Over the last few months, a growing number of student-athletes within the University of Pittsburgh’s football program have been gathering weekly for Bible studies and prayer meetings. Organizers say more than 30 players have made public faith commitments since the spring — part of what they see as a spiritual movement unfolding on campus.
Senior tight end Jake Overman said the idea first came to him five months ago, when he sensed a calling to reach his teammates and other student-athletes with the Gospel.
“I really just heard God speak to me about four or five months ago that he wanted to bring revival to this campus,” he told CBN News. “He spoke it very clearly and confirmed it actually in a few dreams.”
With support from local pastors, Overman launched Pitt Purpose — a student-led group that now hosts weekly gatherings and faith-centered events for student-athletes.
“We were seeing the move of God that was happening (on other campuses), and we really felt like God had a heart for the University of Pittsburgh and especially (the) athletics program,” Overman said. “We saw that God was moving in a powerful way, so we wanted to start really like a movement.”
Overman said the group’s weekly Bible studies average 20 to 25 attendees, and a regular prayer meeting has also taken shape. He shared that the gatherings have included moments that, in his words, reflect a spiritual outpouring.
“We’ve seen healings. We’ve had guys on the team and other students receive their prayer language,” he said. “It’s just been God, and his breath has been on it.”
Overman said part of what’s driving the openness among athletes is the pressure they face behind the scenes — on and off the field.
“I think there’s a lot of pressure [as an athlete]. I think there’s a lot of striving and goals and expectations that we’re constantly having to meet, and I think at times it can get exhausting,” he said. “We’re playing in front of hundreds of thousands of people every single week, and now in the NIL era, we are getting paid lots of money. So we’re making sure we’re building a life on a solid foundation. It’s so important to be rooted in our faith because it’s not easy to be a student-athlete.”
Overman shared that he hopes what’s started with the football will continue to spread throughout the campus.
“I think that the harvest here [at the school] and the soil here is good soil,” he said. “I think that is why we’re receiving so much openness to the Gospel. I think God’s been getting all of their hearts ready for it for many seasons, many years, and I think now is the time.”
