Glory to God! And these young men know exactly that!
Notre Dame and Ohio State square off in Monday night’s national championship game, which will bring us to the end of the first twelve-team playoff in college football history.
When it comes to the College Football Playoff, neither the Fighting Irish nor Buckeyes entered things as a favorite. But after scratching and clawing their way through the competition, they found themselves in the title game. And now we’re being presented with what’s going to be one hell of a game at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
But it’s not football and championship glory leading the way for these programs, it’s instead their faith. (RELATED: Ohio State’s Ryan Day Gets Absolutely Cooked By Shane Gillis Just Days Before National Title Game)
Four players in particular — Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard, Ohio State quarterback Will Howard, Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson and OSU wide receiver Emeka Egbuka — have all spoken about God and their belief in Him in the lead-up to the national championship.
“I truly think things happen for a reason, not only us, but Ohio State as well. I think we’re the two main teams to just publicly display our faith the most,” Leonard told the media recently, per Sports Michiana. “I don’t know if this is some divine teaching, you know, who put us here.
“I truly believe that Jesus was looking over both our shoulders throughout the [whole] season and put these two teams on a pedestal for a reason.”
Riley Leonard feels Notre Dame & Ohio St are the 2 teams to publicly display their faith the most.
“I don’t know if this is some divine teaching that put us here but I truly believe Jesus was looking over both of our shoulders… and put these 2 teams on a pedestal for a reason.” pic.twitter.com/gxcKMByPb0
— Angelo Di Carlo (@angdicarlo) January 15, 2025
After getting an upset victory against Oregon in the Rose Bowl, Howard spoke about his faith.
“First and foremost, I got to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for giving me this opportunity to be on this stage in the Rose Bowl,” Howard said to ESPN, per Fox News. “Younger me would be in awe right now.”
Speaking with Sports Spectrum, Egbuka spoke about his faith while the regular season was still going on, saying that his belief in God affects how he performs on the gridiron.
“I would say for the past couple years we’ve kinda been – there’s kind of been a number of players on the football team who have restored their faith in Jesus Christ. And that was something that was big for me my freshman year.”
In a different interview with Sports Spectrum, Henderson said that he depended on his faith following an injury after a grade-A freshman season that featured NIL deals and loads of success.
“He saved my life from going down that road of destruction. He saved me. He put me on this path of everlasting life … you see so many people go down that large path of destruction, but I’m so thankful that Jesus, He rescued me from that path and put me on His path.”
GOD AND THE GRIDIRON: As @NDFootball and @OhioStateFB battle for the national championship, their shared faith has been central to their journey. See how star players’ @rileyleonard13_ and @EgbukaEmeka belief in Jesus Christ fueled their path to the top. https://t.co/4ITppxboFJ pic.twitter.com/lvZspHG26Z
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 20, 2025
Get the popcorn ready, folks. This is going to be a great game.
This article was originally published at dailycaller.com
