Fernando Mendoza took the snap and ran straight into traffic. He was drilled at the five, stumbled, stayed upright, and kept pushing as Miami defenders hit him again and again, dragging himself across the goal line with the ball extended and the stadium in full roar. The run sealed Indiana’s first national championship, a 27–21 win that capped a perfect 16–0 season. Almost immediately after, Mendoza turned skyward and thanked God, a moment that now feels increasingly common across college football. And it’s one prominent ESPN voice, Kirk Herbstreit, a devout Christian himself, says he’s fully behind.

“I think Ohio State two years ago had some big leaders at the top of their run to a national championship that were very, very instrumental and even on campus kind of proclaiming their faith and talking about it,” Herbstreit said. “I think it’s fantastic that people were comfortable enough to talk about that. I think it’s been great.”

Herbstreit has described his faith as central to his life. In 2024, the ESPN broadcaster appeared at Fresh Life Church in Montana and called “Jesus” the answer to his struggles. He has also detailed how his faith has always kept him going when widespread trolling and criticism come his way, owing to his public persona. As for religious expression in college football, the NCAA has always kept a progressive stance towards it.

The college football regulator permits players to wear small religious jewelry and also permits player actions like pointing at the sky after a play or crossing themselves for a touchdown celebration. The NCAA has historically promoted neutrality in individual expression, and players have freely invoked religion when they desired.

“I want to give all the glory and thanks to God,” Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza said after defeating Miami. “I’ll die for my team. Whatever they need me to do – if they need me to take shots from the front or the back – I’ll die for my team out there. I know they’ll do the same for me.” Later, he added, “This moment is bigger than me,” deliberately shifting the spotlight away from himself after the most defining play of Indiana football history.

But it’s not just Mendoza. According to Herbstreit, an OSU alum, the shift in players being more openly religious has occurred recently, owing to Ohio State’s 2024 players.

Ducks QB praised god after winning the playoff game, whereas Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez glorified god after the team’s Big 12 title win. Miami QB, Carson Beck, prayed publicly before the Indiana game, and his teammate Mark Fletcher Jr used sign language to say “Jesus loves you” after scoring a touchdown. Even before kickoff, faith was visible. Players from both Indiana and Miami were seen kneeling in quiet prayer on the field, moments captured on video and circulated widely after the game.

“Sometimes, especially after 2020, it (showcasing faith) was sometimes an uncomfortable thing to do. But they made it very comfortable with regular students, not just within their athletic department. And so that was one of the first examples,” Herbstreit said about the 2024 OSU team.

Before going into the 2024 season, the Ohio State team had a mass baptism on Campus in August. Hundreds were gathered outside the Curl Market for the ceremony, and players like TreVeyon Henderson, Emeka Egbuka, J.T. Tuimoloau, and Kamryn Babb helped lead the event. After the ceremony ended, the players also distributed T-shirts that read “Jesus Won,” as Henderson also posted it on his social media handles.

Furthermore, right before entering any game, Ryan Day’s team would hold moments of prayer, and players would kneel in unison. TreVeyon Henderson, in turn, would take it up a notch. He wore Bible verses as eye black, a move that was appreciated by fans across the CFB world. Finally, after winning the national title, the OSU team sported “Jesus Won” apparel and were open about their faith in media interviews.

However, this public display of faith also had its critics. Ohio State attracts people from different faiths and diverse beliefs, plus it’s a public university. The display of one singular faith can sometimes create a sense that other faiths aren’t welcome at the University.

“Now, in terms of the football piece and when you think about how tied, how close football is to the identity of a public university, that does get a little bit tricky,” Paul Putz, director of the Faith and Sports Institute at Baylor University, said to NPR. OSU, in turn, in a statement, said that the University welcomes students from across all faiths and is home to 66,000 students from diverse backgrounds.

But this open display of faith in CFB has always been there, even before Ohio State led the ship, contrary to Herbstreit’s claim.

Faith was still prominent in college football even before Ohio State’s 2024 acts

The Clemson Tigers under Dabo Swinney have openly made Christianity central to their program. In 2012, the program even invited a Baptist pastor to perform on-field baptisms of star WRs like DeAndre Hopkins and Sammy Watkins. FSU’s long-time coach, Bobby Bowden, was notably involved with FCA and openly shared his faith when he got an opportunity.

Players, too, haven’t backed down, showcasing their strong beliefs. Tim Tebow, for instance, wore Bible verses as eye black in games and sported different verses, sparking a massive online Google search that crossed over 90 million. The Gators legend also popularized ‘Tebowing,’ which he did by kneeling in prayer on the field itself, and also credited god in interviews.

Mark Richt-era players at Georgia were notable for showcasing their devout Christian faith. Richt took it up a notch, brought his players to church services, and players like Matthew Stafford also participated in FCA events. All things considered, the Ohio State showcasing faith isn’t new.

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It’s just that due to social media and increased access to everything through the internet, all of it becomes quite prominent. Faith has always been central to football players, and it’s not going to dial down any time soon. That’s the real scenario.