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Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka made a big impression on the NFL scene in his rookie year in 2025.
But the Ohio State product doesn’t just think his goal is to help his team achieve its Super Bowl goals: Preaching his faith is also high on his list of priorities.
Like many in the NFL, Egbuka uses his platform at the professional level to share his Christian faith, something he said he found 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 the field before an NFL game against the Carolina Panthers at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on January 3, 2026. (Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
Today, if you go to his Instagram page, you’ll see he goes by the name “Christ Follower” and he spoke to PK Press Club Digital about how his faith motivates him on and off the field.
“To put it simply, this is a big part of my life because of what Jesus has done in my life, and I know he offers the same to every person,” Egbuka said over Zoom after helping USAA in its “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 to say. I’ve been walking with him ever since.
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Five years ago, Egbuka was just a freshman at Ohio State, hoping to make an impact for the Buckeyes. As he continued to grow through three more years of college football, he ended up helping the Buckeyes win a national championship during the 2024 season.
At the same time, he said he began to find “peace” and “joy” with his faith and God, something he still feels today.
“The sense of identity that I have that I didn’t have before. There’s a lot of things in my life and a lot of ways that I was struggling mentally that He pulled me out of,” Egbuka explained. “It’s things that go unnoticed. It’s things behind the curtains that people don’t see every day because we put on these masks, put on these faces.” [and] facades.
Emeka Egbuka #2 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers leaves the field after defeating the Carolina Panthers at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on January 3, 2026. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
“But deep down, everyone faces things. That’s life. It tests us all. There are trials and tribulations that come every day, and we can do our best to stay faithful and hold on. At the end of the day, we’re human. There’s only so much we can do to hold ourselves together when we get to the point where we come to the end of ourselves – that’s where I was when God met me.
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“Just being able to preach about it, to use my platform to spread the Gospel. I think my focus is just the hope that is in Jesus.”
Upon entering the NFL community, Egbuka noticed that other people like Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud, Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins and many others also shared their faith.
“I think it’s a blessing and a privilege that we can be so open,” Egbuka added. “Obviously it wasn’t always like that, but even today, in different countries, you can be murdered and killed for professing your faith and everything else. We’re just in a society and a culture that we can share openly, without any hostility or negative reaction towards us. I think it’s a huge privilege that we have to be able to share our platform and use it to spread the Gospel.”
Egbuka also uses his platform to impact his community, as he did Tuesday at the USAA office in Tampa, where he focused part of his off-season efforts on raising awareness about hurricane preparedness in an area susceptible to such natural disasters.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka surrounded by USAA volunteers creating hurricane kits ahead of Florida’s hurricane season. (USAA)
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“This is not the first time I have worked with USAA, so I am happy to collaborate with them again,” he said. “Just a great staff and everyone that works here. They’ve been so hospitable to me and my team, and obviously that hits close to home for me. I have a grandfather who was a Navy SEAL, a father who was an active duty soldier for a while and now works at the Department of Defense as a civil engineer. I’ve definitely been surrounded by the military my whole life.
“Some of the emergency kits we made today have whistles, safety blankets, everything you might need in a disaster. That’s what we focused on today. There’s nothing we can do to stop a hurricane from happening. Obviously, staying on top of the weather and paying attention to the alerts and everything else. I know my house has hurricane shutters and everything that helps you stay on top of it. I really try to do our best to be proactive, and I think the kits we made today will go a long way.”
