By Mallory Mattingly
The University of Pittsburgh football program is following the Ohio State Buckeyes lead as over 30 players have given their lives to Jesus in the last three months.
It began when senior tight end Jake Overman felt God nudging him to start sharing the gospel with his teammates.
“I really just heard God speak to me about four or five months ago that He wanted to bring revival to this campus,” the athlete told CBN News. “He spoke it very clearly and confirmed it actually in a few dreams.”
That’s when Pitt Purpose was formed.
“We were seeing the move of God that was happening [on other campuses], and we really felt like God had a heart for the University of Pittsburgh and especially [the] athletics program,” Overman shared. “We saw that God was moving in a powerful way so we wanted to start really like a movement.”
In its first Instagram post, Pitt Purpose described the movement as an opportunity to “be part of something bigger.”
“God is moving in Pitt Athletics. Come be part of something bigger. Revival is here! 🔥,” the post reads.
“You’ve all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; but one wins. We must run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. We’re after one that’s gold eternally,” the account continued.
The post concluded with the Bible verse 1 Corinthians 9:24-25: “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”
Pitt Purpose recently held a baptism event that saw a handful of the football team get baptized.
“We are partnering with Life Church Pittsburgh and Baptize America, on June 8th – Pentecost Sunday, to unite in the largest synchronized water baptism in world history!” Pitt Purpose shared.
Related: Ohio State Football Team Transforms Campus for Christ
The Baptize America event, which Pitt Purpose’s baptisms were part of, saw 30,000 people baptized that day.
“We are still in awe of the powerful move of God that took place yesterday, Pentecost Sunday, 2025,” the organization wrote.
Overman explained that because of the different challenges Pitt students face, players have been more open to hearing the gospel.
“I think there’s a lot of pressure [as an athlete]. I think there’s a lot of striving and goals and expectations that we’re constantly having to meet, and I think at times it can get exhausting,” he revealed.
“We’re playing in front of hundreds of thousands of people every single week, and now in the NIL era, we are getting paid lots of money,” Overman added. “So we’re making sure we’re building a life on a solid foundation…it’s so important to be rooted in our faith because it’s not easy to be a student-athlete.”
It’s incredible to see how God is at work in Pittsburgh athletes’ lives.
Read Next: Ohio State Tight End Gee Scott Sees Christ Transform His Team
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