What Should You Know about Me?

First, you should know I’m passionate. Passionate about my football career. Passionate about my family. Passionate about my wife, Katy. And most of all, passionate about Jesus. Wherever I go, I can’t wait to empower the people I connect with to tap into the grace and power of Jesus Christ. My deepest desire is for everyone to know their true identity in Christ! And I want them to know they have the ability to bring His Kingdom to a broken world.

Where did this passion start? Well, I’m the fourth of five kids born to Happy and Dianne Leman, pastors of the Champaign-Urbana (IL) Vineyard Church. Faith in Jesus has always been central to my family. In fact, our family got its very start as a miracle, when my oldest brother JD was conceived. You see, my parents were not supposed to be able to have children! Talk about a family BUILT on faith!

And I’ve always been passionate about sports. In high school, I played football, basketball, and track. I excelled in football and earned a scholarship to the University of Illinois. While at Illinois, I earned my bachelor’s degree in Speech Communication and my Master’s degree in Human Resources. On the gridiron, I was named an All-American and helped lead the Fighting Illini to the 2008 Rose Bowl.

After graduation, I married my college sweetheart, Katy, and was signed by the Minnesota Vikings. Now I’m in sunny Oakland playing linebacker for the Oakland Raiders – a long way from home, but still as passionate as ever!