Hill: EA College Football’s return a big moment for gamers, athletes

If you have a friend or loved one who is into sports gaming, please try to spend as much time as you can with them over the next few days.

You may not see a whole lot of them for a while after Friday.

That’s when EA Sports College Football 25, the most anticipated sports video game of the decade, officially drops after more than 10 years out of production because of a legal dispute over the use of players’ likenesses.

Within minutes of the release, a certain segment of society will be drawing the blinds for hours, days, weeks and months on end, working on all the minor details involved with building a dynasty. That starts with getting your coach and hiring the right staff around him. Then there is recruiting and game play.

Those who have never played would be stunned at the level of detail involved. It’s one of the reasons this moment is so special for so many people, particularly of my generation.

But before you start labeling those of us who are irrationally excited about this moment as nerds or wannabes who never actually succeeded in sports and are just looking for a way to chase that glory, you should probably check on how enthused actual athletes are about this moment.

Ex-Hawaii star ‘stoked’

“I think everyone’s real excited for the game to come out,” UNLV offensive coordinator Brennan Marion said. “Whether you’re young or old or whatever, I think everyone is fired up for it just because it hasn’t been out in so long.”

UNLV coach Barry Odom isn’t much of a gamer, but he acknowledged the level of anticipation that has been building among his players.

Hawaii coach Timmy Chang, who was a star in earlier versions of the game as “Hawaii QB No. 14” was far more enthusiastic talking about the game’s rerelease.

“I’m stoked,” he said. “I’ll be on that thing for sure. I’m so excited for the student-athletes to really experience this because it brings me back to my college days. These guys can’t study and play football all day long. There has to be an outlet to rest with the toll they put on their bodies. Playing video games is a big part of the student-athlete culture. I expect big things from EA Sports. They are going to do it big.”

Even non-gamers are anticipating this moment.

“I don’t know how excited I am because I don’t play video games,” UNLV star linebacker and Mountain West preseason co-defensive player of the year Jackson Woodard said. “I have to go buy a PlayStation to be able to play it, but I’m excited just because of how excited everyone else is. I have friends texting me and asking if I’m in it and all that. It will be awesome to have a game I can play as myself for the rest of my life. It will be cool.”

UNLV star receiver Ricky White III is a gamer who plans to jump right into the game, even though he already has an issue with the production team. When EA released the top-10 rated receivers and top-100 rated overall players, the All-American’s name was absent.

He immediately went to social media to call the snub “disrespectful,” though he later laughed about it when discussing how much he is anticipating playing the game.

“I’d rather show them in person,” he said of proving the ratings wrong.

His issues certainly won’t stop him from utilizing the free copy he and every other college player will receive as part of the NIL agreement.

“I’m only playing as myself,” he said. “Being able to play a game that you’re in is the most exciting thing to me. And you can build a program. It’s a copy of real life to a certain extent. I heard they even have a transfer portal.”

First-play decision

Those realistic details of team and program-building are the best part of the game. I can’t wait.

Full disclosure, I got rid of my gaming systems many years ago because they were just taking up way too much of my time. I have never really considered diving back in until now.

It’s just too important a sports cultural moment to pass up. The biggest question now is what play to run with the first offensive snap after more than 10 years, a decision that has become a raging debate online. Leading candidates are a triple option run or sending four receivers on vertical go routes and throwing deep.

My plan is a bit different. I am going to take a knee to start the game as a tribute to a decade of young people who never got to experience the joy of one of the great video game franchises in history.

Then, it’s back on the recruiting trail. It’s a lot of work, but I’m ready.

See you all in about a month.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.