Ohio State football players led the Fall Kickoff: An Invitation to Jesus for the second straight year, drawing nearly 2,000 attendees and over 50 baptisms. I spoke with Kevin Walsh from The Walk Foundation about the event and his perspective on the Buckeyes and their faith.
BUCKEYE REVIVAL: On the evening of Monday, September 8, 2025, The Ohio State University’s College Green Park came alive as nearly 2,000 students and community members gathered for the second annual “Fall Kickoff: An Invitation to Jesus.” The event, born from the collaboration of Ohio State football players and roughly twenty student faith groups, drew double the attendance of its 2024 predecessor.
The evening unfolded under the glow of twilight with a live worship band leading attendees in song and prayer. In an atmosphere of unity and expectancy, players took the stage to share deeply personal testimonies of how faith shaped their lives both on and off the field. Among the voices were:
Sonny Styles, a standout linebacker who spoke of the privilege and the calling that comes with his platform: “When you’re believing in Jesus, you’re called to lead in the right direction…” Caleb Downs, an All-American safety, offered a powerful reminder:
“No play we make on the field: no touchdown, no interception, can compare to the Kingdom of God.”
He added, “Humanly, our power is not enough. The glory that we think we have is not enough.” Also contributing were offensive linemen Luke Montgomery, Carson Hinzman, and Ethan Onianwa, who joined in leading the crowd spiritually.
Downs, Styles, and others wore “Jesus Won” t-shirts, most notably worn by TreVeyon Henderson a year ago, as another way of publicly declaring their faith.
The Walk Foundation’s Kevin Walsh shared, “The event truly made me sit back and thank God. When you look around, and I see that a faith event is taking place in the middle of campus, you almost can’t believe it. You just don’t see that on college campuses. And seeing the baptisms and worship, it just shows that there is clearly a revival taking place in Columbus, Ohio.”
Walsh hosts The Walk Podcast and leads the “Buckeye Revival” series, detailing the stories of the Ohio State players’ journeys. When asked what he’s learned about the players and their faith walks, Walsh added, “faith is truly the backbone of the team. It’s not like just [turning] on their faith switch when it makes sense, they walk it out, and it’s the main part of their everyday life.”
Enriching the gathering with experience and encouragement were former Buckeye players Gee Scott, who moderated and shared, and Kamryn Babb, both returning to campus to champion faith among the next generation.
Members of the Ohio State football team are holding their second Fall Kickoff “An invitation to Jesus”.
Caleb Downs, Sonny Styles, Luke Montgomery and many other Buckeyes are talking with hundreds about their Faith journey.
A night of fellowship, baptism, unity and testimony: pic.twitter.com/nWCLFDgJDe
— Adam King (@AdamKing10TV) September 8, 2025
Following the testimonies, the invitation was extended. Attendees were invited to come forward for baptism and salvation. In a moving moment, more than fifty individuals chose to publicly profess their faith in Christ through water baptism. Among them were two current Ohio State players, Payton Pierce and Sonny Styles.
In 2024, as a team, the Buckeyes decided their identity was not rooted in their performance on the field or defined by championships. Rather, their identity was in Jesus and faith in God. Ohio State players want to be remembered by more than the National Championship they won nearly nine months ago.
POWERFUL: Multiple Ohio State football players got BAPTIZED in a powerful ceremony last night.
OSU held its second Fall Kickoff, “An invitation to Jesus” where star players Caleb Downs and Sonny Styles spoke about how Jesus Christ changed their lives.
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) September 9, 2025
While a public faith event may seem uncommon on a public university campus, these Buckeyes are rewriting the narrative and making faith the forefront and football the vehicle for glorifying God.
Walsh also explained that the players “make it clear where their priorities lie. Although they receive so much attention as Ohio State football players, they truly find their identity in their faith in Jesus.”
This revival carries meaning beyond standard campus life or playing on the gridiron. A student shared how powerful it was to see athletes without their uniforms or logos, simply declaring, “I’m a guy too that worships the Lord and loves Him.” One of the main messages from the athletes over the last two seasons has been that they have been blessed with a platform and they want to use it to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Former Ohio State running back and current New England Patriot TreVeyon Henderson told WSYX ABC 6 that he “first got ahold of a Bible from [his] coach, and he showed [him] where to start and learn about Jesus Christ.” Henderson also echoed the previous point of being given a platform and desiring to use it for the Kingdom of God.
The former Buckeye was instrumental in leading the football program in its faith journey that exploded in the Spring of 2024, which led to the inaugural Fall Kickoff: An Invitation of Jesus. It is the hope and prayer of the players that this becomes an annual tradition on campus and that the next group of players continue spreading the Gospel message like this year’s guys carried from last season.
As attendance doubled from the prior year, and as Kamryn Babb remarked, this movement isn’t about a play or a player; it’s about sharing the Gospel across generations.
For more information on The Walk Foundation, visit the website here. The Walk Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization with the mission of platforming athletes to share about their faith in Jesus. You can find the Buckeye Revival series on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts (The Walk Podcast). Also, check out all our social media clips from the interviews on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and X (@accessthewalk).
Blake Biscardi, a native of Pickerington, Ohio, is The Silver Bulletin’s Senior Editor and the Creator & Host of the Saturday Cadence podcast, a national college football show. As a trusted voice on Ohio State, the Big Ten, and College Football Playoff since 2016, Biscardi is a proud member of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and a two-time Graduate of Temple University in Philadelphia.