John-Allen and Bailey met during their time in graduate school at The University of Tennessee.

They met in the fall of 2021, which was the first semester of graduate school. They had one class together where John-Allen sat behind Bailey in class and watched her look at fancy hotels. They first connected after the Georgia game on November 5, 2021. Bailey had spent the Georgia football game leading Peyton Manning and Morgan Wallen around. Bailey walked out of the stadium when John-Allen walked up to her and hugged her and held his plate of P.F. Changs Orange Chicken in front of her face. It was not until December 2021 when they went on their first date.

The week before Bailey and John-Allen’s first date he had swiped up on her Instagram story about her being in Atlanta for the SEC football championship because Atlanta is one of his favorite cities. Bailey ran into John-Allen in the athletic dining hall one Thursday afternoon and mentioned to him and his friend about how we should get together with some of their friends from graduate school for a trivia night. Bailey had a lunch she was late getting to, so she ran out without getting John-Allen’s phone number. Later that evening Bailey decided to reach out to John-Allen via Instagram to get his number and set up a group trivia night. She texted him and asked about setting up a trivia night with their friends from Tennessee athletics graduate school. John-Allen’s response was not what Bailey was expecting.

John-Allen texted Bailey asking if she would go out on a date with him. He asked her if they could go on a date on that Sunday to watch a NFL game, but Bailey explained to John-Allen she could not go with him because she had a massage appointment (this is the most Bailey thing ever)! John-Allen asked if he could take her on a date that Saturday instead, but Bailey said I am sorry I can’t because I have to work the Tennessee men’s basketball game. John-Allen asked Bailey if he could take her to dinner after the game was over. They went on a late-night dinner date to Balter Beerworks in Knoxville.

They continued talking the next couple weeks, which were very busy with Bailey going on a couple trips and John-Allen getting ready for the Music City bowl game. Bailey and John-Allen went on several dates before he left for the Music City bowl game on Christmas Eve. Bailey decided to get Crumbl cookies delivered to John-Allen in Nashville. They got to spend some time together during the Music City bowl game. They returned back to Knoxville on New Years Eve just in time to kick off the new year together.

John-Allen asked Bailey to officially be his girlfriend on January 10, 2022. They spent the next year travelling together and supporting each other through graduate school and their graduate assistant positions in Tennessee Athletics.

In January of 2023, John-Allen got the opportunity to move to Tampa, Florida to work in The University of South Florida football department. Bailey and John-Allen did long distance until she joined John-Allen in June of 2023.

John-Allen popped the question on the beautiful Tampa Riverwalk on June 17, 2023.

They are so excited to start their lives together in Tampa, FL and can’t wait to come back to Knoxville to get married surrounded by their friends and family!

Registry