AMES — For four months and counting, the college football world has gotten to play and enjoy the video game they have waited over a decade to play yet again.
That video game is EA Sports College Football 25. Both fans and players around the world alike have gotten to experience what it is like to play as their favorite team after waiting just over 11 years for its re-release.
For perspective, the last college football video game to come out was NCAA Football 14 back in July 2013. But in July 2024, the college football video game franchise was brought back from its long hiatus with the release of College Football 25.
During the time that EA stopped production on the infamous game due to a lawsuit about players getting paid for their name, image and likeness (NIL), players did not have a chance to play as themselves and their teammates.
For Iowa State, it meant that former alumni such as Brock Purdy and Breece Hall did not make an appearance in the game. But now the current 2024-25 Cyclones have the opportunity to play as themselves in the game and were given an incentive to have their likeness shown as well.
The student athletes were offered $600 and a free copy of the game for their name and likeness to be put inside the new video game.
Now, four months after the game’s release, it is safe to say that the Cyclones players on Iowa State have enjoyed playing as themselves and their teammates thus far.
“It was really fun,” defensive end Tyler Onyedim said. “I like playing as myself and with Iowa State while getting to play against other teammates was fun.”
“Playing the video game is awesome,” wide receiver Jayden Higgins said. “I love playing with my teammates and as Iowa State in general.”
But for redshirt sophomore quarterback Rocco Becht, he has had an experience unlike any of his other teammates, as he is on the cover of the main menu section when you select Iowa State as your official team.
“It’s cool to see myself in the game,” Becht said. “Especially when you pick Iowa State as a team and see my picture on there, it still shocks me.”
Along with a picture of Becht, the main menu displays one of the most recognized games in Cyclones history on a ticket stub. It shows the date of when Iowa State took on No. 2 Oklahoma State at Jack Trice Stadium and upset the Cowboys 37-31 back in 2011.
Aside from the main menu, the release of the game also meant that the overall ratings of each individual player were released, which caused some dispute with the Cyclones initially.
“When the game first came out there was a lot of talk and bickering back and forth,” Becht said. “But we’ve gotten over that now and just have fun.”
When the game was released, Iowa State was rated an 84 overall, with an 82-overall rated offense and defense.
Now, the 7-0 Cyclones sit at an 87 overall, with an 85-overall rated offense and 86-overall rated defense.
Speaking of overalls, some of the players believed that their ratings did not fairly depict what they brought to the football field when the game was initially released.
“I think my rating was good, but it should be higher,” Higgins said. “I think [Jaylin Noel’s] rating should be higher as well.”
Other players, such as Onyedim, used their initial ratings as fuel to their fires to play well enough to increase their overall ratings as the season progressed.
“Honestly, I felt like it could be better, but I gotta show that on the field this year,” Onyedim said.
For some, the ratings decreased, but for the majority of others, they saw their overall ratings increase after their stellar play helped lead Iowa State to its immaculate start to the season.
Along with the rating system, the Cyclones found a way to bring competition against each other, as one specific instance had a player take on a coach for the reward of the players leaving the facility earlier in the night.
This occurred when defensive lineman Domonique Orange took on head coach Matt Campbell before the season.
Both Orange and Campbell played as Iowa State, both sporting a different uniform combo, to battle it out for a chance to leave the training facility early for the night.
“That was real fun watching them play,” Onyedim said. “If [Orange] won, we got to leave early so we were all cheering for him to win.”
In the end, Orange pulled out a commanding 37-8 victory over Campbell, and the players were able to spend a night off from their typical nightly routines at the training facility.
“[Orange] played coach Campbell so we got to go home a little earlier, so that was awesome,” Higgins said.
Now that the season is getting closer to the end for No. 11 Iowa State, the Cyclones will look to reach new heights by potentially making the College Football Playoff and the Big 12 Championship game in Arlington, Texas, whilst also keeping an eye out to see its overall ratings increase come season end.
College Football 25 is available to play on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S for $69.99.
OVERALLS
Offense:
Higgins – 90 OVR (was 88)
Noel – 88 OVR (was 87)
Running back Abu Sama III – 85 OVR
Offensive lineman Jarrod Hufford – 84 OVR
Becht – 85 OVR (was 83)
Tight end Benjamin Brahmer – 82 OVR
Wide receiver Isaiah Alston – 78 OVR
Offensive lineman Tyler Miller – 81 OVR (was 78)
Offensive lineman Jalen Travis – 81 OVR (was 78)
Wide receiver Daniel Jackson – 78 OVR (ruled out before season with an injury)
Offensive lineman Jim Bonifas – 78 OVR
Defense:
Defensive back Beau Freyler – 88 OVR (was 87)
Defensive back Jeremiah Cooper – 91 OVR (was 86)
Defensive back Myles Purchase – 81 OVR (was 83)
Linebacker Caleb Bacon – 83 OVR (injured during first game)
Defensive back Malik Verdon – 85 OVR (was 81)
Defensive back Jontez Williams – 84 OVR (was 81)
Defensive lineman J.R. Singleton – 82 OVR (was 81)
Orange – 79 OVR
Defensive end Kenard Snyder – 78 OVR
Defensive end Joey Petersen – 80 OVR (was 78)
Special Teams:
Punter Tyler Perkins – 77 OVR (was 76)
Kicker Kyle Konrardy – 74
