Josephine 'Jo' Lawrence loves football. That's why she went to Clemson University - to be part of one of the best media programs in the country for one of the most exciting football programs in the country. But that doesn't mean she loves football players. She just knows that if she wants a legitimate place in a notoriously male dominated industry, she has to be prepared for it all...especially someone like Reid Donahue.

As in, star quarterback, Heisman front-runner, projected number one overall draft pick Reid Donahue. While the public might love his tenacity, to Jo he's just the epitome of an arrogant jock who let the hype get to his head. But when Reid gets hurt in one of the most gruesome leg injuries ever seen on a college football field, that was the end of it all. Or so everyone thought.

A year and a half after the injury that nearly took away his ability to walk, Reid has somehow found his way back onto the football field. Not because he wants to, but because he needs to. When ESPN approaches Clemson to team up for a season-long piece following Reid's comeback, Jo - now a senior - is selected to front it, but neither of them are keen on spending their final football season at Clemson attached to each other's hip.

Despite her reservations on Reid's persona, Jo knows that if she wants a guaranteed in at ESPN when she graduates, this is the golden opportunity. But Reid, who has become withdrawn and reserved since his injury, sees it as nothing more than a way for people to pry into his privacy, and resents Jo for trying to use him as a springboard for her career. With summer training and a whole football season ahead, the two butt heads on almost everything, but through a shared love of football, the two find that being apart might be worse than being together.

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courtney eaton as
━ josephine 'jo' lawrence

josh allen as
━ reid donahue

sofia wylie as
━ mara faust

geraldine viswanathan as
━ bree salazar

matt cornett as
━ derek chase

justin jefferson as
━ jaylen 'jj' jameson

emily rudd as
━ kayla morrone

━ strong language, college parties, and mature sexual content

━ lots of college football shop talk (meaning football-related terminology may not always be in simplistic, layman's terms, but please feel free to ask any questions if anything is unclear)

━ strong, goal-oriented female leads, women supporting women, and girls' girls

━ good grammar

━ literally just a lot football

━ non-toxic romances and realistically flawed protagonists

━ enemies to friends to lovers to friends to blah blah blah

━ single pov narrated exclusively by jo
(& pls don't whine and complain about this - it's not nice, and not every single sports romance needs to be dual pov. i decided that his pov wouldn't add anything valuable to the story, and that's my first and final word on that, so pls be respectful of my decision.)

when i was in college, i had a blog called the basic bitch's guide to fantasy football. yes, this was back when blogging was really a thing. i studied television production and sports journalism in college, and i did every single thing i possibly could to put myself in a position to succeed, because all i wanted to be was a college football analyst on ESPN. if you know me, you know i love a lot of sports (see overdrive, blind ambition, solar power/only chasing waves), but college football is my first love, and my most loyal love. but i was told no, you can't be that, because you're a girl, and what the hell do you know about the intricacies and inner workings of something like college football. keep in mind this was over 10 years ago, and while a lot of the misogyny has toned down, it's not gone.

this story is my love note to: all the joy and experiences football has given me, josh allen for helping me win fantasy football every year, my mom who taught me that girls can know just as much (if not more) about football than boys, and my husband for converting me into a clemson fan. this is for my girls who were told no just because you're a girl, and this is for my pipe dreams. they're not gone, they just live in my stories now. i'm super excited to put my love of football (and women in football) into a story <3

this story is a very positive, joyful space for me. while thoughts and comments on the story are not only appreciated but strongly encouraged, negativity, rudeness, and general "pick me" behavior is not okay. i will delete comments that i feel violate that positive energy, and i have zero issue calling people out or blocking people who are disrespecting that (ie saying rude things about my characters, offering unhelpful negative opinions under the guise of 'constructive criticism', etc).

additionally, this is a first draft, and i am not looking for constructive criticism at this time. we're just here to have fun and my only goal is for y'all to have a good reading experience.

& pretty please no fandom references or unrelated celeb/pop culture references of any kind. my work is my work and excessively comparing my entire story and characters to other people, stories, movies, shows, etc is reductionist and hurtful, tysm <3

Copyright 2023-2024 (moonraess) | All Rights Reserved

This is a work of fiction. My characters' views, actions, and opinions may not always align with my own.

This story in its entirety may not be reproduced, downloaded, disseminated, published, or transferred in any form by any means, except with explicit permission by its creator. Alternatively, don't steal my shit. I don't take plagiarism lightly and I will put you in a wood chipper, Fargo style.

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leave your ftr (first time reader) in the comments below if this is your first time here, or if you've come here from one of my other stories. let me know where you're from, what you're doing right now, etc xoxo