Sports gamers rejoice — EA Sports’ long-awaited return of its college football game is creeping ever closer.
EA Sports’ College Football 25 is set for release this summer, ending the game’s decadelong hiatus. But unlike previous versions, the game will feature the real names of players, after a deal was settled to pay them through NCAA’s name, image and likeness agreement. Each NCAA football player who opts in to allowing the game to replicate themselves and their image will receive a $600 check from EA Sports, along with a free copy of the game.
According to a report by ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg, over 10,000 players have opted in, with EA Sports having reached 87% of its goal of filling in 85-man rosters for all 134 FBS schools.
Not everyone’s on board, though.
According to Anwar Richardson of Orangebloods, Texas Longhorns backup quarterback Arch Manning has declined to opt in. In Richardson’s post on X/Twitter, he says he’s been “told Arch is focused on playing football on the field.”
Multiple people have told me Texas redshirt quarterback Arch Manning will not opt into EA Sports College Football 25. I'm told Arch is focused on playing football on the field. pic.twitter.com/dCFHdAuMZ1
— Anwar Richardson (@AnwarRichardson) March 5, 2024
This caused a bit of a social media stir-up, questioning whether it’d be less of a distraction to simply opt into the game, following the lead of the quarterback in front of him on the depth chart, Quinn Ewers.
According to the ESPN report, Ewers and some of college football’s biggest names have opted in, including Colorado’s Travis Hunter, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe and former Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who transferred to Oregon.
Manning, the son of Cooper Manning and nephew of Eli and Peyton, was a star even before he moved to Austin, where the top overall recruit in the Class of 2023 has yet to start a game after sitting behind Ewers throughout Texas’ 2023 season and CFP playoff run.
But he’s laid pretty low during his time as Ewers’ backup and has made clear that he plans on staying in Austin for the time being.
It’s not yet known how EA Sports will handle players who decline to opt in, as in past games players were made in the image and likeness of actual NCAA players and assigned fictional names.
Twitter: @SportsDayDFW
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