New Ohio State Football Docuseries Shows Miraculous Run Toward 'Redemption'

'Redemption' photo image courtesy Wonder Project, Prime Video
Faith and football. At first glance, it might appear that these two things don’t exactly go hand in hand. After all, to have complete trust or confidence in someone or something juxtaposed with the gritty, grueling nature found on the gridiron doesn't seem to mix. Or do they?

But there is something to be said about sacrifice, the act of giving up something of value for the sake of something else. We find this all throughout football when an individual player gives up on personal glory for the greater good of his team. The same could be said about something far greater … faith in Jesus Christ.

As the Ohio State Buckeyes gear up for another run at a football national championship, a deep root of faith can be found emanating throughout the core of this highly-touted program that is so closely associated with national prominence.

Husband and wife team Matthew and Marlee Benson saw the powerful impact that faith was having on the 2024 edition of the Buckeyes. With notable players like Treveyon Henderson, Emeka Egbuka, Will Howard and others, all being outspoken about their faith in Christ, the Bensons felt an unbridled desire to tell the world about it. So, they did something very unconventional. They created and produced a documentary film series.

Redemption, a three-episode docuseries now available on Prime Video, chronicles the pressures of big-time college football and that the team’s greatest victory may not come on the field after all. It might actually take place in their heart.

I recently sat down with Marlee Benson to discuss what gave her the boldness to chase a topic like this as a novice filmmaker, the common thread of grace they found in each player who proclaimed their faith, and why it is so important to show this miraculous run toward redemption.

If you were trying to convince a friend to take the time to watch Redemption, what would you say to encourage them? What would your sales pitch be?

We watch football on Sundays and even if you don't watch football on Sundays, you probably have seen players on social media and you see them from a different point of view. But this documentary really pulls the curtain back on what those players are like, what's going on in their real lives, and you get a taste for maybe what's happening off the field.

For every filmmaker, there always seems to be a moment where you say to yourself, “I have to make this movie! It is non-negotiable!” But wait a minute, neither of you are filmmakers. What led you to A) Want to make a docuseries, and B) Why a series about the Ohio State football team?

Like you said, we're not filmmakers by any means, but we do love documentaries. In August of 2024, we were on a huge documentary kick. I don't know if you've seen Swamp Kings or The Last Dance, but we were watching those sports docuseries. And during that time, we went to our normal church service. And Gee Scott, a player on the 2024 Ohio State football team, was sharing his testimony. He actually ended up baptizing players on the team in that service. And so, on the way home, we jokingly said it would be so cool to watch a documentary about what we just saw. It's happening in our city. These players are more than just football players, but have a real faith. And so, we made a few phone calls to friends who are in the film industry. We started filming in August of 2024. Like you said, there comes a point where you just decide you have to make the film and that's what we did.

What prepared you to even think about making a film like this? What is your background prior to making Redemption?

I think God has a funny way of using what we love in childhood and bringing it into our adult life. And so looking back, I'm in marketing and my husband Matthew is in tech, so neither of us are in the film industry. But we both love storytelling. From a young age, we both loved telling stories our parents will say. And so, this has come full circle, not in the film industry, but we each had a love for sharing stories.

As you mentioned, this all started with you hearing Ohio State player Gee Scott Jr. give his testimony at a church service you attended? What made you want to look beyond him to uncover the wealth of players on this team that proclaimed their faith in Christ?

We live in Columbus, Ohio. If you live in Columbus, you have to be a Buckeyes fan. That's not even up for discussion. And so we see a lot of these fans of the football team put these kids on a pedestal. You see them from the outside in and really make them idols in your life. And so, we thought it would be so cool to get a look at their real life, when they're not wearing the helmet. What is their life like? And so that really is what encouraged us to start this.

How difficult was it to get the buy-in of these high-profile OSU players like TreVeyon Henderson, Emeka Egbuka, and Will Howard to participate in this?

We had no relationship with them prior. So, you can only imagine a cold DM (direct message) on social media from two people who aren't filmmakers asking to make a documentary about basically their life. It was a pretty big chance, but God obviously knew that it was supposed to happen because we got connected with them. We sat in a room together and just said, we're making this so people will know Jesus. And that's about all it took. There were several conversations between them, but these guys are the real deal and they really wanted people to meet Jesus. This was kind of an avenue for them to do that.

For me, this is very much a docuseries about obedience … players being obedient to God in the face of the pressures of playing big time college football and your obedience in stepping up and actually making this. What has God taught you through the painstaking process of crafting Redemption?

It's been so refining for our faith. I would say dependence on God and surrender top the list. It's been very unique because this is not an area I feel super skilled in, but it was an area I felt convicted to step into. And so, if God gives you an idea, He will also provide the way if you are dependent on Him. And so there were several opportunities to step out of it. We had a lot of forks in the road and every single time when we kind of released that, God continued to show up. And so it was amazing to do what really felt like a partnership with God and full dependence on Him.

It's not every day that a husband and wife decide to make a film about the faith of college football players for the pre-eminent program in the country. Were either of you hesitant about working together as you began this filmmaking journey? Did you learn anything new about each other through the process?

Oh, absolutely. Full disclosure, it was rocky in the beginning. We both love control, so you can imagine trying to create something from scratch. We both wanted control, but it was a great lesson for us. And after we found our groove, we're already excited for what the next thing is. We found that Matt is very much of an executor and I'm more of a nurturer. So, once we found our lane, it became a really beautiful way to partner together and get this done.

Please tell me about how the Tim Tebow Foundation became involved in this project? I understand that all proceeds will go to support kingdom-oriented non-profits like Tim’s foundation.

We had some mutual connections, and we actually wound up in a boardroom with Tim with a few people on his foundation. It was when this docuseries was only an idea before we had any real ground covered. And just a little behind the scenes note, Tim actually came up with the title Redemption in that boardroom meeting. He said it, and we kind of all looked at each other and said yeah, that's going to be the title of the docuseries. Then it was. Tim's also in the documentary. Who better to talk about faith in football, right? He shares that in the documentary, but also, we were able to partner with his foundation in kind, where some of the donations go from the docuseries sale. And it's incredible work that they are doing. Happy to partner with them and support them in any way we can.

After audiences have had a chance to see Redemption what would you like to see people take away from that experience? What is your greatest hope for the film?

I would say my greatest hope is that people would just realize that it's never too late for redemption for themselves. I think we all go through things in life … challenges, hard things, maybe make mistakes that we regret, but I think this docuseries does a great way of showing that it's never too late for God to redeem you wherever you are.

All three episodes are currently available for streaming on Prime Video.

WATCH A TRAILER FOR REDEMPTION: