More than a decade ago, there was a collective cry from sports gamers and fans after NCAA Football was punted from store shelves.
One landmark Supreme Court case — O’Bannon v. National Collegiate Athletic Association — sent the game from EA Sports to the sidelines in 2013 after the court ruled that EA Sports, the game’s publisher, had no right to use the likenesses of former college football players.
SCOTUS opened the door to change in 2021 with a case that affected name, image and likeness in college sports, ruling that the NCAA violated anti-trust laws by not allowing players to make money.
The NCAA pivoted and changed their archaic rules regarding NIL and now allow players to profit from their image and name.
And with it comes a return to video game consoles across the country as EA Sports invested $6 million, according to a New York Times report, in NIL rights alone for the rebirth of one of its premier game titles, consistently ranking in the Top 10 in sales until its demise.
It’s easy to get lost in a competitive game on the console whether against a computer or that beer-swilling buddy who treats it as if each game is a win-or-die imperative.
“College Football 25” takes what was a somewhat customizable experience and takes it to another level. A level that includes Kent State University football players, who were among the 11,000 nationwide who received $600 and a deluxe version of the game for appearing in the game, a fun payday made possible by that 2021 SCOTUS decision.
Customization is at the heart of what makes “College Football 25” compelling to gamers along with a host of other features.
Team Builder, however, is key:
“Create your own college football program with customization tools on the Team Builder website. Design uniforms, helmets, fields, and upload your own logo, then upload your program to use in Play Now and Dynasty. Check out the download center to browse teams created by the entire community.”
No, it’s not just the likes of Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Emeka Egbuka who can shine in the limelight, but potential starting Kent State quarterbacks Tommy Ulatowski and JD Sherrod, along with a significant number of their teammates getting their moments in the spotlight — if a player so chooses.
Such a feature has the ability to expand the game’s reach. And, yes, there exist diehard Golden Flashes fans.
For them, a list of Kent State players and their “College Football 25” overall ratings which average nine factors in the game on a scale of 100:
Kent State offense
Quarterbacks
Tommy Ulatowski (77)
Devin Kargman (72)
JD Sherrod (72)
Dru DeShields (67)
Running backs
Gavin Garcia (80)
Ky Thomas (77)
Curtis Douglas (69)
Preston Taylor (55)
Marques Hicks (51)
Wide receiver
Crishon McCray (82)
Luke Floriea (78)
Sebastian Brown (71)
Stanley King (69)
Ali Fisher (66)
J. Coulson (65)
Dash Dorsey (60)
Jay Jay Etheridge (58)
D. Bennett (58)
P. Jackson-Amos (58)
Jahzae Kimbrough (57)
Jared Kelley (54)
J. Awolowo (54)
Tight ends
Conner Muldowney (71)
Hayden Junker (71)
Mohammeed Hazime (66)
Hunter Hopperton (66)
Gus Goodell (56)
Peyton Faulkner (52)
Left tackle
Jimto Obidegwu (72)
Garrett Masterson (65)
E. Cooke (61)
Left guard
Duslyn Morell (69)
Tristen Bittner (68)
Center
D. Doulong (70)
Andrew Page (67)
Nikolai Bujnowski (55)
Right guard
Chris Farrell (73)
Kevin Toth (71)
Elijah Williams (65)
Right tackle
Cameron Golden (75)
Cecil Wilson (65)
Braylon Smith (55)
Kent State defense
Left end
Stephen Daley (82)
Antoine Campbell Jr. (77)
Bryce Sisak (51)
Right end
Matt Harmon (75)
Mattheus Carroll (75)
J. Lowry (63)
Defensive tackle
Oliver Billotte (78)
John Jackson (67)
Kaden Beatty (61)
S. Nelson (59)
Left outside linebacker
Rocco Nicholl (71)
Jayden Studio (64)
H. Kutcher (64)
C. Harris (62)
Middle linebacker
Nicholas Giacolone (74)
Luke Fulton (75)
Khalib Johns (72)
M. Brackins (62)
Right outside linebacker
Sayed Abuhamdeh (67)
Mason Woods (64)
Cornerback
Dallas Branch (75)
Jaylen Dotson (73)
Naim Muhammad (72)
Xavier Cokley (70)
Terrell Miller (69)
Tyler Bivens (66)
Joel Boamah (64)
Jaire Rawlison (60)
Free safety
Malcolm Folk (76)
Alex Branch (71)
J. Benford (71)
J. Hinton (68)
Tevin Tucker (65)
Daeveon Buie (54)
Strong safety
E. Watkins (76)
J. Griffen (72)
CJ Young (51)
D. Williams (50)
Kicker
Andrew Glass (80)
Will Hryszko (63)
Punter
Josh Smith (76)
Charlie Durkin (62)
George M. Thomas covers sports and pop culture for the Beacon Journal.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Kent State roster, player rankings in EA Sports College Football 25
Akron Beacon Journal
