Jonathon Brooks is still working his way back from a second ACL tear, while Princely Umanmielen is coming off his rookie season.
But this week, the two young Carolina Panthers teammates took a step that had little to do with football. They both made public declarations of faith in Christ by getting baptized on Sunday at Vizion Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, with teammate Chuba Hubbard in attendance.
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The team that prays together, stays together. #Panthers teammates Jonathon Brooks and Princely Umanmielen were baptized today; Chuba Hubbard was also in attendance to support.
📸 @GriffinZett pic.twitter.com/rbdmm9rAVE— Sheena Quick (@Sheena_Marie3) April 27, 2026
For Brooks, the moment comes amid what’s been a long and arduous journey with injuries. After suffering an ACL tear and having surgery while in college at Texas, the running back suffered a second ACL injury just over a year later during his rookie season.
“Dear God … I trust in your plan,” he wrote on Instagram after the second injury.
The Panthers selected him with the No. 46 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft knowing he might not be ready right away after his first surgery in November 2023. He missed the first nine games of his rookie season before making his debut on Nov. 24, 2024.
But his return was brief. He appeared in three games, totaling nine carries for 22 yards and three receptions for 23 yards, before re-injuring the same knee against the Philadelphia Eagles. The setback cost him the rest of the 2024 season and all of the 2025 season, which ended with the Panthers losing to the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round.
“It’s like an emotional roller coaster,” Brooks told Panthers.com after the 2025-26 season ended. “But you know, truthfully, I know that God has a plan for me and I know that He makes no mistakes and He’s using my story to show the world the amazing things He can do, and so I’m set on that.”
Thus, his focus has been on rehab and his faith.
“When you’re a believer, it’s not just God’s part. It’s not just God’s side of things; you have to go out, and you have to do,” he told Panthers.com. “You can’t just sit back and expect God to do it for you. You have to kind of meet Him in the middle, trust that He has a plan, but you also have to put in the work.”
Brooks’ faith is not new. He leaned on God heavily in the aftermath of his father, James “Skip” Brooks, dying at 49 on March 28, 2022, due to complications from a blood clot that impacted his heart. Jonathon was a freshman at Texas at the time.
“I’ve been through a lot in my life,” Brooks told the AP this week. “I lost my father. I’ve torn my ACL twice. Every single time I reverted back to my faith and for me, my baptism was a recommitment of my faith — to not only change myself, but from that day forward to stop making excuses for my surroundings.”
Brooks said the baptism was also a celebration after being cleared to participate in the Panthers’ offseason conditioning program without limitations. And Hubbard, though he may lose some carries next season due to Brooks’ return, wanted to be there to support his friend.
“He’s been building in his faith, building in his relationship with God, which I think is amazing,” Hubbard told the AP. “And in doing that, I think it also just kind of creates a resiliency in your mind and where you’re going there.”
Umanmielen’s path has looked different, but faith has also been central.
A third-round pick in 2025, the linebacker appeared in 16 games as a rookie while continuing to grow both on and off the field. His focus on his relationship with God dates back to his time at Ole Miss.
“Just keeping my trust in Jesus Christ and God. Just actually giving myself a routine, (too),” he told TheRebelWalk.com while at Ole Miss. “On some days I might not leave the facility until — I’ll go home during the day, but then I’ll come back around 6 or 7 — 9-9:30. Just keeping the routine and keeping my trust and having a good relationship with God.”
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That foundation was shaped in part by his mother, who made it a priority to pray with him before games. Now as a pro, he displayed that faith in March by handing out food in downtown Charlotte and praying for those is need.
“Throughout these four years, my mom won’t let me go into a game without calling me and praying for me,” Umanmielen told TheRebelWalk.com about his faith. “That was a big thing. I think this season I really took it upon myself to find a closer relationship with God rather than just having my mom pray for me all the time. I really took it upon myself to make changes to my life so I can have that closer relationship to God. I still call her to this day so we can pray before the game, but I just took it upon myself this season to grow a stronger relationship.”
He also leaned on that faith when he suffered a couple of minor injuries in college, including an ankle injury and a shoulder tweak.
“It was really tough on me mentally,” he told TheRebelWalk.com, “but just going back to God again and keeping my trust and faith in Him, I came back even stronger.”
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