‘Us and Ohio State were the two teams who praised Jesus Christ the most, and I think we strengthened each other in our faiths,’ Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard said.
(LifeSiteNews) -- Even in defeat, Notre Dame starting quarterback Riley Leonard gave witness to his deeply held religious beliefs.
“I’m happy to see godly men come out on top. No matter what the circumstance is, I’m very happy to praise Jesus in the lowest of lows as well (as the highest of highs),” he said after losing to the Ohio State Buckeyes in last night’s National Championship game.
Leonard and the Fighting Irish (14-2) battled back to make the highly anticipated showdown a one-score game late in the fourth quarter after being down 24 points. But they could not overcome a gaudy Buckeyes offensive that featured more than a dozen five-star players who racked up more than 445 yards in total offense.
The opening drive gave Notre Dame fans much to hope for as Leonard orchestrated an 18-play, 75-yard drive that put them up 7-0. After his touchdown, Leonard looked in the TV camera and pointed to a wristband he was wearing that read Matthew 23:12, which states, “whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
“Before I answer your question, I want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for giving me the opportunity to play in this game,” Leonard said during the postgame press conference. “Us and Ohio State were the two teams who praised Jesus Christ the most and I think we strengthened each other in our faiths.”
Ohio State players also publicly expressed faith in Jesus Christ during their march to the national title. Not only did star QB Will Howard give credit to Our Lord after beating previously undefeated Oregon to head to the national semifinal against Texas, he also told ESPN reporter Rece Davis after the victory Monday that “God is good” and that he has to “give all of the thanks to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
ESPN anchor Scott Van Pelt asked Davis about the faith of the Ohio State team after the game Monday.
“We hear 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,” Davis told Van Pelt. “(Faith) changed their relationships and it changed selfishness and made it go away.”
This year’s college football playoff saw several players praising Jesus Christ. Athletes on Boise State and Texas also spoke about their Christian beliefs after their games.
Notre Dame’s head coach, 39-year-old Marcus Freeman, converted to Catholicism in 2022. He said that it was a “family decision” after his six children and wife Julia had already been practicing the faith.
“When you're at Notre Dame, faith is something that's openly talked about ... Amongst our program, it's promoted. I'm not saying you have to be Catholic, but we want our young people to grow in their faith,” he has reportedly said.
