Trust is something everyone will wrestle with in life. Whether it’s learning to trust family, friends or even strangers, building trust is an essential part of human connection.

For Nay’Ron Jenkins, he wrestled with learning to trust the Lord when it appeared that his dream was coming to an end. But he quickly learned that God never forgets us and trusting Him in the unknown brings many unexpected blessings.

Jenkins, a senior linebacker at Florida A&M University, grew up in Alachua, Fla. near Gainesville. He played football and basketball most of his life and had dreams of playing in the NBA. After realizing God had different plans, he decided to take football more seriously.

He received All-State and All-Conference honors after his senior season but still had no Division I scholarship offers. Though possessing an offer to a small school, he desired to play at a larger school.

“I thought that my football journey was over,” Jenkins said. “I was pretty much preparing to be just a regular student.”

One Sunday at church, the congregation sang a song with the lyrics, “God’s gonna do it,” and Jenkins remembered his mother mentioning the power of words and faith. So, he sang, believing God would make a way for football.

Not long after, Jenkins received a call from the defensive coordinator at Florida A&M University offering him a walk-on spot on their football team. After taking a couple of days to pray and talk it over with his parents, he committed to FAMU.

However, Jenkins’s journey was not easy. During his freshman and sophomore seasons, he played on special teams but desired to play more during bigger games. He began to seek the Lord, expressing the dream in his heart.

Soon enough, Jenkins received more playing time and started a couple of games.

“Sometimes you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel,” he said. “It’s easy to be like, ‘God, I need You. Where are You?’ But He’s trying to tell you, ‘Hold on.’ Sometimes we aren’t ready, so He is waiting for the right time to give us what we’ve been asking for.

“Even when it’s tough, your heart still trusts Him.”

In 2023, Florida A&M went 12-1 overall, won the Southwestern Athletic Conference title and defeated Howard University 30-26 in the Celebration Bowl to win the 2023 HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) National Championship.

Being able to start and win championships were not the only highlights for Jenkins. He said the Fellowship of Christian Athletes has been “nothing short of a blessing” during his time in college.

Jenkins met Ryan Sprague, FCA Director of Tallahassee College Ministry, at an FCA dinner held at a local church during his freshman year. Throughout his time in college, Sprague has been someone Jenkins could depend on to talk to or pray about anything.

Sprague, in turn, was impacted by Jenkin’s heart.

“By the time I met Nay’Ron, he was already a young man of faith,” Sprague said. “He has been a steady source of encouragement and assurance.”

Throughout their time together, they’ve started a weekly multi-sport Huddle and have taken two trips to Argentina, partnering with sports partners in Buenos Aires. Jenkins and former teammate Lamar Clark shared their testimonies, presented the Gospel and taught a group of eager Argentines the game of American football.

Now a graduate student, Jenkins and Sprague are hopeful that the Lord will continue to grow what has been started and that revival will break out among the athletes on campus.

“FCA is a great organization that allows a bridge between Christianity and athletics,” Jenkins said. “Even if you’re not an athlete, it’s a great organization to be around, because it gets you close to like-minded individuals.”

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Photos courtesy of Nay'Ron Jenkins and Tallahassee Democrat