Football

QB Will Howard, spiritually strong Ohio State claim national title: 'I can't believe God gave me the chance to be a Buckeye'

By Joshua Doering Jan 21, 2025
Ohio State celebrates winning the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

A decade after winning the first national championship of the College Football Playoff era, the Ohio State Buckeyes are back on top of the college football world. With Monday night’s 34-23 victory over Notre Dame, the Buckeyes captured the first national title of the 12-team CFP era. It’s Ohio State’s ninth national championship, moving the program into a tie for sixth with USC for the most all time.

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After Notre Dame opened the game with an 18-play touchdown drive, Ohio State scored 31 consecutive points and found the end zone on all three of its drives in the first half to take a 21-7 lead into halftime. Quarterback Will Howard connected with wide receiver Jeremiah Smith to tie the game at seven, and later found running back Quinshon Judkins with 27 seconds left in the half to extend the lead to 14.

Trailing 31-7 in the third quarter, Notre Dame responded with 16 straight points to cut the deficit to eight. But on third-and-9 with 2:45 remaining, Howard found Smith for a 56-yard gain that put the Buckeyes in the red zone and led to a game-clinching field goal.

The fifth-year senior and Kansas State transfer completed 17 of his 21 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing 16 times for 57 yards. He was named the National Championship Offensive Player of the Game. One of many Buckeye leaders who are guided by their strong faith in God, Howard gave thanks to the Lord immediately after the game, which he played with Proverbs 3:5-6 written on his wristband.

“First and foremost, I’ve got to give the glory and the praise to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” he told ESPN’s Molly McGrath. “I wouldn’t be here without Him. I wouldn’t be here without my teammates, my family. … I can’t believe God gave me the chance to be a Buckeye.”

Following each of Ohio State’s postseason wins, Howard made a celebratory post on Instagram that included a Bible verse in the caption. He chose Psalm 118:24 after the Buckeyes’ semifinal win over Texas: “The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad.”

 

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Ohio State’s shocking loss to Michigan to end the regular season denied the Buckeyes a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game, but proved to be a rallying point. They entered the CFP as the No. 8 seed and won their four games by an average of 17.5 points.

Numerous players from last year’s team opted to put off the NFL Draft for a shot at a national title. Among that group are each of this year’s team captains — receiver Emeka Egbuka, running back TreVeyon Henderson, defensive end Jack Sawyer and linebacker Cody Simon. Many of those players also made it a goal to share the Gospel with as many people as possible.

“I can’t even put it into words,” Sawyer said Monday in a postgame interview with ESPN’s Holly Rowe. “It’s the best feeling I’ve ever felt in my life. This is exactly what we had envisioned when we all decided to come back. To go out and do it this way and end on this note, we just thank God for giving us the ability to go out here and do it.”

“The Lord did something special on this team,” Simon said after being named the Defensive Player of the Game. “We’re just so thankful.” When asked moments later about the “spirituality” of this team, Simon said, “It brought us all together.”

Egbuka was one of Howard’s favorite targets against the Fighting Irish, catching a team-high six passes for 64 yards. In the second quarter, he collected his 202nd catch as a Buckeye, a new school record. He’s also been a key spiritual leader.

In August, Egbuka and Henderson were two of the players who shared their testimony at an on-campus faith event that was attended by nearly 2,000 people. Egbuka said earlier this season on the Sports Spectrum Podcast that he felt God challenging him to use his platform this season to glorify the Lord and not himself.

“That was one of my prayers, just to be bolder this year with my faith, be more outspoken about it because the person that I am and how I got to the places I got is not by mere human effort,” Egbuka said on the podcast. “It’s nothing I can do. It’s all about the blood of the Lamb. Jesus Christ, He really came in and saved my life.”

Henderson, who finished Monday night with 49 rushing yards on 12 carries, also made an appearance on the Sports Spectrum Podcast and explained why he felt God was leading him back to Ohio State.

“My purpose is to be here and to continue to lead others to Him, to continue to grow closer to Him, and spread His Word to others and lead others to Him, to Jesus, and to the Kingdom,” he said on the podcast.

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day was one of the many people who noticed his players’ intentional effort to share about Christ.

“It’s been amazing to watch this team grow spiritually,” he said Sunday in a pregame press conference. “… We have Bible studies and reflections that we have that we’ll have folks come in and speak at, and we have for a long time, but then also seeing our players lead them in those moments. But then there’s also times where I’ll walk around the corner and see a bunch of guys in a room together that we didn’t even know about, and they’re having a Bible study, talking. The impact they’ve made on our community and even nationally is significant here, and I’m proud of where those guys have gone in their journey.”

Egbuka, Henderson, Howard, Sawyer, Simon and their teammates will always be remembered for what they accomplished on the field this season, but their bold faith allowed them to make an eternal impact that will ultimately matter much more than their national title.

>> Do you know Christ personally? Learn how you can commit your life to Him. <<

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