Jacie Hoyt’s husband is Daniel Heflin, the Associate Athletic Director of Development at Oklahoma State University. The two married in 2018 after a courtship that began with a Facebook message and ran through the overlapping worlds of Big 12 athletics, shared alma mater ties at Wichita State University, and a mutual connection to current OSU Athletic Director Chad Weiberg.
Heflin sits courtside at every Cowgirls home game, stroller in tow since December 2024 when the couple welcomed their daughter, Harlow Renee Heflin. That arrival capped a 4.5-year infertility struggle Jacie discussed openly — a decision that turned a private heartbreak into one of the most emotionally resonant stories in recent women’s college basketball.
Their partnership blends two full careers inside the same athletic department. Jacie runs the basketball program. Daniel raises money for the entire department. Between them, they cover the competitive and financial sides of Oklahoma State athletics without ever leaving Stillwater.
Who Is Daniel Heflin?
Daniel Heflin serves as the Associate Athletic Director of Development at Oklahoma State University, responsible for fundraising and donor relations across OSU’s athletic programs. He is a Wichita State University graduate who built his career in collegiate athletics administration before landing in Stillwater.
Professional Role at OSU
Heflin’s title — Associate Athletic Director of Development — places him at the center of Oklahoma State’s fundraising operation. He manages relationships with donors, alumni, and supporters who fund scholarships, facilities, and the infrastructure that keeps OSU competitive across all sports. According to the Oklahoma State athletics department, both Heflin and Hoyt are embedded within the same institutional structure under Athletic Director Chad Weiberg.
On game days, Heflin is a fixture courtside. He moves seat to seat, talking to donors and boosters while keeping one eye on the court. Since Harlow’s birth in December 2024, he has been spotted doing those rounds with a stroller beside him — a sight that The O’Colly, Oklahoma State’s student newspaper, profiled in detail in early 2025.
Athletic Background and Education
Before moving into administration, Heflin competed as a collegiate athlete. Both he and Jacie graduated from Wichita State University, though their time at the school did not overlap romantically. They each carved out careers at different institutions — Heflin at Texas Tech, Jacie at Kansas State — before their paths finally converged.
| Detail | Daniel Heflin | Jacie Hoyt |
|---|---|---|
| Alma Mater | Wichita State University | Wichita State University |
| Pre-OSU Career | Texas Tech athletics department | Assistant coach, Kansas State |
| Current Role at OSU | Associate AD of Development | Head Coach, Women’s Basketball |
| Athletic Background | Former collegiate athlete | Division I basketball player |
That shared Wichita State foundation gave them common ground long before they shared a zip code. Both understood what it meant to grind through a college athletics career, graduate, and then build a professional life inside the same ecosystem.
How Jacie Hoyt and Daniel Heflin Met
Daniel Heflin sent Jacie Hoyt a Facebook Messenger message while he was working at Texas Tech and she was an assistant women’s basketball coach at Kansas State. She never responded. Their paths crossed again at a Kansas City soccer game, and the connection finally took hold when Heflin secured a position at the University of Kansas — close enough for in-person meetings to replace unanswered DMs.
The Facebook Message Origin Story
The Stillwater News Press detailed the couple’s full origin story in 2022. Heflin, then embedded in the Texas Tech athletics department, logged onto Facebook Messenger and shot his shot. Hoyt, focused on her coaching career at Kansas State, let the message sit unread. No response. No follow-up.
That silence could have been the end of it. Instead, a chance meeting at a soccer match in Kansas City broke the ice in person. Heflin’s subsequent move to the University of Kansas put them in the same geographic orbit for the first time, and the relationship that his Facebook message had failed to start finally gained traction face to face.
The Chad Weiberg Connection
Oklahoma State Athletic Director Chad Weiberg is the thread running through both their careers. Weiberg worked alongside Heflin in the Texas Tech athletics department. He also overlapped with Hoyt during his time at Kansas State. When Weiberg became Athletic Director at Oklahoma State, he eventually brought both of them into the OSU fold — Heflin on the development side, Hoyt as head women’s basketball coach.
Weiberg has spoken publicly about Hoyt’s impact: “She makes you feel great, and that your day is going to be great when you’ve had that interaction with her.” That personal endorsement from the man who hired her underscores the professional trust that preceded the Hoyt-Heflin family’s arrival in Stillwater.
| Timeline | Event |
|---|---|
| Pre-relationship | Heflin at Texas Tech, Hoyt at Kansas State — both know Chad Weiberg separately |
| First contact | Heflin sends Facebook message; Hoyt does not respond |
| In-person meeting | Chance encounter at a Kansas City soccer game |
| Relationship begins | Heflin moves to University of Kansas, proximity enables dating |
| 2018 | Jacie Hoyt and Daniel Heflin marry |
| Post-marriage | Both join Oklahoma State under AD Chad Weiberg |
Heflin announced their reunion at OSU on Twitter using the hashtag “#RingTeam” when Hoyt was hired as head coach — a playful nod that their partnership was coming full circle inside the same department.
Jacie Hoyt’s Infertility Journey and the Road to Parenthood
Jacie Hoyt and Daniel Heflin struggled with infertility for approximately 4.5 years, a period Hoyt described publicly as “full of heartache, disappointment, and frustration.” She underwent multiple rounds of in vitro fertilization (IVF) before conceiving their daughter — one of the few Power Five women’s basketball coaches to discuss fertility treatment this candidly.
Going Public About Infertility
Hoyt chose transparency over silence. In interviews and social media posts, she framed infertility not as a private burden to hide but as a shared human experience worth acknowledging. According to Movieguide’s profile on Hoyt’s faith journey, she described the 4.5-year wait as a test of patience that reshaped her understanding of timing, control, and what motherhood would ultimately mean for the Jacie Hoyt family.
The response was immediate. Players, staff, and Cowgirl Nation supporters flooded her posts with encouragement. Fellow coaches reached out privately. Hoyt’s willingness to be vulnerable from a public platform sparked broader conversations within collegiate athletics about the pressures women coaches face when personal hardship collides with professional expectations.
Faith Through Infertility
Christian faith anchored Hoyt through the uncertainty. She told interviewers: “I can’t say I ever doubted… that He was real,” but admitted to struggling with understanding why motherhood had not come on her timeline. She referenced Jeremiah 29:11 — “For I know the plans I have for you” — in her pregnancy announcement, framing the entire journey as confirmation of divine timing rather than medical chance.
That public testimony carries weight in Power Five coaching circles, where vulnerability is more often treated as a liability than a strength. Hoyt flipped that script entirely. According to the CDC’s reproductive health data, approximately 1 in 5 married women aged 15-49 experience difficulty getting pregnant or carrying a pregnancy to term — a statistic that places Hoyt’s experience squarely within a widespread but often unspoken reality.
Pregnancy Announcement and Baby Harlow
On July 11, 2024, Jacie Hoyt announced on social media that she and Daniel Heflin were expecting a baby in December — ending 4.5 years of infertility treatment and triggering an outpouring of celebration across Cowgirl Nation and the broader women’s basketball community.
The Announcement Heard Across Cowgirl Nation
Hoyt posted the news on X (formerly Twitter) with characteristic warmth and humor: “We’ve got a new roster addition coming in December! We are thrilled and grateful for God’s perfect timing in our life. Not sure if Buzz feels the same, but he will come around.” Buzz, the couple’s dog, became an instant fan favorite in the replies.
The News On 6 reported that Hoyt was 37 years old at the time of the announcement. Players, coaching colleagues, and OSU athletic department staff filled the comments with congratulations — a reaction that reflected how personally invested the community had become after watching Hoyt share her infertility journey so openly.
Welcoming Harlow Renee Heflin
Harlow Renee Heflin was born on December 11, 2024. Jacie celebrated the arrival on social media, calling her daughter “the greatest blessing.” The timing placed Harlow’s birth squarely in the middle of Big 12 conference basketball season — meaning Hoyt returned to the sideline as a first-time mother while the Cowgirls were actively competing.
Daniel Heflin adapted his game-day routine accordingly. Where he once worked the courtside donor circuit in khakis and OSU gear, he now navigates those same conversations with a stroller beside him. The image of a father simultaneously fundraising and parenting at courtside has become one of the more endearing fixtures of Cowgirls home games.
Jacie Hoyt Family and Coaching Legacy
The Jacie Hoyt family story extends beyond the marriage and baby — it includes a coaching career that brought her from Wichita State graduate to Big 12 head coach, a trajectory that makes the family’s current chapter in Stillwater feel earned rather than inherited.
From Assistant Coach to Big 12 Head Coach
Hoyt worked her way up through assistant coaching roles, including a significant stint at Kansas State where she developed her recruiting philosophy and on-court identity. Her appointment as head coach of the Oklahoma State Cowgirls placed her among a small group of women leading Big 12 basketball programs — a conference where coaching turnover is fierce and job security is never guaranteed.
Multiple Jacie Hoyt videos circulate on social media and YouTube showing her sideline intensity, recruiting pitches, and the emotional moments — like the pregnancy announcement and Harlow’s birth — that have made her one of the more followed coaches in the conference. Those clips consistently reinforce the same impression: a coach who leads with authenticity and competes with intensity.
What Makes Their Partnership Unique in College Sports
Dual-career couples are common in academia. Dual-career couples inside the same athletic department at a Power Five university are rare. Jacie coaches. Daniel raises money. They share an employer, a campus, and a calendar dictated by signing days, conference tournaments, and bowl games. That structural overlap eliminates the translation problem most coaching families face — the constant need to explain why this weekend’s road trip matters more than the last one.
Jacie Hoyt is a head coach at Oklahoma State University. Daniel Heflin is an Associate Athletic Director at the same institution. Together they represent one of the few married couples occupying senior-level positions within a single Power Five athletic department — a dynamic that gives their family life an unusual level of mutual professional understanding.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Jacie Hoyt’s husband?
Jacie Hoyt’s husband is Daniel Heflin, the Associate Athletic Director of Development at Oklahoma State University. They married in 2018 and both work within the OSU athletics department in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Heflin is a Wichita State University graduate with a background in collegiate athletics administration.
Is Jacie Hoyt married?
Yes, Jacie Hoyt married Daniel Heflin in 2018. The couple met through a Facebook message Heflin sent while working at Texas Tech, reconnected at a Kansas City soccer game, and eventually both joined Oklahoma State University’s athletics department under Athletic Director Chad Weiberg.
Does Jacie Hoyt have children?
Yes. Jacie Hoyt and Daniel Heflin welcomed their daughter, Harlow Renee Heflin, on December 11, 2024. The birth came after approximately 4.5 years of infertility treatment, including multiple rounds of IVF. Hoyt announced the pregnancy on July 11, 2024.
Is Jake Hoyt related to Jacie Hoyt?
Jake Hoyt and Jacie Hoyt share a surname but are not publicly known to be related. Searches for “jake hoyt wife” sometimes surface alongside Jacie Hoyt results due to name similarity. Jacie Hoyt’s husband is Daniel Heflin, not someone named Jake.
Did Jacie Hoyt struggle with infertility?
Yes. Jacie Hoyt publicly shared that she and Daniel Heflin navigated approximately 4.5 years of infertility, including multiple IVF rounds. She credited her Christian faith as a sustaining force and referenced Jeremiah 29:11 in her pregnancy announcement. The CDC reports that about 1 in 5 married women of reproductive age face similar challenges.
Where can I find Jacie Hoyt videos?
Jacie Hoyt videos are widely available on YouTube, the official Oklahoma State Cowgirls social media accounts, and sports news outlets. Popular clips include her sideline coaching moments, press conference highlights, the viral pregnancy announcement, and behind-the-scenes footage from OSU’s women’s basketball program.
Conclusion
Daniel Heflin is not a footnote in Jacie Hoyt’s coaching biography — he is a co-author of the story. As Associate Athletic Director of Development at Oklahoma State, he shares her employer, her campus, and a calendar dictated by the rhythms of Big 12 athletics. They met through a Facebook message that went unanswered, reconnected at a soccer game, married in 2018, and built a life together in Stillwater that has withstood 4.5 years of infertility, multiple IVF rounds, and the relentless demands of Power Five sports.
Harlow Renee Heflin’s arrival on December 11, 2024, did not slow either of them down. Jacie returned to the sideline mid-season. Daniel continued his courtside donor rounds — stroller included. Together, they represent a partnership forged in shared ambition, tested by personal hardship, and strengthened by a faith Jacie has never been afraid to discuss publicly.
