Holly Sonders, Kliff Kingsbury’s girlfriend, is a Fox Sports reporter and former professional golfer. She made their relationship public on January 8 via social media.
Following the announcement of Kingsbury’s new role, Sonders took to Twitter to celebrate his accomplishment, writing, “The desert just got a whole lot hotter. Congratulations @KliffKingsbury, so proud of you.”
She then replied to a few Twitter users who commented on her tweet, saying to one, “He’s the best,” and to another user who suggested she might have a crush, “Always will! He’s the best. And we are a little past the crush part.”
Kingsbury has not confirmed or denied this relationship. Here’s what you need to know:
1. Sonders Is a Fox Sports Host & Reporter & Former Professional Golfer
Sonders is a former American golfer and current Fox Sports reporter. She has a robust social media following, with over 100,000 followers on Instagram and Twitter. Sonders was the one who broke the news first of her relationship to Kingsbury, via a series of tweets and an Instagram post which actively celebrated the announcement that he’d been tapped to be the next head coach for the Arizona Cardinals.
On Instagram, she wrote, “Couldn’t be any prouder of this one. ❤️❤️ Truly the best human being I know. Congratulations K. Let’s. Go.”
Kingsbury and Sonders reportedly met while Sonders was working as a sideline reporter for some Big 12 Games, according to Golf Week, though that has not been confirmed by either Kingsbury or Sonders.
2. Kingsbury Has Been Called the ‘Bachelor’ of the NFL
Due to his bachelor status and his traditional good lucks, Kingsbury was labeled “The Bachelor, offensive coordinator edition” by The Ringer and many other publications:
“Kingsbury would be an ideal next Bachelor. He is preposterously handsome—his resemblance to Ryan Gosling was once the subject of a Jeopardy! question. He’s also single: In fact, he believes that his handsomeness gives him an edge when recruiting the sons of single moms, who often try to flirt with him.”
Similarly, on ESPN’s The Stephen A. Smith Show, Smith said on January 9, “There’s not a resume here that warrants [Kingsbury] becoming the coach of the Cardinals…he looks like he belongs on The Bachelor.”
3. Kingsbury Is the Son of a Texas High School Football Coach
Kingsbury grew up in a four-person family, with his mother, Sally Kingsbury, his father, Tim Kingsbury, and his brother, Klint Kingsbury.
According to Fox Sports, Tim Kingsbury is a retired high school football coach and Marine who earned a Purple Heart while serving in Vietnam. Kingsbury said to Fox Sports of his father, “It was always, in our household, if the bone’s not sticking out, you’re going to keep playing. That was just the mentality. He wanted us to be tough and then he coached that into us growing up.”
Kingsbury also noted that it was an “incredible honor” to grow up as the son of a high school football coach in the state of Texas. He said, “I think people that are from the state know how big of deal that is and know how the life those coaches lead and the stress they’re put on in these small towns where that’s all they got is football. So I always appreciated the way he handled himself. He was always harder on my brother and I and we knew that.”
4. Sonders Was Previously Married to Erik Kuselias; They Are Now Divorced
Several publications have falsely stated that Sonders met Kingsbury after he was divorced; Kingsbury has never been married. Sonders has, though, and is divorced from Erik Kuselias.
Kuselias is a sports television and radio host; he proposed to Sonders in 2012, when she was 29 years old and he was in his mid-forties. They filed for divorce in 2016.
Sonders has, in the past, been a little bit tongue-in-cheek about her dating life to her followers. Immediately prior to her announcement that she was dating Kingsbury, Sonders posted a picture of herself in the car with another unidentified man, writing in the caption, “No he isn’t my husband. No he isn’t my boyfriend. But I have more pics of jesse wesp my producer than anyone else. No explanation why”
5. Kingsbury Has Not Yet Mentioned Sonders on Social Media
Kingsbury has a very limited social media presence, and limits his Instagram feed to sports-related photos. He has not yet confirmed his relationship with Sonders.
In 2014, Kingsbury talked about his dating life, or lack thereof, while on The Seth Davis Show. He said, “I think she needs to have a lot going on for herself. As long as she has career, things going on, that’ll help. I think it’s tough when the wife is there all day and you get home and it’s 11 and they want to talk and you’ve had a long day and you don’t want to talk.”