The photo of Courtland Sutton with his parents that you saw was from his graduation, a proud family moment just months before he got drafted 40th overall by the Broncos. He b-lined it to Southern Methodist University after a standout high school football career at Brenham High School in Texas.

The then-up-and-coming wideout had options—he turned down offers from BYU, Colorado, and Rice. After a breakout sophomore season in 2016, where he hauled in 76 catches for 1,246 yards and 10 touchdowns, NFL scouts were already circling. Courtland flirted with the idea of declaring for the 2017 draft but hit pause. Spoiler alert: He chose to stay at SMU and finish his junior year.

If you haven’t noticed by now, Sutton is a pure Texan through and through. Born on October 10, 1995, in Brenham, to parents Ryian and Phelicia Marshall, he has been their Texan pride since day one. And that’s very well reflected in his journey so far. As if he was born to blitz the family banner high on the gridiron.

Courtland Sutton is a private guy who likes to keep his family life out of the social media spotlight. Can you blame him? While Phelicia took heed of her son’s advice. Dad? Not quite, as he somewhat found his way towards it. Back in the day, Ryian was active on X (formerly Twitter). That is, until 2021. Maybe he understood why his son chose to shield him from the grind. Or he found out it wasn’t for him anymore—who knows?

However, before he logged off for good, Ryian did share one gem: a Sutton family photo from Courtland’s SMU graduation in 2017. Mama on one side, graduated son in the middle, and dad taking it all in from another side. The post was captioned, “#SMUgrad CONGRATS to our son @SuttonCourtland we are so PROUD of another milestone accomplished. LOVE YOU SO MUCH!” Simple, right? But it says a lot.

You can tell the pride runs deep in the Sutton family. While Courtland may prefer to keep things private, moments like these show just how much his family means to him. And with his parents teaching him the meaning of hard work and grind since his early days, is it even a surprise that he made it to pro?

Who are Courtland Sutton’s parents, Ryian & Phelicia?

NFL.com summed it up perfectly: “Molded by arduous work on his family’s East Texas farm, the hands of SMU wide receiver Courtland Sutton are now his money-makers.” Well, it’s apt because Sutton’s work ethic didn’t come from football practice—it was built on his family farm, where his father, Ryian Marshall, made sure he learned the value of hard work.

“Anything else he came across was going to be a piece of cake compared to it,” Ryian said. From mending fences to battling Texas’ unforgiving mesquite bush, Sutton wasn’t just working the land; he was laying the groundwork for his future success.

Courtland Sutton’s days on the farm were building his character of labor. His reward after long hours of chores? Fishing on the family farm with his dad or best friend. That same grit he used to tackle the thorns with is what he now brings to the NFL. With a family rooted in hard work and resilience, it’s no surprise Sutton carried those values to the field. As Ryian once said, “The good Lord makes doctors, lawyers, and us laborers, too.”

On the topic of praising the Lord, Courtland’s mother is the prime example of it. There isn’t much online about Phelicia. But there’s enough evidence that she’s a practicing Christian. When not close to her son, and that’s quite a lot of times in this line of work, turns to the lord to look after him. Guess what? He has answered her prayers often than not. One, where it was not in Sutton’s hands to turn down BYU. Instead, his mother’s love and devotion were the mantras he stayed close to home.

“BYU was going to be a bit much on momma,” Phelicia said. SMU was, in her words, “a prayer answered.” From high school to college, Courtland stayed close, proving that sometimes you have to leave your trust in ‘faith’ and family to lead you. And they have led him to Denver. Now, he is in his 7th season with the Broncos and it feels just like the start.