Dozens baptized at Ohio State event as football players continue to bear fruit for Christ

The bold faith of a group of Ohio State University football players continues to bear fruit at the Big Ten university.

As reported previously by The Lion, earlier this year Ohio State Buckeyes tight end Gee Scott and other members of the football team made a decision to be open about their Christian faith both on campus and beyond. In July Scott even had the honor of baptizing a number of his teammates.

And, as also reported in The Lion, when members of the team arrived on campus in early August for football camp, over twenty of the players wore t-shirts with faith-filled messages such as “Follow Jesus,” “Jesus Won,” “Jesus Saves,” “God Got Me” and “Just Here to Give God Glory.”

Sunday, between 800 and 1,000 students and others gathered on the Ohio State University campus for an evening Christian rally led by a number of current and former Ohio State football players, among them TreVeyon Henderson, J.T. Tuimoloau, Emeka Egbuka, Kamryn Babb, and others, reported the Ohio State University student newspaper, The Lantern.

By the end of the evening, an estimated 60 students and others attending the event were baptized into the Christian faith in four large tubs set up near the stage. 

“We were praying for years and years for an event like this, and we were praying with expectation – we serve a miracle-working God,” Egbuka told The Lantern. “So we definitely had an expectation when it came out, but God did increasingly and abundantly more than what we thought.” 

“We were just hoping that tonight [they] would come with an open mind and a tender heart and just be able to receive kind of the truth of the gospel and what Jesus thinks about them and that he loves them,” he continued. “And if that’s all they left with today, then it was a mission success because we just want to let the world know the truth.” 

One attendee, Kevin Walsh, posted footage of the event to his Instagram page, commenting: “I can barely put to words how amazing this Jesus revival is on the Ohio State University campus. Countless attendees surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ, and professed their faith through water baptism.” 

One parent who attended the event commented on social media: “The most incredible night I have experienced in a long time! God is moving on the Ohio State campus! So many came and were touched by God! So many were baptized … an unbelievable experience! Our boys are changing lives!” 

During the event, several of the football players gave testimonies of their faith, including former Buckeyes wide receiver Kamryn Babb, who said that before coming to Christ, “I was just doing my thing because it was fun, and I’ll tell you this, I was on High Street, and I enjoyed it. I had fun. But at the same time, I didn’t recognize my condition. I was spiritually dead. I could go out there, and I could smile and laugh … but on the inside I was broken.” 

Current Buckeyes defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau told The Lantern that he was blessed to be part of the event: “Just being able to allow people to understand that we are more than football players, and there’s more that goes into our lives than getting a sack, or getting a touchdown or getting a great catch – just understanding that this is what it’s all about. I don’t think anything I accomplish on that field compares to what is happening right now.” 

Kami Kortokrax, a member of the Ohio State softball team, also attended the event, and said she was inspired by how her fellow Ohio State athletes have taken a stand with their faith. “It’s just a deeper level,” she told The Lantern. “Everybody knows them as great football players, but it’s way more important for them all now to be known as great Christians. 

“You can’t just walk by, you have to notice it. People are out there getting baptized, they’ve been prayed over and they want to change their lives and live for God and be saved in him. All of this is a direct impact of what happened tonight.”