EA Sports and the NCAA are giving college football players a new chance to get in the game.
Players from all 134 Football Bowl Subdivision teams can begin opting in to appear in "EA Sports College Football 25," EA Sports' first college football game in more than a decade, starting Thursday.
EA Sports is offering players $600 and a free copy of the game in exchange for use of their name, image and likeness. Up to 85 players from a given program will appear on the game's initial rosters. Certain players who are chosen as ambassadors for the game will be eligible for additional NIL benefits.
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More than 11,000 players are expected to be featured in "College Football 25." Players have been advised to opt in by April 30 to appear in the first iteration of the game. Those who choose to opt in will do so for the duration of their eligibility and will be paid annually.
Players who do not opt in will be represented by generic player avatars.
OneTeam Partners, which has worked with EA Sports on other video games, is handling group licensing for the game on behalf of the players.
"Including players in the return of the EA Sports College Football franchise guarantees they receive their direct benefits," OneTeam senior vice president Shelbi Hendricks said. "Our partnership with industry leaders like EA Sports and [Collegiate Licensing Company] focuses on authentic representation, underscoring the crucial role current players play in shaping the game."
On top of player participation, some of college football's top announcers will be the voices of "College Football 25." ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit, Chris Fowler, David Pollack, Jesse Palmer, Kevin Connors and Rece Davis all announced that they will be included in the game.
"College Football 25" will be released this summer. EA Sports announced that it will reveal a full look at the game in May.
