Jacksonville Jaguars rookie Travis Hunter and Olympic gold medalist Noah Lyles are two prominent athletes who have recently made public declarations of their newfound faith in Jesus Christ.
Both athletes marked a significant step in their spiritual walk by getting baptized — a biblical declaration that their old, sinful life is buried with Christ.
On Sunday, Hunter was baptized before the Jaguars were set to face off against the Seattle Seahawks.
Video of the second-overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft at Celebration Church in Jacksonville, Florida, has gone viral online.
"Couldn't find my keys this morning and was late for church, only to come upon Jacksonville Jaguars Travis Hunter getting baptized," wrote Kristine Love, who orgiinially captured video of the moment and posted it on Instagram. "He asked to come get baptized before today's game. Thank you Jesus for touching this young man's life!"
The wide receiver and defensive cornerback said getting baptized wasn't a spontaneous or emotional decision, but was a long time coming.
"It's Sunday. It's God's day. I've been planning to go get baptized for a minute," Hunter told ESPN. "I changed my life over to become a better man."
"It means a lot. I'm becoming a better man and leaving my old self and starting a new chapter."
The 22-year-old has had faith mentors throughout the course of his career, including Deion Sanders, who coached him while he was at Jackson State University and the University of Colorado Boulder, ESPN reports.
Although the Jaguars lost to the Seahawks and Hunter did not make the highlights that day, fans are applauding the Heisman trophy winner for obtaining the "greater prize."
"He could get zero catches today and still won," said one user on X.
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"God is bigger than football," one Instagram user commented on the video footage shared to the social media platform. "He's winning at life."
Olympic Star Baptized with His Fiancée
Meanwhile, USA Track and Field Olympic runner Noah Lyles and his fiancée, Junelle Bromfield, were baptized together in late September.
The couple, who got engaged last October, publicly professed their faith in Christ while being baptized at Alive Church in Orlando, Florida.
The sprinters shared a video of their baptism in a joint post on Instagram. The caption shares a verse out of Joshua 24:15, which reads, "But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."
Lyles has become more outspoken about his faith in God over the last few years.
After winning the gold medal for the 100m sprint at the 2024 Paris Olympics, he told Premier Christian Radio that his relationship with God became stronger as he faced challenges in the sport.
"I've said it all season, but it helps to not have depression," he said. "I thank God every day for getting me through each and every round. Healthy, mentally and physically."
He told the outlet that God has given him the determination to continue running.
"I had to find my own journey with God, and a lot of that came through track because there were a lot of times where I thought I didn't know if I can do this," he explained.
"God, if you really want me to do this, give me a sign. He gave me a sign and I said, 'I'll never doubt You again,'" Lyles added.
The eight-time world champion and Olympic gold medalist recently competed in the Tokyo World Championships. He posted a series of photos to Instagram of the competition, including one of him praising God.
"I can do all things," Lyles captioned one photo.
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