(Photo: Damon Allred/Arizona Sports)
TEMPE – Nearly a year ago, outgoing Arizona State offensive lineman Ben Coleman put a carefully built plan into motion.
He told his significant other, Gabi Hernandez, that he was slated to speak at an NIL donor event. He added that the coaches’ wives would be there, and head coach Kenny Dillingham’s wife, Briana, wanted Gabi to attend.
Gabi picked out a black dress, and they were on their way. Coleman told her they needed to stop at his mother’s house in Chandler first. The story was that someone had broken in, and Coleman wanted to look at a shattered window.
After they arrived at the house, Coleman walked her into the backyard toward a white, heart‑shaped flower arch. In front of the arch, small white flower petals were scattered across the ground, where Coleman got down on one knee and opened a small box. Inside the arch was an LED sign lit with a four‑word question: “Will you marry me?”
“I told her that I had to speak because a former Arizona State player was supposed to speak, and he canceled last minute,” Coleman said. “She believed it. I’ve done a lot of different speaking events.”
Like the proposal, much of the year was mapped out for Coleman. When he returned to ASU for his fifth collegiate season, he planned to prove his ability at center, the one spot on the offensive line where he hadn’t seen in‑game reps before 2025. Coleman prides himself on his versatility, a trait that has defined him since high school.
But nobody’s year goes exactly as planned.
Coleman started the first five games at center for the Sun Devils before moving back to left guard in ASU’s Oct. 11 game against Utah. He played 13 snaps before exiting with a left tricep injury. As trainers worked on his arm, Coleman tried to make sense of the pain and initially assumed it was a dislocated elbow.
A Utes staffer told him the X‑ray looked clean, which ruled out a dislocation, before explaining that a small piece of bone had pulled away, a sign the tendon may have snapped back and retracted. ASU team orthopedic surgeon Dr. Anikar Chhabra later evaluated him as the diagnosis became clearer.
The setback ended his season and his collegiate career.
“At that point, I kind of knew,” Coleman said. “And I just told Chhabra before he told me. I said, ‘My tricep?’ And he was like, ‘Yeah, that’s what we’re thinking now.’ My family was there, my fiancée was there, that’s when I just broke down. It was tough to tell them I was done.”
With the season behind him, Coleman shifted his sights to the NFL, where his father similarly carried versatility through his own playing days. Also named Ben and wearing the same No. 62, he accumulated 104 starts across nine NFL seasons, seeing snaps at both guard and tackle.
During Coleman’s upbringing, his father supported his path, offering guidance without ever crossing into overbearing. That steady presence shaped how Coleman learned to approach the game.
“Growing up, he kind of let me take it easy, wasn’t really too hard on me,” Coleman said. “He understands how hard football is. All the work that you have to put in, mentally and physically, it’s a long journey.”
Coleman’s versatility in high school even stretched to the other side of the ball. A two‑way player, he lined up on both the offensive and defensive fronts. He committed to Cal as a defensive line recruit before eventually moving back to offensive guard.
After redshirting in 2019, Coleman spent most of the 2020 season on the bench, but finally saw limited in‑game action late in the year.
In a Week 13 matchup against Stanford, he put his versatility on display, showing he could kick outside to tackle in addition to playing guard.
“When I was at Cal, they didn’t even know I could play tackle,” Coleman said. “So I jumped out there during COVID, and I was like, ‘I’ll play it.’ The more tools in the toolbox you can add, the more you can do. The best ability is to have availability.”
Coleman and his fiancée have been together since their time at Cal, where both graduated. Afterward, Coleman chose to pursue his master’s degree in the Valley. In a way, he followed in the footsteps of another important woman in his life, his mother, Krista, a Sun Devil alumna.
While he was at Cal, Coleman told both of his parents how serious he was about the relationship. Krista worried the timing might be rushed and early in his life, and Ben Sr. shared similar concerns. Those worries eased as Krista grew close with Gabi and realized her son had chosen someone who reminded her a lot of herself.
“I tried to tell (Krista), my fiancée was a lot like herself,” Coleman said. “And she didn’t believe it until the years went by, and she was like, ‘It’s kind of weird, she is a lot like me.’ Their bond is amazing. They text all the time.”
Prior to the proposal, Coleman often talked with ASU offensive line coach Saga Tuitele about his relationship. Tuitele saw how consistently Gabi showed up in Coleman’s life, through the good and the hard moments, and became a fan of the relationship.
While Coleman’s parents were concerned with how quickly things were moving, Tuitele teased Coleman that it wasn’t moving quickly enough. He figured it was only a matter of time before the couple got engaged.
“They’re a great couple, and Gabi is awesome, and obviously Ben is,” Tuitele said. “They’re both phenomenal, but it’s about time. I just said, ‘Hey man, hurry up. You’ve been with each other a long time.’”
Similarly to how Coleman waited for the right moment to pop the question, he’ll be waiting for an NFL team to call with an opportunity later this month. In March, he was one of 20 Sun Devils participating in ASU’s Pro Day, where he showcased his skills in front of scouts and front office personnel from 31 teams.
Leading up to Pro Day, Coleman’s goal was to lose 45 pounds of weight he had gained after being inactive since October. Getting down to 322 pounds wasn’t easy, but he reached the finish line with Gabi alongside him, eating whatever meals he prepared.
It wasn’t the first time she assisted him in recovery, as shortly after arriving in Tempe in 2023, he suffered a ruptured Achilles, and Gabi drove him wherever he needed to go.
“It’s been everything to have a significant other through this process,” Coleman said. “It’s made that transition a lot easier when you can’t use your arm or back of my Achilles and I couldn’t use my leg.”
No player ever plans for an injury, but it still finds its way into the game. Not many people plan on getting engaged in college, either, but the right person can find a way into a life. Last spring, Coleman found the moment to commit to his person in his mother’s backyard, someone who has helped him navigate the planned and unplanned moments in his life.
“It’s a blessing, in my opinion, to truly love somebody for who they are and they love you back,” Coleman said. “I know college is a time to go up there and have fun, explore yourself, grow, but it’s really grounded me.”
Correction: This article was updated as Coleman lost 45 pounds to reach 322 pounds, not gained weight to reach 322 pounds.
