Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley says he doesn’t think it’s a coincidence that the best year of his athletic career happened to be the year he truly “found” his faith in Christ, crediting God for the remarkable accomplishments on the football field.
On Wednesday, golfer Grant Horvat posted a video of himself playing golf with Barkley, who played the first six years of his NFL career with the New York Giants before signing with the Eagles last offseason and winning Super Bowl LIX in February.
Barkley, who has dealt with injuries in past years, led the league in rushing yards in the 2024 season, surpassing 2,000 yards for the first time in his career.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know.
As they traveled between holes, Barkley asked Horvat, “You’re big in your faith, right?”
Horvat answered in the affirmative, characterizing himself as “very big in my faith” and acknowledging that he was a Christian. When Horvat asked Barkley if he was a Christian as well, the football player responded: “I just became a Christian not too long ago.”
An impressed Horvat remarked: “It’s amazing being able to even share it on here with people who may be struggling in their life and they don’t know which direction to go.” Barkley commented that in his case, “I don’t think it’s a coincidence the best year I had of my career, I’ve found my faith.”
“It gives me some clarity in life,” he added.
Noting that people often wonder about their purpose at some point in their lives, Horvat described “finding God and finding Jesus and just living your life for Him” as “the most amazing thing.”
Barkley previously attributed his athletic success to his Christian faith while speaking to reporters during the week leading up to the Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs. He said that his agent is also a pastor, and he did Bible studies with him.
“I don’t think it’s ironic that the year that I try to really hone in and grow in my faith, I happen to have, you know, my best season,” he said at the time. “I don’t think that’s ironic at all.”
The athlete acknowledged that he was still trying to “get better” at the Bible.
“I think that’s what religion and faith is — is having a relationship with God and understanding who Jesus is and that’s what I’ve been trying to do this year,” the former Penn State University standout said.
“I’m going to continue to try and get better at it,” he vowed. “I know that I wouldn’t be here without the Man above.”
Although it was only within the last year that Barkley said he has been actively growing in his faith, he had previously praised the Lord for his accomplishments.
In 2019, after winning the Breakthrough Athlete of the Year Award at that year’s ESPY Awards while he was a player for the Giants, Barkley gave glory to God during his acceptance speech.
“First and foremost, I want to say thank you to God for blessing me with the opportunity to wake up every single day and play the sport I love and have impact on others,” he said.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
