Bucs wide receiver Emeka Egbuka says faith is what drives him to the NFL field
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka is making a big impression on the NFL stage in his first year in 2025.
But the Ohio State product doesn’t just think it’s his mission to help his team reach its Super Bowl goals — preaching his faith is high on his priority list as well.
Like many in the NFL, Egbuka uses his platform at the professional level to share his Christian faith, something he says he discovered five years ago at a time in his life when he needed it.
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Emeka Egbuka of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers walks on the field before the NFL game against the Carolina Panthers at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., on Jan. 3, 2026. (Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
Today, if you go to his Instagram page, you will see his name is “Follower of Christ,” and he explained to Fox News Digital how his faith drives him even off the field.
“To put it simply, it’s a big part of my life because of what Jesus has done in my life, and I know He gives the same to every single person,” Egbuka said via Zoom after helping USAA with “Huddle UP For Hurricane Prep” by building disaster kits and educating fellow Tampa Bay residents about hurricane protection.
“He met me where I was five years ago now, which seems crazy. I’ve been with Him ever since.
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Five years ago, Egbuka was a freshman at Ohio State, hoping to make an impact for the Buckeyes. While he continued to develop for three more years of college football, he ended up helping the Buckeyes win the national championship in the 2024 season.
At the same time, he said he began to find “peace” and “joy” through his faith and God, which he still feels today.
“The sense of self-awareness I have that I didn’t have before. There are many things in my life and there are many ways in which I was struggling mentally that pulled me out of them,” explained Egbuka. “Those are the things that are overlooked. They are the things behind the curtains that people don’t see every day because we put on these masks, we put on these faces. [and] facades.
Emeka Egbuka #2 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers walks off the field after defeating the Carolina Panthers at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on Jan. 3, 2026. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
“But deep down, everyone goes through things. It’s life. It tries all of us. There are trials and tribulations that come every day, and we can do our best to stand strong and hold on. In the end, we’re human. We can only do so much to hold back when the point comes when we reach our end – that’s when God meets me.
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“Just being able to preach about Him, use my platform to spread the Gospel. The hope that exists in Jesus is what I feel is my purpose.”
Entering the NFL community, Egbuka saw others like Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud, Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins and many others sharing their faith.
“I think it’s a blessing and a privilege to be able to open up,” added Egbuka. “Obviously, it wasn’t always like that, but even today in different countries, you can be killed and be killed for expressing your faith and everything like this. We are in a society and culture where we can share that freely without any hatred or backlash. I think it is a great privilege that we should be able to spread our Gospel and use it to spread our gospel.”
Another way Egbuka uses his platform is to influence his community as he did on Tuesday at the USAA Tampa Office, where he focused on some of his efforts last season to raise awareness of hurricane preparedness in an area that may be affected by such natural disasters.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka is surrounded by USAA volunteers creating disaster relief ahead of hurricane season in Florida. (USAA)
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“This is not the first time I have worked with USAA, so I am happy to work with them again,” he said. “Such a great staff and everyone that works here. They’ve been so welcoming to me and my team, and obviously it hits close to home. I have a grandfather who was a Navy SEAL, a father who was active duty and now works in the Department of Defense as a civil engineer. I’ve definitely been surrounded by the military my whole life.
“Some of the disasters that we’ve done today, they’ve got whistles, safety blankets – anything you might need in a disaster. That’s what we were focused on today. There’s nothing we can do to prevent a hurricane from happening. Obviously, staying on top of the weather and paying attention to warnings and everything like that. I know my housekeepers just came and tried to do that. It’s the best thing to work with, and I think those kits that we made today will go a long way. long.”
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