Last Updated on October 14, 2026 by Mariah Miranda
Nate Adkins is an American professional football tight end who plays for the Denver Broncos in the National Football League (NFL). Born on July 9, 1999, in Knoxville, Tennessee, he played college football at East Tennessee State University and the University of South Carolina before joining the Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2023. Beyond his football achievements, Adkins comes from a family with strong connections to American football and a history of supporting one another through difficult experiences.
The Denver Broncos tight end is the son of Greg Adkins and the late Anna Michelle Adkins. His father is a longtime college and NFL football coach, while his mother played an essential role in raising the family before her death in January 2021. Nate has two siblings: a brother named Nicholas “Nick” Adkins and a sister named Natalie Adkins. He was previously linked to Taylor Tarquin, although his current relationship status remains unconfirmed. There are also no reliable public reports establishing that he has children.
Nate Adkins’s Girlfriend: Is He Dating Anyone?
Nate Adkins has not publicly confirmed the identity of a current girlfriend or wife. Although the Denver Broncos tight end has shared occasional glimpses of his personal life on social media, he generally keeps his romantic relationships away from public attention.
However, Adkins was previously romantically linked to Taylor Tarquin, a former University of Tennessee dancer and public relations professional.
The relationship attracted attention in November 2024 when EssentiallySports published an article examining whether the former couple were still dating.
Who Is Taylor Tarquin?
Taylor Tarquin is a former college dance team member who attended Bearden High School in Knoxville, Tennessee, the same school as Nate Adkins.
During high school, she participated in competitive dance and became involved in charitable initiatives connected to the pageant community.
According to EssentiallySports, she helped establish Queens Unite, an initiative designed to support charitable organizations through activities involving members of the pageant community.
After high school, Tarquin attended the University of Tennessee, where she participated in the university’s dance program.
Her team achieved national recognition, including winning the UDA Pom National Championship in 2020 and the Game Day National Championship in 2021.
She later completed a degree in public relations and pursued professional opportunities in communications and account management.
Are Nate Adkins and Taylor Tarquin Still Together?
Nate Adkins and Taylor Tarquin were reportedly romantically involved during his college football career at East Tennessee State University.
Their relationship was documented through social media photographs shared during the early stages of Adkins’s athletic career.
However, according to EssentiallySports’ November 2024 reporting, the last publicly identified photograph featuring the couple together on Nate’s social media account dated to April 2021.
The publication also observed that Tarquin had subsequently appeared in social media photographs with another man.
Nevertheless, these observations do not constitute direct confirmation of when or whether Nate and Taylor formally ended their relationship.
There have been no sufficiently reliable subsequent reports establishing that they remain together.
For that reason, Taylor Tarquin is best described as a previously reported romantic partner rather than Nate Adkins’s confirmed current girlfriend.
Is Nate Adkins Married?
There is no widely verified public information confirming that Nate Adkins is married.
The Broncos tight end has not publicly announced a wedding or identified a wife through official team communications or established sports news publications.
As of now, Nate Adkins’s relationship and marital status remain publicly unconfirmed.
Nate Adkins’s Children: Does He Have Kids?
There are no publicly verified reports confirming that Nate Adkins has children.
The Denver Broncos tight end has not publicly announced the birth of a son or daughter through official NFL channels or major sports publications.
Most interviews concerning his family focus on his relationship with his parents and siblings, particularly the influence of his father on his football career and the memory of his late mother.
Although professional athletes sometimes prefer to keep information about their children private, there is no reliable basis for identifying Adkins as a father.
As of now, no children have been publicly confirmed for Nate Adkins.
Nate Adkins’s Parents: Meet Greg and Michelle Adkins
Nate Adkins was born to Greg Adkins and Anna Michelle Adkins in Tennessee.
His parents created a family environment centered around education, competitive sports and personal responsibility.
Greg’s career as a football coach exposed Nate to the sport from an early age, while Michelle provided stability and support during the family’s frequent experiences with the demanding schedules associated with professional coaching.
Nate Adkins’s Father: Greg Adkins
Greg Adkins is Nate Adkins’s father and a longtime American football coach who has worked at both collegiate and NFL levels.
Born in March 1968 in Charleston, West Virginia, Greg attended Nitro High School before continuing his education at Marshall University.
He played college football at Marshall and graduated in 1990 with a degree in sports management and marketing.
After completing his playing career, Greg pursued coaching and eventually developed extensive experience working with offensive linemen and tight ends.
His coaching career has included positions at Marshall, Georgia, Troy, Tennessee, Syracuse, Oklahoma State and South Carolina.
He also worked as the tight ends coach for the Buffalo Bills during the 2013 and 2014 NFL seasons.
His experience in professional football provided Nate with an opportunity to observe NFL players and coaches during childhood.
How Greg Adkins Introduced His Son to Football
Greg Adkins began teaching Nate football fundamentals when he was approximately five years old.
In a September 2023 interview with The Denver Gazette, Greg explained that he had introduced his son to blocking techniques long before Nate became an accomplished player.
At the time, Greg was coaching at the University of Tennessee, and Nate occasionally accompanied him to football facilities.
Greg recalled that his son was an energetic and physically tough child who enjoyed spending time around football players.
As Nate grew older, he developed an understanding of blocking assignments, positioning and offensive football strategies.
Those early experiences eventually became valuable because Nate initially played offensive line rather than tight end during high school.
In his interview with The Denver Gazette, Nate explained that his father’s background as an offensive line coach helped establish his blocking abilities.
Those skills later became an important reason the Denver Broncos valued him as a professional tight end.
Greg Adkins’s Career With the Buffalo Bills
One particularly memorable period of Nate’s childhood occurred when his father joined the Buffalo Bills’ coaching staff in 2013.
Greg worked with the team’s tight ends for two seasons, giving Nate opportunities to visit NFL games and interact with professional football players.
During an interview published by The Denver Gazette in November 2023, Nate recalled supporting the Bills as a teenager.
He particularly admired players including Mario Williams and C.J. Spiller.
His father also revealed that Buffalo players were welcoming toward Nate during his visits to the team’s facilities.
Nearly a decade later, Nate returned to Buffalo as a professional player when the Denver Broncos faced the Bills during the 2023 NFL season.
The experience was meaningful because he had once watched professional players from the sidelines at the same stadium.
Greg Adkins and Nate’s Reunion at South Carolina
Another important milestone occurred in 2022, when Nate transferred from East Tennessee State University to the University of South Carolina.
Greg was working as the Gamecocks’ offensive line coach at the time.
Although Nate had already completed several successful college football seasons, transferring to South Carolina gave him an opportunity to spend more time with his father.
During an August 2022 interview with GamecockCentral, Nate described how meaningful it was to have his father working within the same football program.
While they maintained a professional relationship at the university, they could also spend time together away from the football facilities.
The arrangement was particularly meaningful following the death of Nate’s mother in 2021.
Greg subsequently celebrated his son’s selection for the Denver Broncos’ 53-man roster in August 2023.
Although he initially missed Nate’s telephone call because he was attending a staff meeting, he later learned the news and expressed pride in his son’s determination.
Nate Adkins’s Mother: Anna Michelle Adkins
Anna Michelle Adkins, commonly known as Michelle Adkins, was Nate Adkins’s mother.
She was an important presence throughout his childhood and supported the athletic interests of Nate and his siblings.
According to her obituary published by the Knoxville News Sentinel, Michelle lived in Knoxville, Tennessee, and had family connections to Cross Lanes, West Virginia.
She was a member of Faith Promise Church and maintained strong relationships with her family.
As Greg pursued a demanding football coaching career, Michelle assumed many everyday responsibilities associated with raising their three children.
Her role included transporting Nate to practices, games and other sporting activities.
During his September 2023 interview with The Denver Gazette, Greg became emotional while describing the sacrifices Michelle had made for their family.
He explained that she had consistently supported their children while he was occupied with coaching responsibilities.
Michelle’s encouragement was particularly important during Nate’s childhood, when he participated in both football and baseball.
She attended sporting events and helped ensure that he had opportunities to develop his athletic abilities.
What Happened to Nate Adkins’s Mother?
Michelle Adkins died on January 17, 2021, at the age of 51.
According to reporting by The Denver Gazette, her death resulted from a heart attack.
Her passing occurred while Nate was still playing college football at East Tennessee State University.
The loss was devastating for the Adkins family, particularly because Michelle had been an important source of encouragement throughout Nate’s life.
She died more than two years before he signed his first professional NFL contract.
Consequently, she did not have the opportunity to see him officially make the Denver Broncos’ roster in 2023.
When Greg discussed that milestone with The Denver Gazette, he reflected on how much Michelle had contributed to their son’s development.
Her influence remains an important part of Nate’s publicly documented family story.
Nate Adkins’s Siblings: Meet Nick and Natalie Adkins
Nate Adkins has two siblings: a brother named Nicholas “Nick” Adkins and a sister named Natalie Adkins.
Their identities are confirmed by Syracuse University’s official biography of their father, Greg Adkins, and by Michelle Adkins’s obituary.
Both siblings grew up in a family strongly connected to sports and education.
Nicholas “Nick” Adkins – Nate Adkins’s Brother
Nicholas Adkins, commonly known as Nick, is Nate Adkins’s brother.
Like Nate, Nick developed an interest in competitive athletics and pursued college sports.
According to East Tennessee State University’s official football biography for Nate, Nick played college baseball at Marshall University.
A September 2023 report by The Denver Gazette also identified him as having played baseball at Carson-Newman University in Tennessee.
These accounts establish that Nick pursued baseball at the collegiate level, although the complete timeline of his college career is not detailed in those sources.
His athletic background reflects the family’s strong involvement in sports.
Nick also appeared in family photographs with his father and siblings during Greg’s time coaching for the Buffalo Bills.
In November 2023, The Denver Gazette published a photograph of Nate, Nick, Natalie and Greg attending a Buffalo game in 2013.
Nick Adkins and Nate’s First NFL Touchdown
One memorable family story occurred on October 27, 2024, when Nate scored his first NFL touchdown during Denver’s 28-14 victory over the Carolina Panthers.
Following the game, Adkins revealed that his brother had told him about a dream in which Nate would catch a touchdown pass.
Remarkably, Nate scored against Carolina the following day.
The touchdown came on a three-yard pass from Broncos quarterback Bo Nix.
During his postgame comments, Nate described the coincidence with amusement.
Sports Illustrated covered the story the following day, highlighting the unusual connection between the touchdown and his brother’s prediction.
The moment became another example of the involvement of Nate’s family in his professional football journey.
Natalie Adkins – Nate Adkins’s Sister
Natalie Adkins is Nate Adkins’s sister and the daughter of Greg and Michelle Adkins.
She grew up alongside her brothers in a household where competitive athletics were an important part of family life.
According to The Denver Gazette’s September 2023 interview with Greg, Natalie was attending the University of Tennessee at the time.
Her name also appears in Syracuse University’s official football coaching biography for Greg, which identifies Natalie as his daughter.
During childhood, Natalie sometimes accompanied her father and brothers to NFL games.
A photograph published by The Denver Gazette shows her attending a Buffalo Bills game in November 2013 with Greg, Nate and Nick.
Although Natalie is part of a family well known within college and professional football, she has generally maintained a private public profile.
There is limited verified information about her current occupation, relationships or other personal activities.
Nate Adkins’s Family Background and Childhood in Tennessee
Nate Adkins grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee, where football played a central role in his childhood.
His father’s coaching responsibilities meant that he was regularly exposed to college football facilities, coaches and players.
However, Nate also developed an interest in baseball and became an accomplished high school athlete in both sports.
He attended Bearden High School in Knoxville, where he played offensive tackle and defensive end.
During his senior football season, he recorded 76 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and six sacks.
He also excelled as a third baseman in baseball, finishing his high school career with a .354 batting average.
Despite his athletic ability, Adkins was not initially regarded as a major college football prospect at tight end because he had never played the position.
However, East Tennessee State University recognized his physical potential and offered him an opportunity.
After joining the Buccaneers in 2018, he transitioned from offensive line to tight end.
The position change eventually allowed him to combine the blocking skills taught by his father with his receiving ability and hand-eye coordination developed through baseball.
At East Tennessee State, he earned first-team All-Southern Conference recognition in 2019 and 2020.
He finished his time with the Buccaneers with 73 receptions for 749 yards and four touchdowns.
In 2022, he transferred to South Carolina, where he recorded 13 receptions for 168 yards during his final college season.
How Nate Adkins’s Family Influenced His NFL Career
After completing his college football career, Nate Adkins entered the 2023 NFL Draft.
Although he was not selected, the Denver Broncos signed him as an undrafted free agent on May 12, 2023.
His blocking ability, physical toughness and versatility impressed Denver’s coaching staff during training camp.
He subsequently earned a place on the team’s initial 53-man roster for the 2023 season.
The achievement represented an important milestone for Nate and his family.
He continued developing during the following season, establishing himself as an important blocker and occasional receiving target.
In 2024, Adkins recorded 14 receptions for 115 yards and three touchdowns.
His first NFL touchdown came against the Carolina Panthers in October, creating a memorable family moment following his brother’s unusual prediction.
Injuries affected his availability during the 2025 season, limiting him to nine regular-season appearances.
Nevertheless, Denver valued his contributions as a blocker and special teams player.
On March 10, 2026, the Broncos announced that they had re-signed Adkins to a one-year contract.
His continued NFL career reflects the determination, preparation and family support that helped him progress from high school offensive lineman to professional tight end.
Frequently Asked Questions About Nate Adkins’s Family
Who is Nate Adkins’s girlfriend?
Nate Adkins was previously linked to Taylor Tarquin, a former University of Tennessee dancer. However, their current relationship status has not been reliably confirmed, and Adkins has not publicly identified a current girlfriend.
Is Nate Adkins married?
There is no widely verified public information confirming that Nate Adkins is married. He has not publicly identified a wife.
Does Nate Adkins have children?
There are no publicly verified reports establishing that Nate Adkins has a son or daughter.
Who are Nate Adkins’s parents?
Nate Adkins’s parents are Greg Adkins and the late Anna Michelle Adkins. His father is a longtime football coach, while his mother supported the family before her death in January 2021.
Who is Nate Adkins’s father?
Nate Adkins’s father is Greg Adkins, a former college football player and experienced coach who has worked at several universities and with the Buffalo Bills in the NFL.
Who is Nate Adkins’s mother?
Nate Adkins’s mother was Anna Michelle Adkins, commonly known as Michelle. She was an important supporter of his athletic development and died on January 17, 2021, at age 51.
What happened to Nate Adkins’s mother?
Michelle Adkins died following a heart attack in January 2021. Her death occurred while Nate was playing college football at East Tennessee State University.
How many siblings does Nate Adkins have?
Nate Adkins has two siblings: a brother named Nicholas “Nick” Adkins and a sister named Natalie Adkins.
Who is Nate Adkins’s brother?
Nate Adkins’s brother is Nicholas Adkins, commonly known as Nick. He played college baseball and was part of the family’s memorable story surrounding Nate’s first NFL touchdown in October 2024.
Who is Nate Adkins’s sister?
Nate Adkins’s sister is Natalie Adkins. She attended the University of Tennessee, according to reporting published in September 2023.
Where is Nate Adkins from?
Nate Adkins was born on July 9, 1999, in Knoxville, Tennessee. He attended Bearden High School before playing college football at East Tennessee State and South Carolina.
What NFL team does Nate Adkins play for?
Nate Adkins plays tight end for the Denver Broncos. He joined the team as an undrafted free agent in 2023 and signed a one-year contract extension in March 2026.
Mariah Miranda is a dedicated sports journalist specializing in comprehensive NFL coverage, playbook strategy, and team analytics. From offseason Draft planning and free-agency moves to weekly matchup breakdowns and playoff pushes, she delivers clear, data-driven analysis of every division in the league. Driven by a deep understanding of football tactics and locker-room dynamics, Mariah brings fans closer to the gridiron with sharp commentary and player updates.
