Ole Miss football players discuss opting into EA Sports College Football 25 — and what they think their ratings should be
OXFORD, Miss. — EA Sports is set to release “College Football ’25,” and many on the Ole Miss football team are about to become stars on video as well as on the gridiron.
Which edition are you copping? 🤔🎮@EASPORTSCollege | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/YiWFd8qOg8
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) February 26, 2024
It is the company’s first college football game since NCAA 14. Yet this one is historical. For the first time, college players who opt into the opportunity will be featured in the game and be compensated. It has been reported players will receive $600 and get a free game. The game has a value of about $60.
The players in the Ole Miss locker room are already excited about the prospect of having an avatar of themselves.
“I think it’s pretty cool,” wide receiver Jordan Watkins said Thursday after practice.
“I don’t understand why you wouldn’t be a part of something like that, because it’s not everyday you get a chance to play as yourself in a video game. You can create a player, but it’s just better whenever you can download a roster and turn on the video game and see yourself and play as yourself.”
Jordan Watkins on the EA game
The game will feature all 134 teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision and to make the game more realistic, the game will use the voices of ESPN’s Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit as commentators.
Former UCLA basketball player, Ed O’Bannon, is the man the players can thank for this opportunity. After his playing career ended, he discovered his likeness was being used in basketball video games. He filed a class-action lawsuit in which former greats like Oscar Robertson joined. The case led to the “Fair Pay to Play Act” in California; it led the way for today’s players having the chance to benefit from Name, Image and Likeness compensation.
Even without the compensation, the Ole Miss players are enjoying the thought of seeing themselves in a game.
“Everybody thinks it’s surreal,” defensive back Trey Washington said.
“It’s a great opportunity. It’s a privilege to see yourself in the video game imaginary world that we all grew up playing and loving to play with our friends and family. So it’s a great opportunity and I love it.”
Trey Washington
In prior versions of the game, its players were rated on a scale of 40-99 in various categories, including speed, agility and tackling. Those numbers were averaged and a player was given an overall rating. Now, those same ratings will be applied to real players. That has caused some debate among the Rebels, as they differ on where they should be on the totem pole.
“I think if I’m not like a 90 or somewhere right there, I think I would be pretty upset,” Watkins said. “But I think the biggest thing for me is my speed. If I’m not like a 98 speed, a 97 speed, I think I’m going to be pretty mad.”
Other players — like JJ Pegues — think their versatility should add to their value.
“I haven’t played NCAA since the last time it came out,” Oxford native JJ Pegues said.
“I haven’t opted in yet, but I am going to opt in. I just know a lot of people have been doing it, so I just want to take time. But it’s a great experience, like you said you’re not creating a player and putting your last name on it. You are already on the roster, and I know (Watkins) probably said he was a 90 — but I play offense and defense so I expect the 99.”
JJ Pegues on why his rating should be high
Washington offered his opinions on the ratings — and said he will just edit his attributes upward when he starts to play.
“Yeah, I opted in, and I’m cool with an 85 and above,” Washington said. “I told my friends back home that every system I get on is immediately going ’99 Trey Washington’. No matter where I’m at, so I’m cool with 85 anything like that.”
But it begs the question, which player is best at video games?
“I’m pretty good at playing the game,” Pegues said. “But I say Jamarious Brown, JB, he’s pretty competitive at it. Me and him go back and forth. We knock heads like brothers, get mad and want to fight, but I say JB.”
It is a safe bet each Rebel will play the game as a part of Ole Miss. But back in the day, before they came to Oxford, who was the team they wanted to be in the video game world?
“I don’t like to lose,” Watkins said. “So my go-to team was probably Bama. They were pretty stacked. Or Ohio State, one of the two.”
Not all the players have opted into the game, but a good portion of the roster already has. Opting in or not, the experience should be unique for the team.
“Probably a good majority (have opted in),” Washington said. “I’ll say that everybody’s looking forward to it.
While the video game will be a way to get away from the rigors of a college football season, Ole Miss is expected to be a preseason top-10 team and a solid pick for the College Football Playoffs.
Steve Barnes
Steve Barnes joins The Rebel Walk staff as a senior writer and brings a trifecta of journalistic experience. As a writer, he has covered college sports for Rivals.com, Football.com and SaturdayDownSouth.com as well as served as a beat writer for various traditional newspapers.
He has been a broadcaster for arena football and several national tournament events for the National Junior College Athletic Association as well as hosting various shows on radio.
A former sports information director at Albany (Ga.) State University and an assistant at Troy and West Florida, he has helped host many NCAA conference, regional and national events, including serving five years on the media committee of the NCAA Division II World Series.
Barnes, a native of Pensacola, Fla., attended Ole Miss in 1983-84, where his first journalism teacher was David Kellum. The duo has come a long way since that time.
He will bring a proven journalistic track record, along with a knack for finding the out-of-the-ordinary story angles to The Rebel Walk.
Barnes continues to reside in Pensacola a mere ten minutes from the beach because he does have taste and a brain.
