With the release of EA Sports' College Football 25, many players have started exploring the details and different game modes that have been put into this video game. The Road to Glory game mode allows you to create a player and play as a college athlete from any FBS school.
I created my own player in the new EA Sports hit, enrolled him at Penn State, and helped him have the best four years of his life.
How does Road To Glory work?
Road to Glory offers four options for starting your college career: Elite (5-star freshman), Blue Chip (4-star freshman), Contributor (3-star freshman), and Underdog (2-star freshman). Depending on the type of freshman you select, you'll begin your college career as a player with an overall rating of 79, 75, 76, 67, or 60, respectively.
After selecting your recruiting level, you will then select your position. There are five positions to choose from: Quarterback, Halfback, Wide Receiver, Middle Linebacker, and Cornerback. After selecting your player's position, you will then select your archetype. Each position has three different archetypes based on the different play styles of each position.
Once you've chosen your archetype, the fun part comes in customizing it: you can customize your name, appearance, state of origin, hometown, and gear. With so many options provided by EA Sports, the combinations seem endless.
After completing the Position, Archetype, and Profile tabs, you choose your mental ability based on your archetype, position, and high school recruiting. Then, choose your goal as a player, whether that be competing for a national championship or developing into an NFL-level player.
Finally, the hardest decision: which school to choose. Beneath each school is a bar that indicates how good of a fit that school is based on your answers to the preliminary recruiting questions you asked earlier. Each school will provide you with some overall information about the school, their talent pool for your position, and their interest in you as a potential recruit.
Once you are in school, you will grow each season by focusing on five areas of growth: academics, leadership, health, training, and brand. To play on the field, you must maintain a GPA of 2.0 or higher. When you become a good leader, you will gain special abilities. When your physical strength decreases, you need to replenish it. It is also important to train in order to level up faster and become a better player. Finally, your brand will improve your stats and abilities depending on the size of your NIL deal. The bigger your brand, the better the deal you will be given. You will be given energy each week to invest in five different areas of your career as a college athlete. Choose wisely.
When you look at the time he spends on the field, his positive play has earned him the confidence of his coaches, and the more confidence he has, the quicker he will rise to the top of the depths.
Noah Flenard's story:
I was a 6-foot, 225-pound, five-star running back recruit from Mineral, Virginia (I was surprised to see my little hometown in the game). I had decided to pursue my childhood dream of attending Penn State. Penn State was a moderate school for me, but I thought I would do well.
I knew that Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton would one day make it to the NFL and I would get the leadership and experience I needed to be a great player. I knew that even if I wasn't the starting running back, I'd get some practice early in my career. I also knew I could play two years as a starter, which would be plenty of time to prove I was ready for the NFL.
The Nittany Lions' new head coach, Robert Brandt, devised a strategy he believed I could succeed in. He implemented a multiple offensive scheme that relied on distributing the ball to various playmakers on the field, which allowed him to promise the future freshman valuable touches in big games. Brandt used this strategy on me while also convincing me that I would be the running back who could help keep Penn State a national championship contender. I entered the program third on the depth chart at No. 79 overall, which indicated to the coaches that I could have a promising career with the Nittany Lions.
Freshman – 2024
I started practicing, picking up blocks every time I saw the field, earning coach confidence points. As expected, I had very limited touches on the ball while running. I only had the opportunity to run in a triple running back formation.
With limited time on the field, I recorded 22 rushing attempts for 276 yards and three touchdowns. I also recorded 11 receptions for 125 yards and two receiving touchdowns in the passing game as a freshman at Penn State. I was named Big Ten First Team All-Freshman. I was impressed with my initial production, but had my eye on the RB2 position on the depth chart.
Penn State made the playoffs but was eliminated in the first round.
Sophomore – 2025
This was Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen's final year in the program, which meant I would finally have the keys to the backfield. I had to train hard to avoid being overtaken by a freshman and stay on track with my goal of being the RB2.
At this point, I was at 84 overall. With more practice and more confidence from my coaches, my development was on track. As a sophomore, I had 66 carries for 597 yards and 6 rushing touchdowns. In the passing attack, I was a slot receiver. I had 40 receptions for 519 yards and 4 touchdowns. It was my most productive season as a receiver. This allowed me to overtake Allen as the RB2 mid-season.
I wasn't the only one on the roster to perform well, as Nick Singleton was named Running Back of the Year and a First Team All-American. He helped lead us to our first national title since 1986.
Junior Year – 2026
By my third year in the program, I was Singleton's RB1 in the NFL Draft. Coming into the season I had a 92 overall rating. It was my first year as a starter, so my development accelerated. I was no longer lining up as a slot receiver (finally).
I rushed 195 times for 1,771 yards and nine touchdowns, earning a spot on the Big Ten Conference Running Back First Team. Through the air, I had 13 receptions for 191 yards and three touchdowns. In just one year, I tripled my production on the ground. That's when I knew I was going to be one of Penn State's great running backs.
The team finished ranked 10th and won the Big Ten Conference finals, but their success faded in the playoffs, losing in the first round.
Final year – 2027
He began his senior year ready to carry the offense on his back with an overall rating of 94. As the season progressed, he won ranked matchup after ranked matchup. By week 5 of the season, he was the No. 1 team in the country. His roster was loaded with superstars.
My senior season saw us win the Big Ten for the second year in a row and enter the playoffs as the No. 1 seed with a first-round exemption, before our national title hopes vanished with a 25-24 loss to Oregon in the second round.
I had 236 carries for 1,907 yards and 13 touchdowns and 17 receptions for 236 yards and three touchdowns. I was proud of my performance in an exciting offense, but I felt like I wasn't good enough for the team.
This season, the team has gained 6,177 total yards, the most in the Big Ten Conference. Defensively, they ranked fourth in the conference, allowing 4,312 yards of offense. They also led the Big Ten Conference in forced turnovers, 15 interceptions, and 12 fumble recoveries.
I was named first team All-Big Ten running back and first team All-American running back, and the only trophy I wanted was to go to another national championship.
My career with the Nittany Lions included 31 touchdowns, over 4,500 yards and never missing a game due to injury.
Coach Blount is right, I had the opportunity to contribute to a team that competed for a national title. Blount became the head coach at Penn State during my freshman year and has a career record of 50-8, including 20-5 against Top 25 teams. He led the Nittany Lions to a 12-1 record against rivals and a 4-3 record in bowl games and playoffs at the end.
