Jesus Won: How God is taking center stage at the college football national championship

God is doing incredible things in the world of sports, particularly college football!

On August 25, 2024, at the beginning of the season, Ohio State University (OSU) football players held a campus event in collaboration with local churches that featured Christian testimonies, worship music, Bible distribution, and more than 50 people baptized!

Players wore “Jesus Won” T-shirts and shared those images on social media, which went viral.

OSU quarterback Will Howard has been quoted on his faith numerous times, saying “Win or lose, Jesus gets the glory!” and “We have to trust the Lord and lean on Him no matter what, through the ups and downs.”

Running Back, TreVeyon Henderson, has dedicated this season to God and used his social media accounts to regularly redirect attention away from himself and back to His Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

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Today, Monday, January 20, Ohio State will play for the national championship against Notre Dame University in Atlanta, Georgia.

This OSU team put Jesus first this season and God has blessed them immensely as a result of their faithfulness.

On a similar note, Marcus Freeman became the head football coach at Notre Dame in 2022.

One of the first things he did as head coach was to reinstate the pregame-mass tradition after an 11-year absence. Freeman wants his players to reflect on their faith and embrace Jesus Christ as their savior. He also believes celebrating mass helps players focus before games and be ready to play at kickoff. The entire team attends, regardless of their religious beliefs.

Freeman was raised in both Christian and Korean church traditions. While he publicly identifies as Christian, he converted to Catholicism in 2022.

Riley Leonard, the starting quarterback at Notre Dame has praised God after several of his team’s wins. After winning the Orange Bowl against Penn State on January 9, he said, “I looked up and said, ‘Jesus, whatever your will is for my life I trust it 100 percent.’”

After defeating the Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl on January 2, Leonard shared, “Without him, I wouldn’t be here, and we wouldn’t be here as a whole group.” Leonard also wears Matthew 23:12 on his wrist every game, which reads, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (ESV).

Even before the game, Leonard said, “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. 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.”

Notre Dame will play OSU in the National Championship game on January 20. The “Fighting Irish” are a team that put Jesus first, and God has blessed them.

I’m thrilled to see so many athletes humbling themselves, putting their attention back on God, and empowering millions to hear the gospel — especially young people, who are looking for hope and something greater than what the world has to offer.

Regardless of whether Notre Dame or Ohio State wins on January 20, we know Jesus already won.

Regent University, which will celebrate its 48th anniversary this year, has put Jesus center stage since the very beginning. Also, unlike other schools that started out Christian and became secularized, our mission hasn’t changed. We are committed to changing the world by equipping Christian servant-leaders.

While our athletic programs may still be years away from reaching the success that Notre Dame and Ohio State have experienced, our most important mission — making Jesus known to the world — has been our priority and will continue to be until He returns.

God is doing big things here at Regent University, and we invite you to join us in this effort. We aren’t just handing out degrees, we are training the next generation of believers to make a global impact that will echo in eternity.

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