The South Florida Bulls may have stunned the Florida Gators with a last-second field goal, but it wasn’t the scoreboard that had people gasping. After clinching the 18–16 win, kicker Nico Gramatica and holder Chase Leon fell into a postgame embrace so tender, so locked-in, and so undeniably loaded that football fans were left spiraling — in the best way.
Captured on ESPN’s broadcast, the moment showed Gramatica grabbing Leon’s face and pulling him close in what can only be described as pure sports romance. The two were cheek to cheek, grinning, and very much not worried about hiding their feelings — bromantic or otherwise. To be
“If loving football is gay I’m Nico Gramatica,” one person wrote. While another pointed to the moment as an example of life imitating art.
Gramatica, for what it’s worth, is no stranger to attention. He’s the son of former NFL Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champ Martin “Automatica” Gramatica, and part of a USF legacy family of record-breaking kickers. But on Saturday night, it was Nico’s vibe—not his stats—that had people pulling out their romcom casting wish lists.
And Leon? He’s an Aussie transfer who played last season at Lamar University before joining USF, where he now serves as punter and kickoff specialist. We don’t know much else about him, but judging by the way he looked back at Gramatica, he knows something about bro love languages.
Whether this was romance, bromance, or just pure adrenaline, it was the kind of moment that reminds us it’s not always about the game, but also the magic that happens when nobody’s trying to play it cool.
Check out the video below.
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