Princely Umanmielen #3 of the Carolina Panthers looks on in the game against the Miami Dolphins at Bank of America Stadium on October 05, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Josh Lavallee/Getty Images)
By Mallory Mattingly
Carolina Panthers linebacker Princely Umanmielen opened up about his decision to dedicated his life to Christ and get baptized.
“On April 26th 2026, I followed through with my commitment to Christ by getting baptized. Before this, in my life, I knew God but didn’t truly follow in all aspects of life,” the linebacker began to write in a post on social media.
Related: Carolina Panthers Players Get Baptized Together
Umanmielen then referenced Romans 6:9-12, a passage of scripture where the Apostle Paul speaks on baptism.
“In Romans 6:9-12, while Paul was speaking about baptism and sin, he says, ‘We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions,'” the athlete quoted.
“I chose to die to sin and be alive to God in Christ Jesus,” he continued. “I urge everyone, no matter who you are or where you come from, to seek Jesus with an open heart. If you call, I promise He will answer.”
Though he only recently got baptized, Umanmielen relied on his faith while he played college football at Ole Miss.
“Just keeping my trust in Jesus Christ and God. Just actually giving myself a routine, [too],” he told TheRebelWalk.com in 2024 of his success that year. “On some days I might not leave the facility until — I’ll go home during the day, but then I’ll come back around 6 or 7 — 9-9:30. Just keeping the routine and keeping my trust and having a good relationship with God.
“Throughout these four years, my mom won’t let me go into a game without calling me and praying for me,” the Nigerian NFL star continued. “That was a big thing. I think this season I really took it upon myself to find a closer relationship with God rather than just having my mom pray for me all the time. I really took it upon myself to make changes to my life so I can have that closer relationship to God. I still call her to this day so we can pray before the game, but I just took it upon myself this season to grow a stronger relationship.”
It’s wonderful to see an athlete like Umanmielen make a public declaration of his faith.
Read Next: Carolina Panthers Player Knows the Truth About Jesus, and He Isn’t Afraid to Say It
Questions or comments? Please write to us here.
– Content: +4Share:
– Content: +4