Camp.”
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Kiyomi Cook, Marcus Mariota’s Girlfriend: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know