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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 really is everything.
The Georgia native may be in his second year in the NFL, but he’s never shied away from expressing how much his Christian faith means 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 a part of an organization where, whatever your beliefs, you can express them every day.
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Ladd McConkey of the Los Angeles Chargers reacts after the game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on November 2, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)
“Just to talk about Coach Harbaugh, he does a great job of allowing that to happen in our program,” McConkey told Pakinomist Digital while discussing his partnership with Dr. Pepper ahead of Pepper Portal heading to Athens for the Georgia Bulldogs vs. Texas Longhorns matchup on Saturday. “JK Scott, our punter, he leads chapel sessions every Friday night. We have coaches come in, players come in, and we all just come around and worship. It’s great.”
When you watch McConkey play on game day, you might notice that he seems very free when he steps to the line and runs his routes. Although it comes from a strong work ethic during the week, McConkey believes his faith plays a big part in his success at football’s highest level.
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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 it doesn’t fulfill you. When you are fulfilled, you know that Jesus loves you and you have that love. Now you can go out here and play free and not have to worry about anything and I’ll be good at the end of the day.”
In an interview last year with Pakinomist Digital, Harbaugh said “faith, family, football” helps him “keep things straight in my mind.” He also found it “inspiring” that others outside of his team, such as Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud and Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes, have shared their beliefs during the NFL season.
As a fellow player, McConkey feels the same way.
Ladd McConkey of the Los Angeles Chargers celebrates a second quarter touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers at SoFi Stadium on November 9, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Harry How/Getty Images)
“It’s so great to see guys come forward and talk about it and just know that their experience is the same as what 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 okay.
“So, it’s just great to see guys like that talk publicly about it. I’m blessed to have Coach Harbaugh allow that in our team and allow that in our organization.”
While McConkey keeps his faith strong with the Chargers, he is also always attuned to his Bulldogs.
McConkey won’t be able to be at Sanford Stadium this weekend to watch No. 5 Georgia face No. 10 Texas in a pivotal SEC game, but he will watch ahead of his own game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Ladd McConkey of the Los Angeles Chargers watches from the sideline during the national anthem prior to an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings at SoFi Stadium on October 23, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
Dr. Pepper continues to host special game day events this college season with “The Pepper Portal,” a first-of-its-kind fan experience that connects 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 what it was like in Georgia — those fans are always ready. Just having that and the Pepper portal, being able to have a little back and forth with Texas and them just being in SEC year two now. We’ve got to show them what a real SEC, Dawg Nation is all about.”
