“DWTS” pro Rylee Arnold confirms romance with USC football player: “Tough start”

Dancing with the stars Pro Rylee Arnold appears to have a new boyfriend!

On Sunday, October 27, Arnold, 19, shared several snaps with University of Southern California Trojans tight end Walker Lyons, joking on Instagram about it being a “tough start.”

One shot showed the couple seemingly in love on the field after the USC Trojans' 42-20 win over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Saturday, October 26.

The next moment, the dancer looked lovingly up at the athlete while placing her hand on his chest. A second photo showed her beaming in the stands while watching the game, while another picture showed her hugging her seemingly new boyfriend.

Another picture showed Arnold posing on the pitch alongside her sister Brynley and husband Donny McGinnis, and another snap showed the TV personality proudly hugging Lyons.

She then shared a selfie with her sister and her sister's husband before ending the photo carousel with a sweet snap of herself beaming while standing next to her football player boyfriend.

“Is this a tough start?? 🤭❤️‍🔥,” said Arnold – who took part DWTS in 2023 – captioned the post.

Taylor Lautner was one of those who jokingly commented, “This is definitely not a soft start.”

Arnold also shared a clip from the game on TikTok, writing in the caption: “I'm really into football these days 🤭❤️‍🔥 @walkerlyons,” as well as sharing several Instagram Stories pictures of the couple at Disneyland, including one of himself, as she kisses Lyons' cheek.

According to the USC Trojans website, Lyons is a freshman from Folsom, California and wears jersey number 85.

Arnold previously hinted at a potential new romance on TikTok on October 4, telling his followers in a video: “Okay friends get ready for rehearsal with me as I discuss the date I went on a few nights ago. “

“Fun fact, we actually hung out last night too,” the dancer, who is collaborating with Stephen Nedoroscik this year DWTSshe told the camera.

“We've hung out two nights in a row now,” she added, revealing that the couple “got food” and “drove around.”

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play Now!

“He was so easy to talk to,” Arnold said as he discussed more details about the first date. “We have so much in common that it was so much fun to talk about it. He's so sweet and humble and just has all the amazing qualities. So I’m really excited to see how this all turns out.”

She commented that the two both have “busy schedules” and said: “Luckily our schedule works out reasonably well. We are busy and free at the same time of the week. It makes things kind of nice,” without naming the person she was talking about.

Never miss a story again — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Arnold – who had previously sparked romance rumors with her ex DWTS dance partner, Too hot to touch star Harry Jowsey — told PEOPLE in September that she was “currently single” and not back with her former boyfriend of two years on a Mormon mission.

“I'm not with him again. “I’m single at the moment,” she said at the time. “(It’s) so much fun. I love it. I love being single. It's the best. I’ve been single for a while but I love it.”