Ohio State Buckeyes star running back TreVeyon Henderson has been open about his faith in Jesus this season, and he found a way to express it during Saturday night’s playoff game in a subtle yet impactful manner.
In the first quarter of the College Football Playoff showdown against the Tennessee Volunteers, Henderson took a handoff from quarterback Will Howard and dashed 30 yards into the end zone, extending Ohio State’s lead to 21-0.
Upon reaching the end zone, Henderson made a small but meaningful gesture to share his faith.
With ESPN cameras on him, Henderson used American Sign Language to say, “Jesus loves you.”
Ohio State RB Treveyon Henderson did “Jesus Loves You” in sign language after scoring a TD vs Tennessee 👏 pic.twitter.com/b9V0dx5skV
— Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) December 22, 2024
Henderson also frequently displays Bible verses on his eyeblack, such as Romans 10:9, which states, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
This isn’t the first time Henderson has been vocal about his faith. He consistently shares it whenever the opportunity arises.
In August, Henderson and several Ohio State teammates organized a Christian worship night and baptism service on campus that drew over 800 students. During the event, 50 individuals were baptized.
“God just started drawing people in, and, you know, we didn’t know it was going to be that many people,” Henderson told NPR.
Throughout the season, Henderson has been seen praying with teammates and opponents before and after games. Following a loss to rival Michigan, Henderson was spotted praying with teammates during a post-game scuffle – something he acknowledges wouldn’t have happened in the past.
The latest public display of his faith led to a lot of reactions from fans on social media.
“That’s awesome! Love the leadership of these young men,” one fan wrote on X.
“I’m a big, big fan of Henderson’s since just now,” someone else added.
“Classy dude for handling everything the way he has with splitting Carries,” another person wrote.
“He is quickly becoming my favorite Buckeye ever,” someone else said.
“Thank you!! My sons were watching, thank you for being an example of keeping Christ at the center of everything,” another person added.
“This is the kind of athlete I can look up to,” someone else said.
While Henderson recognizes that not everyone welcomes his message, he does not seem bothered.
“You know, there are times where people don’t want to hear about Him. But, you know, God calls us to hear His word whether the time is favorable or whether it’s not,” Henderson said.
Clearly, this is something important to Henderson and he wants to share it with everyone.
