Since the end of his collegiate football career, Chris Maragos has had little trouble finding things to fill time in his day-to-day life. Although he no longer has any obligation to a team in terms of training, Maragos works out five times a week in addition to plenty of off-field activities.

After enjoying a bit of travel following the Champs Sports Bowl — flying from Florida to New Orleans and back before returning home — Maragos now has a busy schedule that includes working with his agent, attending class twice a week and planning a wedding.

As a part of its series focusing on Maragos’ preparation for a potential professional football career, The Badger Herald sat down with the former UW free safety to talk about the more personal side of his life.

Below is part three in an eight-part series:

Badger Herald: It’s been two months since your last football game as a Badger, what has your life been like in that time on and off the field?

Chris Maragos: Life’s been crazy. After the bowl game, I signed with my agent in the first week of January here in Madison and I started working out at Next Level in Milwaukee. I’m staying at my parents’ house in Racine and driving back and forth on Tuesdays and Thursdays for my one class I need to graduate.

Meanwhile, I’m doing a lot of wedding planning with my fianc?e, Serah — I’m getting married April 9 — and it’s getting close, so that makes things even more busy.

BH: So, you’re only taking one final class this semester, what class is it and why are you taking it?

CM: I’m in Life Sciences Communication 515; it’s a capstone class. It’s kind of just the last class I need for my degree in that field; so, it’s kind of cool. We’re doing a campaign for the UW Arboretum just to help raise awareness, make things better and help out in that area.

BH: What has it been like taking just the one class after being in college for five years now?

CM: It’s kind of weird. But it’s kind of nice because when you’re taking a bigger load you have to think about what you have due in multiple classes. With just the one class, I know everything that I need to do and it’s a lot easier just to focus on one class.

BH: With the wedding just over a month a way, how is the planning for that going?

CM: It’s going well — we’ve got pretty much everything done and it’s kind of smooth sailing in terms of the bigger stuff. Now it’s kind of just the fine details. But, I’ll tell you what, you really have a whole new appreciation for going to weddings and all that kind of stuff after doing this.

Once you plan one, you really realize all the little details that go into it and all the time, energy and money spent on it. But it has been a lot of fun doing it and I’m really, really looking forward to it. It’s going to be a good time.

BH: So how long have you been engaged, or when did you propose?

CM: I proposed last summer, July 30, at Picnic Point here in Madison. It was right before fall camp started for football; I had the ring and it was burning a hole in my pocket so I was like, ‘Man, I’ve got to ask her.’ It was definitely one of the most nerve-wracking things I’ve ever been through.

I got myself so worked up that weekend I got really sick and I came down with strep throat. It was kind of crazy but definitely a fun weekend for both of us.

BH: How did the pressure of proposing compare to that of playing football in front of 80,000-plus fans on a Saturday at Camp Randall?

CM: I was way, way more nervous proposing than going out there and playing in front of 80,000 people. That’s definitely for sure. My heart was racing, man.

Serah likes to tell the story. We were down there on a bench and we were talking. I kept bringing up the same subjects trying to work in to the proposal. So, I kept doing that and I was stuttering and really nervous. But it worked out obviously; she said yes.

BH: So, go back before you proposed, how did everything play out before, during and after you went to Picnic Point?

CM: We went out to eat with her parents at Tutto Pasta up by the Capitol. Right after that, we took some pictures by the Capitol and we were just kind of hanging out there. Her parents said they were getting kind of cold because the sun was setting and they needed to go back to the hotel to grab their jackets and put some long pants on.

So I said, ‘Alright, Serah, why don’t we just go down and stake out a spot at Picnic Point?’ So, her family went back to the hotel, but they were in on it, so really, they just left for a bit, and Serah and I went down to Picnic Point.

I had it all set up — I even had my teammate, Aaron Henry, holding a bench for me right down there at the spot where I wanted to propose. So, I texted him when we were walking up and he slipped out the back, and we walked right up from the front. Then we were sitting on a bench that overlooks the Capitol, the sun was setting and it was really pretty.

We were able to chat a bit, and then I proposed. After I did that, we went back to the hotel and my parents showed up along with my brother and some other family members and we had a big party over there. She didn’t know any of them were in town for the weekend.

It was a nice night, it really worked out well.

BH: So, with everything you’ve got going on, how often do you see Serah now?

CM: I usually see her during the week about once during the week. Then on the weekends, we’re usually back in Racine wedding planning and all that kind of stuff. But we’ve been really busy doing other things together, too. This past weekend we were in Michigan for a wedding shower and last weekend we were in Iowa.

BH: And now that you’re spending most of your time in Racine and Milwaukee, how often do you get to see your roommate, Luke Swan?

CM: Well, Luke’s getting married soon too on April 30. So he’s wedding planning as well with his fianc?e, Ashley Eggenberger, while also working at M3 here in Madison. So, he’s staying busy as well. I probably see Luke maybe once or twice a week.

We just did a speaking event together here at the Edgewater Hotel, but we don’t see each other very often. That was actually probably the first time I’ve seen him in a week or two weeks. I kind of miss Luke actually, to be honest with you.