USF’s Chase Leon And Nico Gramatica Share a Viral Hug And The Internet Swears It’s A Kiss
The University of South Florida (USF) shocked No. 13 Florida 18–16 in Gainesville with a walk-off field goal from kicker Nico Gramatica. Moments later, Gramatica and his holder, punter Chase Leon, wrapped each other up on the field. The clip hit X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and TikTok within minutes and turned into the weekend’s softest flex from college sports. The win and the hug are both real; ESPN and USF’s own recap confirmed the score and finish.
Who are the players behind the moment.
Gramatica is USF’s big-boot specialist with the nerves to finish games. Leon is the Aussie punter and primary holder who transferred in and now steadies the kicks. Their roster bios match the roles you saw on screen, which helps explain why the connection landed so hard online.
How the internet reacted.
Fans called the embrace “tender” and “locked-in,” reading it as proof that care has a place in a hyper-competitive setting. One Instagram user said, “Seeing two players celebrate this way, without fear or shame, is incredibly moving,” while another wrote, “This isn’t just about sexuality—it’s about breaking down barriers so that everyone, regardless of who they are, feels safe to express themselves”. The moment drew wide coverage and plenty of shares from queer-sports accounts and mainstream outlets alike.
USF’s reward is a date with another powerhouse. The Bulls head to Miami this weekend for a top-ranked test, chasing a third straight win against a ranked opponent. That stakes-up context keeps the hug from being a one-off, it sits inside a serious run.
Supportive replies outnumbered the predictable noise. That balance tracks with the wider shift we keep seeing: more fans and athletes backing openness, more pushback when slurs show up, and more room for people to be themselves in plain sight. None of that erases the work left to do, but it makes nights like this easier to celebrate.
About that “kiss” video…
Some posts show Chase Leon and Nico Gramatica kissing on the sideline. That clip is not real. It was digitally altered with AI from the original broadcast, which only shows a celebratory hug. ESPN confirmed it did not air a kiss, and fact-checkers identified the viral “kiss” as manipulated footage. At DNA, we get the wishful thinking, but the moment that actually happened was a hug after a game-winner. See the real clip below:
Leon has already weighed in, replying “Not gay but thanks guys” to viral posts and calling out an AI-generated kiss video. Outsports also highlighted how the embrace became internet lore, while stressing the altered clip’s spread.
The hug landed because it showed trust and joy, not because of a doctored kiss. The play was real, the win was real, and the celebration was real. If you want the actual sequence, watch the end-game clips and post-kick celebration from the broadcast and news recaps.
