More to life than winning

Hykeng Paul’s Story

Hykeng's dream of playing football at Clemson started early — as a kid watching cars whizzing by with orange flags waving in the wind. 

A two-sport star, athletic success dominated Hykeng's life in high school. Academics were a distant thought. In a cruel irony, low grades were ultimately to blame for squashing the recruiting interest from Clemson he wanted so badly.

Years later, Hykeng was still eyeing the opportunity to walk-on when he transferred to Clemson from a local technical college.

Always the popular kid, Hykeng hung with the players and partied with the girls. He thought he was living "the life.” But at a campus FCA event featuring a NewSpring speaker, Hykeng realized with tears how far he'd strayed since asking Jesus into his life at 13 — and how fast he’d sprinted down the path of self-indulgence, success, and sin.

That night, Hykeng decided to "come home” to Jesus.

At NewSpring, he began to discover what he was really made to do: To use his popularity and influence, especially among athletes, to draw people to the message of Jesus.