By Mallory Mattingly
With the NFL Draft rapidly approaching, there are several players to keep an eye on as they hope to make a team, all while proclaiming the name of Jesus.
One of those players is Baylor University’s Josh Cameron, who plays wide receiver. Before the Senior Bowl in January, Cameron shared one of his favorite Bible verses that he reads every morning.
“I actually have, like, a whiteboard, and I have different affirmations at the top of it. It says, ‘Jesus loves me,’ so, like, that’s literally the first affirmation,” Cameron told Sports Spectrum. “Every time I wake up in the morning, I kind of see that and I read that. But when it comes to, like, a certain verse, my favorite verse is Joshua 1:9.”
The verse reads: “9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Related: Former College Football WR Puts God First Before Each Game: ‘Audience of One’
Another player to watch for is Notre Dame’s wide receiver Malachi Fields. Fields recalled times when he felt alone, but through the community he found at Notre Dame and his relationship with Jesus, he was able to overcome.
“There have been times at Notre Dame where I’ve gotten connected with one of my guys, and we’ve had like, one-on-one Bible study, and we just been helping each other out through our lives and trying to get that private time in with the Lord,” Fields told Sports Spectrum at the Senior Bowl. “And there are people out there that can, you know, help you connect. And I think that’s what you need. You need a community of believers who people who are equally yoked, to continue to help push you and on the right path.”
The last player to watch for is Tanner Koziol, who played tight end for the University of Houston.
Koziol wakes up each day with the mindset that without the Lord, he is unable.
“It’s completely understanding that I can’t, but I can with the Lord, and really just waking up every day with the mindset that, ‘Lord, I know I can’t. I need you. I need you to lean on when different attacks come my way, I look to you to build that armor and just shut them down,'” Koziol shared at the Senior Bowl.
As these athletes prepare for the next step in their football careers, their shared commitment to faith shows that, beyond the pursuit of an NFL roster spot, they are grounded in a purpose far greater than the game itself.
Read Next: Why Baylor University QB Finds His Identity in Jesus Christ
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