Star Athletes Build Hype for Release of EA Sports College Football 25
Last Updated on July 18, 2024
After an 11-year hiatus, the video game beloved by college football fans is back. EA Sports College Football 25 is set to release on July 19.
NIL has given college athletes a higher stake in the game. By leaning on star athletes, the game promises to be better, and more realistic, than ever before.
Why the Hype?
The upcoming release marks the long-awaited return of the popular EA Sports college football video game series. The last edition of the game, NCAA Football 14, was released on July 9, 2013. EA discontinued production of the game for over a decade as a result of an antitrust class action lawsuit filed against the NCAA by former UCLA basketball player, Ed O’Bannon.
In the 2021 landmark NCAA v. Alston case, the Supreme Court ruled that NCAA athletes could earn compensation for their name, image, and likeness (NIL), signaling the start of the NIL era in college athletics. The decision paved a road for EA Sports to continue production of the series, provided they compensate each athlete for their NIL.
As a result, the hype for College Football 25 is inextricably linked to NIL. In February, EA revealed that they would compensate each athlete $600 along with a copy of the video game in return for opting in through Learfield’s COMPASS NIL app. According to The Athletic, a total of more than 11,000 college athletes will be featured in the game, constituting the largest NIL deal of any kind.
The hype is also linked to making history. The game will mark the first time that realistic player NIL are used in a college sports video game. College Football 25 will feature all FBS programs and up to 85 players per school will appear on the initial rosters. In addition, the game will portray all 134 Division I stadiums and bring greater attention to detail for the team runout routines and mascots that uniquely showcase each program’s gameday traditions.
Star Athletes Build Hype
Featured on the EA Sports College Football 25 cover are Michigan’s RB Donovan Edwards, Texas’ QB Quinn Ewers, and Colorado’s WR/ DB Travis Hunter. In the days leading up to the July 19 release date, EA is building up hype for the game by tapping on none other than the game’s star cover athletes.
On July 8, EA Sports released an exclusive look at the gameplay by showcasing Michigan’s Donovan Edwards playing the game as himself. Reliving his performance in the 2023 National Championship game, Edwards ran wild on the screen for 160 yards and scored three times in his matchup against Texas.
In the following days, EA released additional previews of the game’s defining features including College Ultimate Team, Launch Roster, and Road to Glory, respectively. All three cover athletes are represented in the Ultimate Team packs in the Tweet below.
Natalie Sharp, director of Colorado’s 5430 Alliance NIL collective, recently announced a College Football 25 launch party on July 19 to commemorate their star two-way player, Travis Hunter, featured on the cover. The party will include a gaming tournament and a meet-and-greet with Colorado football players.
In a Statement to On3, Sharp expressed, “Highlighting one of our own student-athletes on the game’s cover is incredibly special, and this release is an exciting opportunity to celebrate the evolving landscape of NIL opportunities. Fans can look forward to competing against familiar faces from the game, bridging the gap between virtual gaming and real-world athletics in a uniquely enjoyable experience.”
With a decade of waiting inevitably comes high expectations. Now, with representation and promotion of the star athletes themselves, College Football 25 promises to not disappoint.
