Notre Dame, Ohio State meeting in college football national championship with faith at forefront

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Ohio State Buckeyes conscionable successful the assemblage shot national championship connected Monday night, and lone 1 squad could beryllium the winner.

It volition people the extremity of the first-ever expanded College Football Playoff. Neither squad came into the tourney favored, and each squad had to scratch and claw their mode to get to the title game. It volition surely beryllium a scrap astatine Mercedes-Benz Stadium successful Atlanta, but immoderate of the apical endowment from each squad has expressed astatine slightest 1 communal happening to bring them together: their faith.

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Notre Dame Fighting Irish backmost Riley Leonard celebrates with fans successful the stands aft defeating the Georgia Bulldogs astatine Caesars Superdome successful New Orleans. (Amber Searls-Imagn Images)

Notre Dame backmost Riley Leonard, Ohio State backmost Will Howard, moving backmost TreVeyon Henderson and wide receiver Emeka Egbuka person each talked astir their content successful God successful the days starring up to the game.

"I genuinely deliberation things hap for a reason, not lone us, but Ohio State arsenic well. I deliberation we’re the 2 main teams to conscionable publically show our religion the most," helium told reporters past week, per Sports Michiana. "I don’t cognize if this is immoderate divine teaching, you know, who enactment america here. 

"I genuinely judge that Jesus was looking implicit some our shoulders passim the [whole] play and enactment these 2 teams connected a pedestal for a reason."

Howard talked astir his content successful God aft the team’s upset triumph implicit Oregon successful the Rose Bowl.

"First and foremost, I got to convey my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for giving maine this accidental to beryllium connected this signifier successful the Rose Bowl," Howard told ESPN. "Younger maine would beryllium successful awe close now."

Egbuka talked to Sports Spectrum during the play astir how religion affected his show connected the field.

"I would accidental for the past mates years we’ve kinda been – there’s benignant of been a fig of players connected the shot squad who person restored their religion successful Jesus Christ. And that was thing that was large for maine my freshman year," the prima receiver told the outlet successful November. 

Emeka Egbuka of the Ohio State Buckeyes celebrates aft scoring a touchdown successful the 2nd 4th against the Indiana Hoosiers astatine Ohio Stadium connected Nov. 23, 2024, successful Columbus, Ohio. (Jason Mowry/Getty Images)

Egbuka, a postgraduate student, recalled successful his interrogation the turning constituent for him. He was invited to be Mass by his chap teammates and said it was the archetypal clip helium had felt a existent transportation to his faith. 

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"Ever since then, my beingness has been changed. A implicit 180, and I person a akin grounds to a batch of players connected the team. We’ve been praying for a benignant of revival similar this connected our team, and we decided to stock with everybody what God has been doing connected our shot team." 

Egbuka said helium opted against going into the NFL Draft past play due to the fact that helium felt a calling that was "bigger" than football.

Henderson told the outlet successful a abstracted interrogation that contempt his standout rookie season, which included occurrence and NIL deals, helium had turned to his religion aft an injury. 

"He saved my beingness from going down that roadworthy of destruction. He saved me. He enactment maine connected this way of everlasting beingness … you spot truthful galore radical spell down that ample way of destruction, but I’m truthful thankful that Jesus, He rescued maine from that way and enactment maine connected His path."

Notre Dame caput manager Marcus Freeman reinstated pregame Mass erstwhile helium took implicit successful 2021. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Notre Dame caput manager Marcus Freeman reinstated pregame Mass erstwhile helium took implicit for Brian Kelly successful 2021. He was baptized into the Catholic Church successful and received his archetypal Holy Communion successful September 2022.

Freeman credited Notre Dame for encouraging the pupil body to turn their faith.

"It's not lone successful Catholicism. It's the world of you having a religion and a content successful thing bigger than yourself," helium said.

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Come Monday night, each squad volition person a supplication and past fastener successful for the last 60 minutes of their season.

Fox News' Paulina Dedaj, Chantz Martin and Peter Burke contributed to this report.