Football
Ohio State football has never been short on noise. Columbus usually has plenty of wins, recruiting battles, and playoff pressure. But this was a different kind of gathering. OSU football players and former Buckeyes helped turn a campus faith event into a big event.
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The gathering, officially called Fall Kickoff: An Invitation to Jesus, brought together students, community members, churches, and nearly 20 student organizations for worship, personal testimonies, prayer, and baptism. As LifeNews.com founder and editor Steven Ertelt shared, the players went a step further, distributing thousands of Bibles while openly sharing their Christian faith. He posted about the event on X, writing that Ohio State players “handed out 10,000 Bibles” and helped lead thousands toward Christianity.
“It was all about sharing their faith in Jesus, which started with everybody coming together to worship, and the energy was amazing,” the video said. “Each of the players went up to share their stories of how their relationship with Jesus has changed their lives and how much God loves each and every person in the crowd.”
This wasn’t the first time Buckeyes players had put their faith front and center. The event began in 2024, when players including TreVeyon Henderson, Emeka Egbuka, J.T. Tuimoloau, Gee Scott Jr., and Kamryn Babb spoke to a crowd of more than 1,000.
The following year, the gathering grew. The Lantern reported registration numbers approaching 2,000 people. The faces on stage changed, too. Caleb Downs, Sonny Styles, Luke Montgomery, Carson Hinzman, and Ethan Onianwa joined Scott and Babb, with the players wearing “Jesus Won” shirts.
“No play we make on the field, no touchdown, no interception, can compare to the Kingdom of God,” Downs said back then.
Styles made a similar argument about the responsibility that comes with being a college football star.
“When you’re blessed with a platform and you’re put in a position, kind of on a pedestal, to lead, when you’re believing in Jesus, I think you’re called to lead,” he said. “You’re called to lead people in the right direction, and that’s what God is trying to do.”
Around 50 people accepted the invitation to be baptized in 2025, according to reports, with Styles and linebacker Payton Pierce among those from the football program who took part. This year, that number rose to 60. And that brings the story back to the players who helped start it.
Football From Buckeye football to a growing faith movement
TreVeyon Henderson, now in the NFL, has been one of the most vocal figures behind the movement. His message has remained remarkably consistent even after leaving Ohio State.
“Jesus changed my life, set me free from my sin, made me holy, made me righteous,” he testified. “It wasn’t anything I did, it was Jesus.”
Kamryn Babb, meanwhile, has stressed that the gathering isn’t about football stars getting attention.
“Whether you know Jesus or not,” he said. “There’s more… Eternity is on the line.”
There are stories behind those numbers, too.
Northwest Ohio native Judson Overmyer attended the 2024 event after making a last-minute decision to drive to Columbus. During an altar call, he heard Gee Scott Jr. tell the crowd, “It only takes one.” He walked forward, and others followed. He was baptized that night.
“The second I hit the water and came back up, I felt weightless,” he later said, describing the experience as though a physical burden had been lifted.
That explains why the event keeps growing. Ohio State football players aren’t simply talking about faith after a good game or slipping a Bible verse into an interview. They have built a recurring campus gathering around it, invited others into the conversation and, in some cases, stepped into the water themselves. Ryan Day has noticed the camaraderie.
“I think when you look at what they’ve done together as a group, they rub off on each other,” he previously said, while adding that the players’ faith is ultimately their own business.
For these Buckeyes, that’s apparently the whole point. The stadium can wait. But on this night, the biggest play was happening in their heart and faith.
Read More Augustine Schroeder