It's been more than a decade since college football fans saw a new NCAA football video game.
Electronic Arts (EA) told ESPN in 2022 that the series was scheduled to return this summer, but excitement for the game increased in February when EA released a trailer.
The Daily reported in February that Stanford would play. For the players on the football team, this game is an occasion that will be remembered forever.
“Me and a lot of my friends are competing elsewhere,” junior cornerback Colin Wright said. “It's really great to see everyone getting a chance to see themselves in the game, especially the players who won't be able to make it to the NFL.”
For junior tackle Fisher Anderson, the opportunity for his high school friends to play just like him in a game is an exciting prospect.
“No one wants to play as an offensive lineman,” Anderson said. “But I know some of my best friends are going to play Road to Glory mode and make me a Heisman winner.”
A controversial element for players is the rating. Many players expressed strong opinions on where they expected the game's ratings to fall.
“Anything above 80 would be pretty decent,” Wright said. “But anything less than that would be pretty upsetting.”
“If you're going to give just a few guys in the country a grade of 90 or above, I'm happy with a 70,” sophomore defensive lineman Zach Rowell said.
Another controversial aspect is what players included in the game receive from EA.
EA is offering athletes who appear in the game $600 and a free copy of the game. Some players may try to refuse this payment in favor of a higher payout, but players interviewed by the Daily said they were satisfied with the rate.
“I think the compensation was more than fair to me,” Anderson said.
“There was no debate about $600 and free games,” Lowell said. “They're not going to give you $5,000. You can make the argument of adding a few hundred dollars, but I've always found him pretty happy with $600 and a free game.”
However, Anderson added that he feels payments should be proportionate to the player's brand and skill level, rather than base payments.
“If I were the best offensive tackle in college football, I would definitely utilize my abilities and get paid more,” Anderson said.
But while player evaluations and compensation may dominate the discussion on message boards, most players who spoke to the Daily focused on the excitement of finally having an NCAA football franchise back.
“For myself and the other kids on the team, I think it’s a really great opportunity for the players to be able to see themselves virtually in a game where they can play against other friends,” Lowell said. “My teammates and I are competing on Madden right now, and it’s great to be back playing NCAA football.”
This article has been changed to properly attribute the quote to Zach Rowell instead of Zach Buckey. He also misspelled Collin Wright's name in the original version of this article, which has now been corrected. The Daily deplores these errors.
