After over a decade of anticipation, a new college football video game is finally on the horizon.
EA Sports’ College Football 25 will be released this summer, the first collegiate game the company has released since NCAA Football 14 hit shelves in 2013. Tons of news about the highly anticipated game has trickled out in recent weeks and we’ll keep tabs on all of it right here.
First Teaser Trailer
EA Sports finally released the first teaser trailer for College Football 25 on February 15. It didn’t really reveal much, but it certainly created a mountain of buzz for the return of the beloved series. We should be getting the first full tailer sometime in May.
Dynasty and Road to Glory Modes return
EA Sports vice president and general manager Daryl Holt confirmed back in 2022 that Dynasty and Road to Glory will return to the game. Dynasty was the most popular mode in the old NCAA Football series as the users can take control of program and operating everything from the games to coaching staff changes to recruiting to even conference realignment. Many users found fun in building up lower level FBS programs like Louisiana-Monroe for example and turning them into powerhouses.
Road to Glory allows you to create an individual player and control them through their senior season in high school. You then choose which college he will attend and play with them throughout their collegiate career.
One will imagine that advent of NIL and the transfer portal will play a role in these modes.
All FBS Schools in the game
EA Sports confirmed that all 134 FBS schools will be playable in the game. FCS will reportedly not be available at launch, but will possibly be available at some point later on.
They’re in the game.
— EASPORTSCollege (@EASPORTSCollege) February 22, 2024
College Football 25 will feature all 134 FBS schools #CFB25 pic.twitter.com/WLH3DEXdv0
ESPN commentators return to press box for EA Sports
It has been confirmed that the ESPN/ABC duo of Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit will be the primary commentators for the game. Kevin Connors, Jesse Palmer, and David Pollack will also be in video form as well.
I’m in the Game! Today, I can finally make it official. I am honored to be one of the voices in #CFB25 ! Wait until you see this game! #EAPartner https://t.co/mdLRo77QZR
— Chris Fowler (@cbfowler) February 22, 2024
I’m so excited to FINALLY announce that I’m part of @EASPORTSCollege. I’m proud to be a partner and one of the voices of the game once again – my 14th year in that role. #CFB25 #EAPartner https://t.co/zVKXxwtKw5
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) February 22, 2024
This news doesn’t come as a surprise as the previous NCAA Football series primarily used ESPN/ABC’s top college football commentators as the primary voices for their games. NCAA Football ‘14, the final installment of the game before its hiatus, featured Herbstreit and Brad Nessler as the primary commentators as they were the lead voices for ABC’s Saturday Night Football at the time. Fowler took over for the CBS-bound Nessler in 2015 and him and Herbstreit has been one of the top commentating duos of the sport since.
Fellow ESPN analysts Kevin Connors and Jesse Palmer also confirmed their inclusion into the game. Also confirmed are former Heisman Trophy winner and College Gameday analyst Desmond Howard, as well as former Gameday analyst David Pollack.
Players to receive $600 and a copy of the game for their NIL rights
EA Sports confirmed that current college football players can opt in and have their name, image, and likeness used for the game. Players who do this will be compensated $600 and a free copy of the game. The inability to compensate the players directly is what effectively killed the old NCAA Football series and the advent of NIL has allowed it to come back to life.
Senior Bowl Mode
The Senior Bowl tweeted out that it will be involved in the new video game in some capacity and took it a step forward by tagging the Madden account as well.
Senior Bowl Mode @EASPORTSCollege ➡️ @EAMaddenNFL#CFB25 | #TheDraftStartsInMOBILE™️ pic.twitter.com/o1Rpd2OhAO
— Reese’s Senior Bowl (@seniorbowl) February 22, 2024
Old NCAA Football games allowed Dynasty/Road to Glory Mode players to export outgoing draft classes to Franchise Mode in Madden, creating a cool connection between the two games. We assume that the Senior Bowl will be a playable game in these modes that will help determine the rankings for the draft prospects when they’re uploaded into Madden.