Ohio State’s Faith In God Was One Of Their Greatest Strengths This Season: “These Guys Were Sharing Their Faith & Baptizing On Campus” (2025)

THE Ohio State Buckeyes ran the gauntlet and won the first ever 12-team College Football Playoff.

Last night’s championship game wasn’t all that entertaining, but it was still close enough to keep things interesting. Ultimately, Ryan Day and his Ohio State team did enough to keep the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at bay, winning the national championship game 34 to 23.

Right after the victory, quarterback Will Howard praised God:

“Before I say anything, I just gotta give my Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ all the glory and all the praise. Amen. Amen.”
– Ohio State QB Will Howard after being named the National Championship Offensive Player of the Game pic.twitter.com/VQKnMniJNH

— Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) January 21, 2025

Ohio State only lost two games during the regular season – one to Oregon (who was ranked number one at the end of the year) and the other to their nemesis: the Michigan Wolverines. After the Buckeyes dropped the game to the Wolverines during rivalry week, Ohio State fans were calling for Ryan Day to be fired.

Now with hindsight, it looks like the Buckeyes faithful could have learned to have some faith.

And speaking of faith, that was one of the underlying stories throughout the entire season for the team that was crowned the champions of college football at the end of the year. Most if not all of the Ohio State team openly spoke about their faith in God throughout the season, even going as far as to baptize students on campus.

As the season progressed, it was impossible not to notice that the Buckeyes seemed to be grounded all year wrong, and one could make an argument that was thanks to the Big Man upstairs. Once the season ended, and all of the confetti had fallen down onto the field, even ESPN was talking about how faith just might have been one of Ohio State’s greatest strengths.

In ESPN’s postgame show following the national title game, Scott Van Pelt and Rece Davis talked about God’s role in Ohio State’s season, and SVP brought the conversation to faith when he said this:

“Ryan Day is a faith-based guy. So is (QB) Will Howard and so is that Ohio State team. I was glad you asked about it because they’ve talked so much about that and how much they leaned into faith.

I had a coach that used to say, ‘The other team prays too.’ It comes down to being able to do it on the field… it seems that both faith in Above and faith in one another is actually what got Ohio State through.”

Rece Davis, who had talked to Ohio State head coach Ryan Day and asked him about faith’s role in their season, added to the dialogue by suggesting that the principals of following God and being invested in the word of the Holy Bible might have been instrumental in the Buckeye’s success:

“A lot of times people talk about their faith and people sort of dismiss it. These guys were sharing their faith and reaching out and baptizing guys on campus – not just football teammates. It became something powerful to them not because they thought it was going to be handed to them to win a game.

It changed their relationships, and it changed their selfishness and made it go away. It was impactful for them. It didn’t mean they were going to be guaranteed a win… it made guys selfless. And I think that’s the power in it. It’s not some magical thing where they are going to hand you the trophy. It just helps you relate to your teammates.”

You can hear their entire conversation around faith in God helping Ohio State to a championship in the video below:

In the National Championship postgame show, Scott Van Pelt & Rece Davis discuss how faith in Jesus Christ played a central role in Ohio State’s season

“These guys were baptizing people on campus…[Faith] made guys selfless. I think that’s the power in it…”
– Rece Davis… pic.twitter.com/VTVrv495SZ

— Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) January 21, 2025

And I mean… Ohio State openly spoke about their faith all season long and lead others to Jesus, and then they won the national championship in commanding fashion. Like Rece Davis said, it might not have been “magic,” but there was certainly something about it all that helped the Buckeyes become champions.

Though I will say, someone should have prayed for Jesus to take the wheel here:

Some lady just crashed the golf cart carrying Ryan Day and Will Howard in the Mercedes-Benz tunnel after they won the National Championship pic.twitter.com/o3UqM5ZhrO

— Patrick Greenfield (@PCGreenfield) January 21, 2025

Ohio State’s Faith In God Was One Of Their Greatest Strengths This Season: “These Guys Were Sharing Their Faith & Baptizing On Campus” (2025)

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