Marcus Mariota Wife: Everything to Know About Kiyomi Cook and Their Family

Marcus Mariota has spent years in the NFL as one of the league’s most recognizable quarterbacks, but away from football, his life is centered on his wife, Kiyomi Cook, and their daughter, Makaia.

Mariota and Cook first met while they were students at the University of Oregon. Both were athletes at the time. Mariota played quarterback for the Ducks, while Cook was a midfielder on the women’s soccer team. Their relationship gradually became public in 2015, the same year Mariota entered the NFL as the No. 2 overall draft pick.

The couple stayed together through moves, career changes and the pressures that come with professional football. Mariota proposed in 2020, and they married in Hawaii the following year. In December 2022, their family grew with the birth of their daughter, Makaia Kei Mariota.

For people searching for Marcus Mariota’s wife, Kiyomi Cook has built an interesting life of her own. She played college soccer, earned advanced degrees, worked as a coach and later became involved with Mariota’s nonprofit foundation.

Who Is Marcus Mariota’s Wife?

Marcus Mariota’s wife is Kiyomi Cook.

She was born in 1993 to Karl and Carol Cook and grew up in Gresham, Oregon, alongside her sister, Kerri.

Sports were part of Cook’s life from a young age.

She attended Sam Barlow High School, where she played soccer and developed into a successful student-athlete. Her performances earned her recognition at both the all-state and all-conference levels.

Cook later attended the University of Oregon.

That decision would eventually change more than just her education and soccer career because it was there that she crossed paths with Marcus Mariota.

While Mariota was becoming one of the biggest names in college football, Cook was pursuing her own athletic career.

She played midfield for Oregon’s women’s soccer team and studied human physiology and psychology.

Her background shows that she had her own interests and ambitions long before her relationship with Mariota became public.

How Marcus Mariota and Kiyomi Cook Met

Marcus Mariota and Kiyomi Cook met at the University of Oregon in 2014.

At the time, both were college athletes.

Mariota was already gaining national attention as the quarterback for Oregon, while Cook was balancing soccer and her studies.

Their relationship became public in 2015.

That year was also one of the most important periods in Mariota’s football career.

He entered the NFL Draft and was selected with the second overall pick by the Tennessee Titans.

Cook was seen with him during an NFL Draft celebration in Honolulu, helping confirm that they were together.

The move from college football to the NFL created major changes for Mariota.

He went from life in Oregon to becoming the face of a professional football franchise in Tennessee.

Cook remained by his side during that transition.

By 2016, Mariota confirmed that the couple was living together in Nashville.

Although his football schedule left little free time, the two tried to explore their new city and build a life away from the stadium.

That period appears to have laid the foundation for their long-term relationship.

Kiyomi Cook Built a Career Around Sports

Kiyomi Cook did not leave sports behind after her own playing days ended.

After completing her undergraduate studies, she continued her education and earned a master’s degree in exercise and nutrition science from Lipscomb University in Nashville.

Her academic background matched her interest in athletics, fitness and performance.

Cook also moved into coaching.

From 2015 to 2020, she worked as a soccer coach in Nashville.

She coached at the University School of Nashville between 2015 and 2019 and also worked at Father Ryan High School from 2016 to 2020.

That experience allowed her to stay connected with the sport she had played for years.

Coaching also placed Cook in a role where she could work directly with younger athletes.

Her career has remained relatively low profile, especially compared with the amount of media attention surrounding her husband.

Still, her education and coaching background show that she has built a professional identity separate from Mariota’s NFL career.

Marcus Mariota Proposed in 2020

After several years together, Mariota proposed to Cook in June 2020.

By that stage, they had already experienced a significant part of Mariota’s professional football journey as a couple.

Their relationship had survived the pressure of the NFL, changes in teams and the constant travel that comes with professional sports.

A year after the engagement, Marcus and Kiyomi got married.

The wedding took place in Hawaii in 2021.

Hawaii has always been an important part of Mariota’s identity and family background, making it a meaningful setting for the ceremony.

Around 100 guests reportedly attended.

The guest list included relatives, friends and people connected with Mariota’s football career.

Former Tennessee Titans teammate Logan Ryan was among those who celebrated with the couple.

For Mariota and Cook, the wedding marked the next stage of a relationship that had already lasted for years.

They had gone from two University of Oregon athletes to an NFL quarterback and his longtime partner building a family together.

Marcus and Kiyomi Welcomed Daughter Makaia

Marcus Mariota and Kiyomi Cook became parents in December 2022.

Their daughter was named Makaia Kei Mariota.

The arrival of Makaia created a new chapter in Mariota’s life at a time when his NFL career was continuing to evolve.

Family quickly became even more important away from football.

Mariota has occasionally shared glimpses of that side of his life.

Photos have shown the family spending time together at the beach and celebrating holidays.

One Christmas photo showed Marcus, Kiyomi and their young daughter wearing matching pajamas.

The couple also has two dogs, making their household even busier.

Their public posts are relatively limited, which fits the way Cook has generally handled attention.

She does not appear interested in turning family life into a constant social media story.

Instead, the couple shares occasional moments while keeping most of their daily life private.

Kiyomi Cook Has Always Believed in Marcus

One of the clearest glimpses into their relationship came through the football docuseries Quarterback.

Cook spoke about watching Mariota play and the confidence she has in him.

She explained that she does not like to say she gets nervous when he is on the field because she believes that as long as the football is in Marcus’ hands, there is always a chance something can happen.

That comment captures the support behind their relationship.

Professional football is unpredictable.

Quarterbacks are praised when teams win and often criticized heavily when things go badly.

They can move between teams, lose starting jobs, battle injuries and face constant pressure over performance.

Cook has been around Mariota through many of those phases.

Their relationship began before he was drafted into the NFL and continued as he moved through different stages of his professional career.

That history gives her a different perspective from someone who entered his life after he had already become an established football star.

She knew Marcus during his University of Oregon years and watched the rest of the journey unfold from there.

Kiyomi Works With Mariota’s Motiv8 Foundation

Cook has also become involved in Marcus Mariota’s charitable work.

Mariota created the Motiv8 Foundation during his first year in the NFL.

The nonprofit focuses on helping young people through education and sports.

Cook serves as the foundation’s social media director.

That role allows her to contribute directly to a project that is important to her husband while also using her own background in athletics and youth development.

The couple has also participated in community service together.

In 2016, Cook joined Mariota and members of his family for a Habitat for Humanity project.

They helped build a home for a local family.

For Mariota, giving back to the community was a useful way to spend part of his offseason.

Cook’s involvement showed that charity work was something the couple could share rather than something connected only with Marcus’ public image.

Their work through Motiv8 has continued that theme.

Why Kiyomi Cook Keeps a Low Profile

Despite being married to an NFL quarterback, Kiyomi Cook remains relatively private.

She does not constantly appear in interviews or turn her relationship into a public brand.

That privacy may be one reason people remain curious about her.

Marcus Mariota has also never been known as a player who seeks attention away from football.

The couple appears to share a preference for keeping personal life separate from the larger sports media conversation.

They occasionally post family photographs and take part in public events, but most details about their marriage remain private.

That has allowed Cook to maintain her own identity as a former athlete, coach, mother and nonprofit contributor without being defined entirely by her husband’s career.

It also provides a degree of normality for their daughter as she grows up.

For a family connected to the NFL, where schedules and careers can change quickly, maintaining a private home life may offer some balance.

Marcus Mariota and Kiyomi Cook Built Their Relationship Over Time

Marcus Mariota and Kiyomi Cook’s story began long before marriage and parenthood.

They met as college athletes in Oregon in 2014 and went public with their relationship the following year.

Cook moved through the early years of Mariota’s NFL career with him, including his transition to Nashville after being drafted by Tennessee.

At the same time, she completed her education, earned a master’s degree and worked as a soccer coach.

Mariota proposed in 2020, and they married in Hawaii in 2021.

Their daughter, Makaia, arrived in December 2022.

Today, Cook remains involved in family life and helps with the Motiv8 Foundation while largely avoiding the spotlight.

For people searching for Marcus Mariota’s wife, Kiyomi Cook is more than simply the spouse of an NFL quarterback.

She is a former college athlete, educated fitness and nutrition professional, former soccer coach, nonprofit contributor and mother.

Her relationship with Mariota has lasted through some of the biggest changes of his life, from college football stardom to the NFL and eventually fatherhood.

Through each stage, the couple has chosen to keep their relationship relatively private while continuing to support each other.

That quiet consistency may be one of the clearest reasons their relationship has lasted from the University of Oregon to marriage and family life today.