Michigan State Running Back Uses Platform to Spread God’s Name

Published: October 10, 2023

Michigan State Running Back Uses Platform to Spread God’s Name

By Movieguide® Contributor

Michigan State University running back Nathan Carter says his goal is to tell people about Jesus.

“[Faith is] the hope that we all need, and yet, everyone is searching for it,” Carter said. “We’re all searching for purpose. We’re all searching for something to fulfill us, something to sustain us. So it’s a gift that I believe God has given me to be able to use my words and be able to use my platform to be able to glorify Him and to spread His name.”

During his career in the NCAA, Carter has dealt with his fair share of injuries. Despite setbacks, he declares that God is his source of strength.

“I would say that I believe I took it really well, and my faith is a testament to that,” he added. “Football wasn’t my identity. It was a sport that I play, but it wasn’t who I am…God didn’t create me just to play football. Having that mindset and operating [like that], it allowed me to get through that injury with a lot of joy and a lot of peace.”

Carter actively participates in his school’s Athletes in Action club.

“With a guy like Nate, his performance on the field is not so that he can earn the approval of his coaches or the fans or his family,” Athletes in Action Campus Director Phil Gillespie said. “It’s a thank-you response to what God has done in his life. He’s playing something that he has been designed to play and that he loves.”

As an athlete, Carter wants to win, but his identity is not found in football or the outcome.

“I play so free on the field. God didn’t place me here just to play football. There’s a much more greater purpose that I have,” he declared. “If I don’t [gain] X amount of yards or I don’t score X amount of touchdowns, God doesn’t love me any more or any less. He loves me already.”

Carter also uses his social media as a platform to share his faith.

In an Instagram photo, he wrote, “Greatness is not measured by what you have or accomplish… but it is measured by your faith in God.”

“Currently, Carter’s 477 rushing yards this season are the second most in the Big Ten. He’s already posted three 100-yard days and found the end zone four times, including three scores against Richmond on Sept. 9. He should easily surpass his career high in rushing yards in a season, which is 578 in 2021 when he was at UConn,” Sports Spectrum reported.