By Alex Murashko

There were early signs that something different might be happening during the college football season in 2024. In late summer, Jesus Christ was about to be proclaimed boldly and often. 

The weekend before their first game, a group of seniors at Ohio State hosted an on-campus faith event. Receiver Emeka Egbuka, running back TreVeyon Henderson, tight end Gee Scott and defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau teamed with a couple former teammates — Kamryn Babb and Master Teague — to share their testimonies and message about the saving grace of God. More than 2,000 people attended the event. As Sports Spectrum reports, the night ended with the players handing out Bibles and helping those who chose to get baptized.

What happened at Ohio State with players from its football team last year is only one example. Stories of players at other colleges declaring a relationship with Jesus and getting baptized as a profession of their faith were coupled with live, on-air shout-outs to God during interviews broadcast to national audiences.

Sometimes, and perhaps more often than ever seen or heard before, players opened their remarks with God first before answering the interviewer’s first question.

By the time it was time for the college playoffs, the shout-outs to Jesus became almost commonplace (although it never gets old).

As Tré Goins-Phillips reported for CBN News: “In the world of collegiate football, it appears Jesus is going on a blitz.”

Boise State Broncos defensive end Ahmed Hassanein offered “perhaps the most powerful testimony after his team’s loss to the Penn State Nittany Lions,” Goins-Phillips stated.

“First, I want to start off and say, all glory to Jesus Christ,” he said. “He’s the true champion.” Hassanein then turned to head coach Spencer Danielson, telling him, “Coach D, you changed my life. … I did not know God until I got to Boise State.” He told reporters at the press conference that “Jesus Christ is the only true God,” who “died and rose from the dead three days later.”

“That’s the champion that I serve,” he added, teary-eyed.

On Boise State’s team, words of praise for Jesus during sportscast interviews did not only come from Hassanein, but from its head coach, Danielson, and Heisman trophy candidate Ashton Jeanty — and they came often.

A pastor in the Boise area close to the coach said that during the season, up to 40 players, “half the team,” were baptized. The pastor also said during a midweek church service at Idaho’s Boise State Capitol building, that “we are seeing revival” inside college football. He wasn’t joking, pointing to other players involved on other playoff teams that spoke boldly and freely of Jesus during telecasts.

Although we may be seeing an increased intensity among Christians sharing the Gospel on other cultural platforms to some degree as well, can we see evidence of true revival through what’s coming out of college football?

Are we in revival?

I asked social influencer and national prayer leader Malachi O’Brien, who has been tracking and reporting on movements throughout the nation, if he sees what’s happening in college football as revival.

“At the end of the Asbury Revival in 2023 the President of Asbury said that what God began there at the university would spread, and it certainly has spread,” he said. “In the history of revival, no two revivals have ever looked the same. God is always doing something new. He never repeats. He often moves in unconventional and unorthodox ways. I believe we are seeing the mercy drops of revival in culture we never could have imagined. The greater downpour is very near.” 

“When people ask what revival looks like, the answer is simple. It looks like Jesus.”

Alex Murashko is a Christ follower, husband, journalist and writing team leader for Think Eternity, a site for powerful faith content to help you live the fulfilled life in Jesus. Murashko is also founder of Media on Mission.

Connect on X (formerly Twitter): @AlexMurashko.