It was November 2013. Terry Shoemaker, a research scholar and religious studies professor at Arizona State University, traveled to Baltimore in order to study religion and sports. As a part of his research, he stopped by Westminster Presbyterian Church, a church-turned-graveyard, which is the famous poet Edgar Allan Poe’s resting place.

Back then, the Baltimore Ravens had hosted a game against the New York Jets, and the stadium was just a mile away from Poe’s burial. What surprised Shoemaker was the fact that several football fans visited the poet’s grave to place a penny. Some of them had worn Baltimore’s jersey. But it was only later that the researcher got to know that it was a pregame ritual. In fact, in 1996, public voting led the football team to adopt its feathered name in honor of Poe’s most famous poem, ‘The Raven’.

Through years of research, Shoemaker came to one conclusion: “Potentially, the more violent and more dangerous the sport is, people tend to be more religious.” Football can be brutal, but over the years, we have seen big names turning towards their faith. NFL’s Reggie White, for instance, was open about his Christian beliefs, and Colorado Buffaloes’ HC Deion Sanders, too, has spoken about God. Today, that tradition quietly continues, as a new wave of young athletes at ASU leans into their spiritual journey while still chasing glory on Saturdays.

On August 3, ASU insider Blake Niemann shared a video of Steve Watson (ASU team chaplain), who spoke about how faith was guiding their football and baseball teams. “It’s my job to introduce them to Jesus, and for those guys who know Jesus, it’s to help them to grow in their relationship.” This came at a time when Niemann reported that in the past seven months, “Over 10 Sun Devil players had gotten baptized. And ASU’s WR1 Jordyn Tyson is one of them.”

Baptized in March, Tyson said: “Since I was a kid, I was always a Christian… I really just started putting in the work by putting in the work in the Bible. Really just drove all the way in, got baptized. That was a good part, yeah, like, as soon as, like, Steve got a hold of me, and all my friends that are big in the faith got a hold of me, it was over.”

Since Tyson’s baptism, Bible studies in the locker room have grown. Even church attendance has spiked, and players have started showing up for each other’s baptisms. “There’s over 10 guys that have committed their lives to Jesus on the team,” Watson further said. “It’s just witnessing, because I show up and I give them the Word of God.”

Then, ASU TE Khamari Anderson also had some great things to say. “Just hearing people talk about how their identity wasn’t in their sport but in Christ, that changed my life.”

It’s not just an ASU thing. Around the country, you’ll see similar moments. UNC products like Jahvaree Ritzie and Kaimon Rucker were baptized right on the practice field a year ago. At Ohio State, nearly 60 people were baptized during a campus revival last season (in one day). Clemson, Tennessee, and Washington: They’ve all had members publicly live out their faith. Players talk about leading differently, playing differently, living differently.