Taylor Kirkwood may be the most popular young lady at the Anahuac High School prom on April 12, considering who her date is.

Kirkwood, 18, will be escorted to prom night by Seattle Seahawks running back Christine Michael. The former Texas A&M running back accepted the invitation when Taylor’s mother, Stacie Holmes, reached out to him to see if he might be interested.

Kirkwood is autistic. She also was the school’s homecoming queen. Her mother wanted to do something special for her on prom night.

"I was just like, we'll see what happens," Holmes told KPRC-TV in Houston, the media outlet that first reported the story. "I know he’s busy and I wasn’t sure if he could."

Holmes didn’t know it when she contacted Michael, but he went to high school with her cousin at Beaumont (Texas) West Brook, about 50 miles from Anahuac.

Kirkwood was thrilled when she heard the news that Michael would be her date.

"After my teacher showed me the picture [of Michael], my eyes just lit up," Taylor said.

Michael, 23, is the second Seahawks player to accept a prom invitation this spring. Tight end Luke Willson, who played college football at Rice University in Houston, will escort a student from his high school in LaSalle, Ontario, Canada.

Stephanie Dufour asked Willson if he would go with her last month while he was speaking to students at the high school gym, saying she wanted a "hotter date" than all her friends. To her surprise, Willson said he would go.

Michael and Willson both were rookies for the Seahawks last season. Michael was the team’s second-round draft pick and Willson was selected in the fifth round.

Kirkwood told her mom she plans to give Michael a kiss on prom night.

Here’s the link to the KPRC video about Kirkwood and Michael.