• Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior WriterMay 16, 2024, 11:16 AM ET

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    • College football reporter.
    • Joined ESPN.com in 2008.
    • Graduated from Northwestern University.

DALLAS – After impressing at cornerback and wide receiver for Colorado in 2023, Travis Hunter often hears people describe him as a video game player. Now he’s on the cover of the long-awaited return of the college football video game from EA Sports.

Hunter, Texas quarterback Quin Yers and Michigan running back Donovan Edwards share the cover of EA Sports College Football 25, which will be released on July 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. The popular game, which has been on hiatus since 2014, will include the names, photos and likenesses of all 134 FBS teams and a large majority of current players.

Eight days after EA Sports set the NIL deal for current college players, more than 10,000 have picked up the game. Each player who made the selection will receive $600 and a copy of the game, which is worth about $70. Hunter and Ewers were among the first high-profile players to opt out.

The original cover shows Hunter in the middle with Ewers to his right and Edwards to his left. The cover of the deluxe edition shows the backs of Hunter, Ewers and Edwards in the tunnels at Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas, where a Extensive photo and video shooting Held in early March.

“It’s just a blessing to be on the cover,” Hunter told ESPN. “We grew up watching it and seeing the covers, and now we’re on it. When I was a kid, I used to wait until 12 o’clock to get every NCAA. It was my favorite game. I still play the old game NCAA 14 to this day.”

Hunter has built himself up in previous games, saying, “I’m a 90-something (rating) overall, so I’m pretty good, but my pace is a little slow.”

Former Michigan quarterback Dennard Robinson is on the cover of NCAA Football 14. The final shared cover for NCAA Football 13 features Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III, the 2011 Heisman Trophy winner, and 1988 Heisman winner Barry State Sanders of Okla.

Like Hunter, Years played older versions of the game when EA Sports stopped making it in the wake of lawsuits filed by former players over the use of their name, image and likeness.

“Obviously, I grew up playing this game, because it was big for my age,” Years told ESPN. “It’s been 10 years since this NCAA game came out, and to be on the cover with these two guys, I can’t really put it into words. It’s just an honor.”

EA Sports announced the game’s planned return in early 2021 and stated in December 2022 that the game would be released in the summer of 2024. Every FBS school will be represented with the College Football Playoff and bowl games. Dynasty and Road to Glory modes – two features of previous NCAA games that were extremely popular – will return to the game, which will also feature aspects of transfer portals and NIL.

Ewers and Hunter knew each other beforehand and were linked to Edwards before the cover shoot. They posed for pictures and videoed together around the Cotton Bowl, including Evers throwing a downfield pass to Hunter, who had 57 receptions for 721 yards and five touchdowns with three interceptions and five pass breakups on defense.

“Donovan, Quinn and Travis are tremendous talents who wowed and entertained millions of college football fans on the field last season and are poised to do so again this year,” said Daryl Holt, senior vice president and group general manager of EA Sports. A statement “We’re proud to include thousands of current athletes in College Football 25, and featuring this trio of playmakers and their iconic college programs on the cover is a perfect fit as we usher in a new era for EA Sports and college football.”

The Photo shoots are also included Actors in uniform from Notre Dame, Georgia, Alabama, USC, Ohio State, Florida and Oregon. Besides Hunter, Ewers and Edwards, the cover includes jerseys featuring Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe, Georgia quarterback Carson Beck and Ohio State’s Quinson Judkins.

Edwards grew up playing NCAA football and Call of Duty and described NCAA football as “the best sport I ever played”.

“It’s just that it hasn’t come for a decade, you miss it more,” said Edwards, who had 497 rushing yards and five touchdowns in 2023. “The graphics were top notch, the gameplay was top notch, there were no gaps, there were no issues, I’m so blessed to be on the cover and represent the University of Michigan.”

ESPN’s Michael Rothstein contributed to this report.



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