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

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Ohio State Buckeyes meet Monday night in the college football national championship, and only one team can be the winner.

It marks the end of the first-ever expanded College Football Playoff. Neither team qualified for the tournament and each team had to battle their way to the championship game. It's sure to be a mess at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, but some of each team's top talents expressed at least one common thing to bring them together: their faith.

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Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard celebrates with fans in the stands after beating the Georgia Bulldogs at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. (Amber Searls-Imagn images)

Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard, Ohio State quarterback Will Howard, running back TreVeyon Henderson and wide receiver Emeka Egbuka have all spoken about their faith in God in the days leading up to the game.

“I really think things happen for a reason, not just with us, but with Ohio State. I think these are the two most important teams that most publicly demonstrate our faith,” he told reporters last week. Sports Michiana. “I don't know if this is a divine teaching, you know, that put us here.

“I really believe that Jesus was looking over both of our shoulders the whole time [whole] season and put these two teams on a pedestal for a reason.”

Howard spoke about his faith in God after the team's upset victory over Oregon in the Rose Bowl.

“First and foremost, I have to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for giving me this opportunity to stand on this stage at the Rose Bowl,” Howard told ESPN. “The younger me would be impressed now.”

Egbuka spoke to Sports Spectrum during the season about how faith affected his performance on the field.

“I would say over the last few years we've kind of been a number of players on the football team that have restored their faith in Jesus Christ. And that was something that was big for me my freshman year,” the star receiver said. told the outlet in November.

Emeka Egbuka of the Ohio State Buckeyes celebrates after scoring a touchdown in the second quarter against the Indiana Hoosiers at Ohio Stadium on November 23, 2024 in Columbus, Ohio. (Jason Mowry/Getty Images)

Egbuka, a graduate student, recalled the turning point for him in his interview. He was invited by his teammates to attend the Mass and said it was the first time he felt a real connection to his faith.

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“Since then, my life has changed. A complete 180, and I have a similar testimony for many players on the team. We prayed for some kind of revival like this for our team, and we decided to share with everyone what God has done in our football team.”

Egbuka said he opted not to enter the NFL Draft last season because he felt a calling “bigger” than football.

Henderson said the exhaust in a separate interview, he said that despite his standout rookie season, which included success and NIL deals, he had come to terms with his faith after injury.

“He saved my life from the way of destruction. He saved me. He set me on this path of eternal life. You see so many people walking down that great path of destruction, but I am so thankful that Jesus saved me from that path and set me on His path.”

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman restored the pregame Mass when he took over in 2021. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman restored the pregame miss when he took over for Brian Kelly in 2021. He was baptized into the Catholic Church and received his First Holy Communion in September 2022.

Freeman credited Notre Dame for encouraging students to grow their faith.

“It's not just in Catholicism. It's the reality of having a faith and believing in something bigger than yourself,” he said.

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Next Monday night, each team will pray and then wrap up for the final 60 minutes of their season.

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