With College Football 25 officially launching later this year following this week’s teaser trailer reveal, it’s time to finally get excited about EA Sports’ new rendition of the video game title all love. Updated rosters, uniforms, stadiums, the transfer portal — this is going to have it all, and we’re anxious to see which players are going to be the game’s best later this summer ahead of the 2024 season.
Like all video game-based ratings systems, we’re going with the widely-accepted categories with our projections — speed, agility, awareness, throw power, accuracy, tackling, etcetera. There’s a number of All-American candidates returning this fall who should appear in this year’s game as long as NIL contracts and the legalities are finalized.
A launch date for the title has not been revealed, but the full game trailer will be released in May, complete with screen shots and gameplay footage from the upcoming release.
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Here are 10 players we expect to be some of the highest-ranked in the new game:
Ollie Gordon, RB, Oklahoma State
Overall projection: 99
Best NCAA Football 24 attribute: Break tackle
College football’s top-returning running back, there’s no doubt that Ollie Gordon will be an unstoppable force in the backfield later this summer when this game releases. Whether you’re giving him the football on a toss, dive or well-executed screen pass on third down, just make sure Gordon gets 20-plus touches when Oklahoma State is your team selection. He’ll be the Big 12’s top returning player overall and could be the only 99 on the game. Take precaution going no-huddle with a bunch of carries, though. You know how often players get injured when fatigued in NCAA Football.
Travis Hunter, ATH, Colorado
Overall projection: 97
Best NCAA Football 24 attribute: Agility
The first of a couple Colorado starters who could be given an exemplary grade from College Football 25, Travis Hunter will start on both sides of the football. Whether he’s scoring touchdowns offensively or sticking the opposition’s top wideout, he’s going to get some serious burn on your TV. Moreover, Colorado will be an exciting team choice for multiple reasons — uniform combinations and Deion Sanders on the sidelines. We’re just hoping Coach Prime’s likeness is accurate given the amount of time designers have had to make this title.
Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas
Overall projection: 96
Best NCAA Football 24 attribute: Awareness
You know there’s going to be thousands of Texas fans playing College Football 25 wanting to tinker with the depth chart a bit at quarterback. Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning should both be at least 90 overall and we’re expecting Ewers to be one of the highest-rated gunslingers on the game. If he takes the next step in his development at Texas, he’ll be a Heisman finalist in 2024 for a College Football Playoff team and potential conference champion. And if he backtracks, Manning is going to play. Few players nationally have more to build off of than Ewers, who directed the Longhorns to a semifinal appearance and was terrific down the stretch, including a career-noteworthy 452-yard, four-touchdown explosion against Oklahoma State.
Harold Perkins, LB, LSU
Overall projection: 95
Best NCAA Football 24 attribute: Speed
Go ahead and user-lock on Harold Perkins off the edge. The guy is a game changer on defense and should be one of the best in the game at getting after the quarterback or tracking opposing offenses in coverage over the middle. He’s undoubtedly going to be LSU’s highest-rated individual following NFL Draft entries from Jayden Daniels and Malik Nabers. We hope that the Hit Stick makes its return, but targeting penalties need to stay out of the game. Getting trigger-happy with Perkins could results in a bunch of takeaways.
Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado
Overall projection: 95
Best NCAA Football 24 attribute: Throw power
Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State
Overall projection: 95
Best NCAA Football 24 attribute: Tackle
Georgia’s Malaki Starks and Ohio State’s Caleb Downs figure to be the top-ranked safeties in the game. It’s hard to imagine any others coming close to those two at the back end. If you’re an elite user, interceptions are somewhat easy with a safety as good as Downs or Starks. You read, anticipate and go toward the football before finishing the deal at its highest point. Then, it’s onto the races. Another frequent Hit Stick option here, Downs lays the wood when he comes downhill to target opposing ballcarriers.
Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State
Overall projection: 94
Best NCAA Football 24 attribute: Hands
Marvin Harrison Jr. is gone, but Ohio State’s wealth of wideout weapons will be at your disposal a few months from now, including Emeka Egbuka. There’s not enough footballs to go around in Chip Kelly‘s scheme at Ohio State with Egbuka, five-star freshman Jeremiah Smith and other demanding targets. The Ohio State offense, with Egbuka, Will Howard and Quinshon Judkins out front, should be one of the most potent in the game. Don’t be shocked if the Buckeyes are College Football 25’s top-ranked team.
Carson Beck, QB, Georgia
Overall projection: 94
Best NCAA Football 24 attribute: Accuracy
Carson Beck, who announced his return for another year at Georgia before the Bulldogs’ 60-point Orange Bowl win over Florida State, recorded the second-most passing yards (3,941) in a single season this fall in program history and his completion rate of 72.4 was one of the nation’s best. Beck started with 11-straight games eclipsing 250 yards passing, the same number that Stetson Bennett had in 15 games during the 2022 season. In the SEC Championship Game loss to Alabama — his first as a starter and first for Georgia this season — Beck completed 21 passes on 29 attempts for 243 yards with a rushing touchdown.
Jalon Daniels, QB, Kansas
Overall projection: 94
Best NCAA Football 24 attribute: Speed
Personal bias here, but Kansas is due for lots of usage in the new game. Much of that revolves around the Jayhawks’ sweet uniform updates and Jalon Daniels. Pick your favorite dual-threat quarterback from any previous iteration and Daniels is equally talented from a play-making standpoint. Going 5-wide with Daniels and making things happen outside of the pocket is going to be your opponent’s worst nightmare.
Dillon Gabriel, QB, Oregon
Overall projection: 94
Best NCAA Football 24 attribute: Throw power
Following two statistically-impressive years at Oklahoma, Dillon Gabriel is on the move again for the third time in his lengthy college career, this time wrapping things up with the Ducks. He might be a Bo Nix-clone in terms of extending plays and in video game form, should be borderline unstoppable. Oregon reloaded with weaponry around the quarterback position and grabbed a commitment top portal wide receiver Evan Stewart this spring, too. The Ducks will be a fun team to play with in College Football 25.
