By Mallory Mattingly
Former Notre Dame wide receiver Malachi Fields keeps one thing in mind before each game.
“But before every game, I tell myself, ‘audience of one,’ you know. I’m not doing this for anybody else. I’m not doing this for anybody except for the Lord,” Fields said in an interview with Sports Spectrum prior to the 2026 Senior Bowl. “So I kind of just remind myself of a verse, ‘whatever you do, work at it as if for the Lord and not for man.’ And no expectation that any man can put on me, you know, is greater than what I think the Lord has, so I go out there and trust in Him.”
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His former teammate Will Pauling could attest to Fields’ faith in and off the field.
“We know who Malachi is on the field. He is a big wide receiver; he is going to make plays on the field. But I think when you sit down and talk to Malachi and learn more about him and the man he is, I think that’s something I really admire,” Pauling told WNDU News. “He is a really good big man of faith. We have been to church multiple times together. We sat down to eat. I have met his family and his lady, and they are great people. He is someone I look up to and who I learn from each and every day.”
Fields, who boldly declares “Jesus Loves You!” in his Instagram bio, has never shied away from talking about his faith in God.
“The best advice I’ve ever received was to put the Lord first in everything you do,” the athlete said in a video from The Irish Scoop.
In an Instagram post, Fields, who previously played for the University of Virginia Cavaliers, shared a photo of himself praying in the end zone before a game.
He captioned the post with Jeremiah 29:11, which reads, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'”
Fields’ talent on the field on game days might be what people talk about, but it’s his faith in God that truly outshines his talent. He puts his faith on full display, whether it’s leaning on Scripture, praying in the end zone or playing for an “audience of one.”
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