NFL Standout Travis Hunter Gets Baptized Hours Before His Team’s Game
Michael Foust
Audio By Carbonatix
By Michael Foust, Crosswalk.com
One of the NFL’s top rookies marked a step of faith Sunday morning by getting baptized, merely hours before his team’s home game.
Jacksonville wide receiver Travis Hunter was baptized at Celebration Church, making his faith in Christ public ahead of his team’s game against Seattle.
A Celebration Church congregant posted a video of the baptism, paired with a celebratory note. In it, Hunter smiles as he emerges from the water before the ministers lay hands on him to pray.
“Couldn’t find my keys this morning and was late for church, only to come upon Jacksonville Jaguars Travis Hunter getting baptized!” the congregant wrote. “He asked to come get baptized before today’s game. Thank you Jesus for touching this young man’s life!”
Hunter was the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft after a standout career at the University of Colorado, where he won the Heisman Trophy by excelling in a rare two-way role. Playing both wide receiver and cornerback for the Buffaloes, he has continued the same path in Jacksonville, recording 20 receptions for 197 yards as a wideout and 15 tackles on defense. In a league built on specialization, it is exceptionally rare for an NFL player to succeed on both sides of the ball.
Hunter has referenced his faith in the past.
Last week, he posted a Bible verse on his Instagram, writing: “For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Matthew 7:8 NIV.”
He referenced his faith during his Heisman Trophy acceptance speech, too, last year.
“First of all, I want to say I thank God,” he began. “I never thought I would be in this position. Your belief takes you a long way.”
Hunter’s coach at Colorado was Deion Sanders, one of football’s most outspoken Christians and a man who seldom misses an opportunity to share his faith.
Jacksonville fell Sunday, 20–12, yet has shown significant improvement from last season’s 4–13 campaign. The Jaguars have already matched last year’s win total and sit at 4–2, in second place in the division.
Photo Credit: Instagram / cali2jax
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
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