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"Faith, family, football" is a mantra lived by many on and off the field, but for Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey, it's truly everything.
The Georgia native may be in his second year in the NFL, but he has never shied away from expressing how much his Christian beliefs mean to him, whether it's on the field, in the film room, or at home with his wife, Sydney.
It just so happens that McConkey's head coach, Jim Harbaugh, shares the same values and beliefs. In fact, many Chargers players and coaches celebrate and practice their faith on a daily basis, and McConkey couldn't be happier to be part of an organization where, no matter your beliefs, you can express them every day.
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"Just to speak on Coach Harbaugh, he does such a great job of allowing that to happen in our program," McConkey told Fox News Digital while discussing his partnership with Dr Pepper ahead of the Pepper Portal heading to Athens for the Georgia Bulldogs vs. Texas Longhorns matchup on Saturday. "J.K. Scott, our punter, he leads chapel sessions every Friday night. We have coaches coming in, players coming in, and we're all just getting around and worshiping. It's awesome."
When you watch McConkey play on game day, you may notice that he seems very free when he steps to the line of scrimmage and runs his routes. While that comes from a strong work ethic throughout the week, McConkey believes his faith plays a major role in his success at the highest level of football.
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"Just really experiencing God's love - when you have that, all your anxiety goes away," he explained. "You're not worried about, 'Oh, what am I going to do on the field?' because you know that doesn't fulfill you. When you're fulfilled, you know Jesus loves you and you have that love. Now, you can go out here and play free and don't have to worry about anything, and I'll be good at the end of the day."
In an interview last year with Fox News Digital, Harbaugh said "faith, family, football" helps him "keep things straight in my mind." He also found it "inspiring" that others outside his team, such as Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud and Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes, have shared their faith during the NFL season.
As a fellow player, McConkey feels the same way.
"It's so awesome to see guys step up and speak about it, and just know that their experience is the same thing I'm experiencing," he said. "We have hard times, and we go through struggles. But at the end of the day, if we have our faith, we'll be OK.
"So, it's just awesome to see guys like that publicly talking about it. I'm blessed to have coach Harbaugh that allows that in our team and allows it in our organization."
While McConkey keeps his faith strong with the Chargers, he's also always tuned in to his Bulldogs.
McConkey won't be able to be at Sanford Stadium this weekend to see No. 5 Georgia face No. 10 Texas in a crucial SEC matchup, but he will be watching ahead of his own game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Dr Pepper continues to host special game-day events this college season with "The Pepper Portal," a first-of-its-kind fan experience connecting rival college towns before the big game.
"It's sick," McConkey said of "The Pepper Portal." "Just seeing what Dr Pepper can do with the college football fan base, just bringing everybody together. I know how it was at Georgia - those fans are always ready. Just having that and the Pepper Portal, being able to have some back-and-forth with Texas and them just being in the SEC year two now. We gotta show them what some real SEC, Dawg Nation is about."
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