Former Ohio State football player Sonny Styles entered the 2026 NFL Draft as an elite prospect with the potential to go in the top 5. And when fans tune in to see him on draft night, his girlfriend, Boston College basketball player Kaia Henderson, won’t be far away.
Henderson has been Styles’ biggest cheerleader since their high school days, and that hasn’t changed now that Styles is ready to turn pro.
As the couple arrived in Pittsburgh for the draft, Henderson filled her social feed with encouragement for the star linebacker.
“Draft week has officially started!!” she wrote via her Instagram Story before the draft. “Can’t wait to see what this week has in store for you.”
Her encouraging words came alongside a photo of the two of them posing with a football and NFL Draft branding over it.
As Sonny gets ready to begin the next chapter of his career, get to know his biggest fan, Kaia Henderson.
Sonny Styles and Kaia Henderson Went to Prom TogetherSonny Styles and Kaia Henderson went to different high schools, but that didn’t stop them from attending senior prom together in 2022. Sonny wore a black tux with a red vest and bowtie, matching Henderson’s black dress and red corsage.
“Pretty in black,” Henderson wrote alongside a carousel of prom photos of the two of them.
Kaia Henderson Began Her Career at Ohio State
The couple initially went to college together, with Kaia Henderson playing three seasons for the Ohio State Buckeyes before transferring to Boston College. Ohio State went to the NCAA Tournament all three seasons she was on the team, including an Elite Eight run in 2023.
Kaia Henderson is more than a basketball player. After graduating from Ohio State in just three years with a degree in communications, she and her friend, University of Missouri gymnast Kennedy Griffin, started a podcast called “ComptitHER,” which focuses on empowering women in sports.
“All the visibility matters at this time,” she told New York’s WUTR in July 2025. “Just growing in the future. I just hope the little girl I was before and all the little girls now get to experience that because it’s been amazing for me.”
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Kaia Henderson has three photos pinned to the top of her Instagram page and the first one is of her and Sonny Styles celebrating Ohio State’s 2024-25 national championship.
‘Words can’t express how proud I am of my National Champion,” she wrote in the caption. “I am so thankful for the amazing friendships and memories made, and for being apart of this unforgettable journey with you. Standing by your side every step of the way!! @sonnystyles_ ❤️????.”
Kaia Henderson was an accomplished basketball player before she ever set foot on campus in Columbus. Henderson is the all-time leading scorer at New Hartford High School in New York with 2,092 career points. That puts her second all-time among all players in Central New York history behind only former WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart.
