Who Is Rylee Arnold’s Boyfriend? All About Walker Lyons and His Relationship With theDWTSPro

Mar. 15, 2025

Rylee Arnold and her boyfriend, USC tight end Walker Lyons, after an October 2024 game.Photo:Rylee Arnold/instagram

Rylee Arnold/instagram

Rylee Arnoldhas a new dancing partner: Walker Lyons.

After weeks of teasing a new romance on social media, theDancing with the Starsproconfirmed her relationshipwith the University of Southern California tight end in October 2024 via an Instagram “hard launch.”

The announcement came amid Arnold’s secondDWTSseason, where she was paired with Olympic gymnastStephen Nedoroscik.

Arnold had previously sparked romance rumors with her formerDWTSpartner,Too Hot to HandlestarHarry Jowsey, after spending time together outside the show and teasing their chemistry on TikTok. In response, shespoke fondly of himand he voiced that the speculation was “a little bit unfair" to her.

So who is Rylee Arnold’s boyfriend? Here’s everything to know about Walker Lyons and his relationship with theDWTSpro.

He’s from California

Rylee Arnold’s boyfriend, Walker Lyons.Walker Lyons/ Instagram

Walker Lyons/ Instagram

Lyons is from Folsom, Calif., per the USC Trojans officialfootball roster.

He played football at Folsom High School, where a broken leg cut his senior season short.

However, Lyons still made a significant impact on the field, and his high school football success led him to be named All-American Bowl’s Man of the Year in January 2023. He was recognized for epitomizing a “high standard of excellence in community service and athletic distinction,” perNBC Sports.

After spending Thanksgiving 2024 in Utah,Arnold met up with Lyonswho was spending time with family in his hometown. The professional dancer shared photos from the couple’s “weekend reset” onInstagram.

He’s a USC football player

Rylee Arnold and her boyfriend, Walker Lyons, after a USC football game.Rylee Arnold/ Instagram

Rylee Arnold/ Instagram

Lyons committed to playing as a tight end at USC after he completed his religious mission, hitting the football field in 2024.

During apress conferencein September of his freshman year, he said that USC was “always one of [his] favorite schools.”

“I’m a West Coast kid from California, and obviously, it’s a really good academic school, and it’s a really good football school, so it kind of checked a lot of my boxes,” Lyons explained.

When asked about his experience playing in his first collegiate game, he shared that it “was super awesome.”

“I’m super blessed to be able to play in the game against a good opponent like Utah State,” he added. “Super cool being in the Coliseum, wearing the cardinal and gold and just getting after it a little bit.”

They met through mutual friends

Walker Lyons and Rylee Arnold.Rylee Arnold/Instagram

Rylee Arnold/Instagram

In a“Get Ready With Me” TikTokin October 2024, Arnold explained what led to her first date with the athlete — a night that she laterrevealedincluded a “sweet treat” and a walk in Santa Monica.

“I have never met him before, but we have a lot of mutuals, which [are] interesting coincidences, and then we’ve just been texting a lot lately, and so I actually get to meet him tonight,” she said. “I’m feeling nervous but I’m also really excited because we’ve been having a good time talking and texting.”

“I feel like our personalities match really well already, so I’m interested to see how this will go,” she added.

While their first date was successful, she previously shared in a TikTokvideothat she found these kinds of introductions “really freaking scary.”

“It’s the pressure of a first date. You wanna make sure that they have a good time, but also like, are you having a good time?” she said in July 2024. “They’re just a little bit intimidating at the start, and then it just takes a second to get comfortable, but that’s okay, I think that’s just part of the process.”

They confirmed their relationship in October 2024

Rylee Arnold and her boyfriend, USC tight end Walker Lyons, after one of his football games in October 2024.Rylee Arnold/ Instagram

In the weeks leading up to their official announcement, Arnold had been dropping subtle hints about her dates without revealing Lyons' name.

“He was so easy to talk to,” she shared while discussing more details about the first date. “We have so many similarities which was so fun to talk about. He is so sweet and humble and just all the amazing qualities. So I’m really curious to see how this all pans out.”

Arnold went public with their relationship in anInstagrampost on Oct. 27, 2024. She shared photos from one of his football games with the caption, “Is this a hard launch??”

They are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Rylee Arnold’s boyfriend Walker Lyons returning from a mission trip in Norway in June 2024.Walker Lyons/ Instagram

Arnold and Lyons share a similar religious background as they are both members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Prior to beginning his collegiate football career at USC, Lyons graduated early from high school so he could start his mission and return in time to train for the next football season.

In June 2024, he shared photos from his mission in Norwayon Instagram. “I have learned, changed, and grown in ways unimaginable," he wrote.

Speaking toChurch Newsthe year before, in February 2023, he revealed who inspired him to embark on the journey. “My dad has talked about his mission as one of the most important, if not the most important, catalyst in his life. That’s ultimately why I decided to serve,” Lyons explained.

Meanwhile, Arnold previously spoke about how she carries her belief in everything she does during an appearance onThe Weekly Trashin December 2023.

“Throughout the whole entire season it was like, ‘Rylee, you’re so happy and you’re so fun. How are you one of the nicest people I have ever met? … What is this light that I just see?’ ” she said. “It’s Christ. That’s just genuinely what it is and that’s something that is so important to me and something I just always want to portray.”

Arnold’s friends and family support her relationship

Rylee Arnold with her sister, Brynley Arnold, and brother-in-law, Donny McGinnis, at a USC football game in October 2024.Rylee Arnold/ Instagram

“😍😍😍😍😍 I CANNOT GET OVER YOU TWO,”Lindsay Arnold, Arnold’s eldest sister andDWTSalum, commented on the Instagram post.

The same night Arnold publicly revealed their relationship, she and Lyons went to Disneyland with Lindsay and her daughter, Sage.

Lindsay shared a video on her Instagram Stories of Sage on a teacup ride with the new couple, writing, “Sage loves this one but I cannot handle the spinning lol so shoutout to these two for taking her 😂 @ryleearnold1 @walkerlyons.”

After Arnold shared aTikTok videocompiling glimpses of her supporting Lyons at his football game, herDWTScastmate and longtime friendEzra Sosaposted a duetvideoin response.

Arnold has previously spoken about struggling to date people the same age as her

Rylee Arnold on Dancing With the Stars “Dedication Night” episode on Oct. 15, 2024.Getty

Getty

Arnold opened up about being in the dating scene after her first year onDWTSduring an episode ofLightweights Podcastwith Joe Vulpis in September 2024.

“I had a hard time being on dates with people the same age as me because I do feel like I have matured a lot, and I do feel like I have experienced a lot of life, so we are just in a completely different ballpark,” she said.

Later in the episode, she shared her previous experiences in the dating scene in Utah, where the dates are “all kind of the same.”

“For my Utah girlies listening in or any Utahns, please let me know if you have gone on a date where you went up the canyon, you went on a picnic, you maybe painted, you maybe ate, and then you went back home,” she said. “That’s the standard.”

Although she would be focused onDWTSwhile in Los Angeles, she shared that it “could be fun to meet someone," adding that “it is good to release and get your mind off the dancing.”

source: people.com