More than a decade ago, there was a collective cry of despair from sports gamers and fans after NCAA Football disappeared from store shelves.
A landmark Supreme Court case, O'Bannon v. NCAA, ruled that EA Sports, the publisher of the games, did not have the right to use the likenesses of former college football players, leading to the discontinuation of the EA Sports games in 2013.
The Supreme Court opened the door to change in 2021 in a case affecting name, image and likeness rights in college sports, ruling that the NCAA violated antitrust laws by not allowing players to earn money.
The NCAA reversed course and changed the old rules regarding NIL to allow players to profit from their image and name.
And, as reported by The New York Times, EA Sports has invested $6 million just to bring back one of its flagship game titles, NIL, back onto video game consoles across the US, a title that consistently ranked in the top 10 in sales before its demise.
In competitive gaming on consoles, whether against the computer or your beer-swilling friends who treat each game like a win-or-die situation, it's easy to get addicted.
“College Football 25” took the somewhat customizable experience to another level, including University of Akron football players, who were among 11,000 people nationwide who received $600 and a deluxe version of the game for appearing in the game, a fun reward made possible by a 2021 Supreme Court ruling.
Customization, along with many other features, is at the heart of what makes College Football 25 so appealing to gamers.
However, team builders are key.
“Use the customization tools on the Team Builder website to create your own college football program. Design uniforms, helmets and fields, upload your own logo and upload your program for use in Play Now and Dynasty. Check out the Download Center to see teams created by the entire community.”
No, it's not just guys like Treveion Henderson who get their moment in the spotlight. Prospects like UA quarterbacks Tajh Bullock and Ben Finley, along with quite a few of their teammates, also get their moment in the spotlight if they want to.
These features have the potential to broaden the scope of the game. And, of course, there are Zips' die-hard fans.
For them, here is a list of UA players and their overall “College Football 25” rating, which averages nine elements of the game on a 100-point scale.
Akron Zips offense
Quarterback
Ben Finley (Overall rating 76)
Taj Block (74)
M. Griggs (67)
Braden Rogow (67)
Johnny Brookhart (62)
Running back
Jordan Simmons (74)
Charles Kellom (74)
Marquise Williams (71)
C. Block (65)
Wide Receiver
Alex Adams (78)
Faizon Wilson (73)
Bobby Golden (72)
Justin Campbell (68)
Adrian Norton (68)
Miles Walker (66)
Jarvis Rush (62)
Paul Davis (61)
J. Goodwin (57)
T. Fletcher (57)
Jean Louis III (53)
Tight End
Max Wisner (77)
A. Pierce (68)
Jake Newell (68)
D. Reese (68)
C. Cravaack (64)
Aiden Diaz (49)
Left tackle
Josh Blanchard (69)
Eli Fields (64)
Delvin Morris (64)
F. McClelland (51)
Left Guard
Colin Lyons (74)
Daquan Thomas (72)
Nick Stopiak (52)
center
Tyler Williams (69)
Right Guard
Dane Shore (79)
Kieran Davis (71)
Right Tackle
K. Kindred (72)
Javin James (62)
Jonas Mann (60)
AJ George (54)
Akron Zips Defense
Left Edge
Bennett Adler (75)
Cam Cheatom (64)
E. Shepherd (62)
John Trell Mixon (51)
Right Edge
CJ Nunnally IV (79)
L. Jackson (75)
J. Taylor (64)
Z. McGehee (64)
Kavash Richards (62)
Defensive tackle
Lama Rabea (71)
Marcus Moore Jr. (69)
Nathan Capongo (67)
C. Jayman (60)
A. Fenderson (60)
Andre Proffitt (57)
Kiawan Murphy (56)
Left outside linebacker
Jason Hocker (57)
Austin Wondolowski (51)
Rich Benenge (50)
Middle Linebacker
Antavian Fish (73)
C. Davidson (68)
Melvin Spriggs (60)
Gage Summers (55)
Right outside linebacker
Shammond Cooper (77)
Brian McCoy (77)
Cornerback
Darian Lewis (82)
Devonte Golden-Nelson (76)
Joey Hunter (72)
Justin Anderson (71)
Terence Thomas (71)
I. Jarmon (70)
D. Jennings (54)
Free Safety
D. Jester (68)
Noel Roach (67)
A. Bellingham (67)
T. Wallace (64)
Strong safety
D. David (75)
Paul Lewis III (75)
Z. Lane Taylor (65)
R. Hunter (62)
S. Conroy (58)
Kicker
C. Bradshaw (67)
D. Wiley (64)
Punter
E. Carlton (66)
D. Jackson (65)
George M. Thomas covers sports and pop culture for the Beacon Journal.
