It’s been over a decade since the last EA Sports college football video game was released, with Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson on the cover of NCAA Football 14 in May 2013. Jackson Arnold, who was in elementary school at the time, fondly remembers the joy of playing the game in his family’s living room.
“That was my childhood,” Arnold said this spring. “I remember playing on my Xbox 360 with my cousins and friends. That was my game growing up. I knew I wanted to play D-I ball and be in that game someday.”
Back then, he usually played as Georgia. Before moving to Texas, he grew up in Suwanee, Georgia, near Atlanta, and was a Bulldogs fan who admired players like Matthew Stafford and Aaron Murray.
In July, Arnold will finally get to play as himself, rather than as a custom player in an old game. EA Sports is launching the highly anticipated reboot of the franchise with College Football 25, set to be released on July 19, as announced this week. An official trailer went live on Friday morning, featuring a brief appearance from Oklahoma, along with additional game details and gameplay screenshots from EA Sports.
The upcoming release of the EA Sports franchise marks a milestone as it becomes the inaugural edition to showcase current college players with their names, images, and likeness. Prior to NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) regulations, this wasn’t feasible, hence former players typically adorned the covers, basking in the spotlight post-graduation. This year’s iteration boasts a trio of cover athletes: Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, Colorado’s versatile player Travis Hunter, and Michigan’s running back Donovan Edwards.
While the trio adorns the cover, EA Sports has forged partnerships with numerous prominent players in college football through NIL arrangements. Apart from receiving a base compensation of $600 and a game copy for permitting the use of their NIL, select athletes will earn extra rewards for promoting the game. Arnold, set to lead Oklahoma as the new starting quarterback amid their transition to the SEC, along with OU’s standout linebacker Danny Stutsman, have announced their additional partnerships with EA Sports via social media ahead of the upcoming season.
It’ll be pretty cool,” Stutsman said last month. “I kind of grew up playing EA Sports with my dad, so it’ll be kind of a full-circle experience. He said he’s going to have to get an Xbox or something now. We’ll update the system that he’s on. It’s great. It’s a cool opportunity. Obviously, there was no hesitation to opt into that game. It’s awesome.”
While the game will release in the offseason, just after SEC Media Days in July, Stutsman doesn’t know how much time he’ll have to play before things pick up heading into his final college season. Even if he can’t spare the time in-season to play as himself and his current teammates, he’s looking forward to the chance to play as the Sooners in future editions of the game after he wraps up his college career
