By Mallory Mattingly
Former Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka made his NFL debut this past Sunday for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and gave God the glory for his performance.
In his debut game, the athlete secured two touchdowns and four receptions on 67 yards for the Buccaneers, per the NFL.
“It means a lot,” Ebuke said in an interview shared by Christhlete on Instagram. “But, you know, at the end of the day, my value, I don’t place it in sports at all.
“So you know, whether I had two touchdowns or I’ve never scored in the NFL before, that’s not really what I hang my hat on at the end of the day,” the wide receiver continued. “So obviously, it feels great to be able to put my team in that position to go. Want to know we’re trying to make it 2-0 now, but all glory to God.”
Related: Ohio State Football Star Wears the ‘Jersey of Jesus’
Egbuka’s preparation for his first NFL game included lots of “Film, preparation, knowing the look, knowing the opponent, and knowing the trust with the quarterback that we had back in August.”
“We kind of got the look that we drew it up for — Baker threw a perfect ball, honestly — and made it easy on me,” he explained of his touchdown to secure the win for the Buccaneers. “And when he can make my job that easy, it makes it look good. But honestly, a lot of credit goes to him and to God.”
His teammates, including quarterback Baker Mayfield, recognize that Ebuke carries himself differently than most rookies.
“I just think the way he carries himself — I’ve told you guys, it wasn’t a front, you saw it live today, in person — he’s the real deal,” Mayfield said of Egbuka. “True professional. Doesn’t play like a rookie. Doesn’t act like a rookie. His head is never spinning. He made some unbelievable catches and plays today for us. Obviously, going to continue to lean on him.”
Head coach Todd Bowles emphasized that Egbuka was absolutely equipped for his first NFL game.
“For him, this is nothing. For him, they play a lot bigger games in The Big House,” Bowles said, referring to the games Egbuka played in college. “They have a lot more people than Atlanta and in Tampa, so this was a routine game for him. He’s up for the task. He’s everything we’ve been talking about since he got here. Everybody’s starting to see it, obviously, because it’s real-time and it’s a real game. He played with so much poise, and Baker played with so much poise.”
It’s incredible to see another young NFL star use his God-given platform to glorify Christ.
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