Top 10 college football players we never got to play with in EA Sports NCAA Football
The wait is finally over as EA Sports College Football 25 is finally here. After over a 10-year hiatus, we finally get to play as college football players in video game form once again.
The last version was NCAA 14 which was released in July of 2013. During this long time with no new college football video games we the people lost the opportunity to play with some special players in the college football world.
Here are the top 10 players we never got to see in the EA Sports NCAA Football video game:
10. DeVonta Smith (Alabama)
Smith spent 4 years at Alabama highlighted by his senior season in 2020 when he won the Heisman trophy with 1,856 receiving yards and 24 total touchdowns. Being able to play with Smith along with the rest of the prolific 2020 Alabama offense would have been special.
9. Kenneth Walker III (Michigan St.)
If you enjoy ground-and-pound offense, running the ball, and annoying your opponent Walker would have been perfect. He broke onto the scene in 2021 after transferring to Michigan St. from Wake Forest. With how little-known Walker was before that 2021 season it would have been interesting to see how much his overall rating improved in the video game as the actual football season went on.
8. Marvin Harrison Jr. (Ohio St.)
We just barely missed out on being able to play with Marvin and his one-of-a-kind talent. I imagine in the video game he would have been always open and caught anything thrown his way. He put together back-to-back 1,000 receiving yards seasons in his last two years in Columbus as one of the best receivers in the game. It would have been fun to pair him up with a more talented quarterback in the video game.
7. Jabrill Peppers (Michigan)
Peppers is the only defensive player on this list… well kind of. While at Michigan Peppers appeared on all 3 sides of the ball playing in 15 different positions. His main spot was safety while also getting carries at running back and being a lethal returner on special teams. With fatigue off in the video game, Peppers would have been all over the field.
6. Derrick Henry (Alabama)
Henry did appear in NCAA 14, but he was a freshman and not even the starting running back. Had the game not stopped the following year he would have been a beast. In 2015 Henry put together an all-time season rushing for 2,219 yards and 28 touchdowns. I imagine if I got to play as prime college football Derrick Henry, the ball would be run every play.
5. Joe Burrow (LSU)
Another Heisman trophy winner who put up video game-like numbers in 2019 with 5,671 passing yards and 60 touchdowns. It is truly sad we never got the chance to put up those video game-like numbers in the actual video game. Not just Burrow, but also having Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson to throw the ball to would have produced a lot of “your opponent has left the match” screens.
4. Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma)
While being one of the best quarterbacks in college football Baker was also a fan favorite that I am sure many are upset they never got a chance to play with as a Sooner. After starting his career as a walk-on Baker ended up throwing for over 14,000 yards and 131 touchdowns. It would have been fun to see the video game implement some details outside of the play on the field based on Baker i.e. planting the flag, and coin toss.
3. Saquon Barkley (Penn St.)
One word that comes to mind when thinking of what it would have been like to play as college Saquon: electric. The speed, agility, shiftiness, burst, etc. Saquon had it all. He would have been utilized all over the field just like he was in real life at Penn State. Saquon was a generational college running back and it is a real shame we missed out on him in the video game.
2. Kyler Murray (Oklahoma)
To me, the most fun way to play video game football is with a quarterback who has a great arm along with great running ability (some good past EA NCAA examples would include Denard Robinson, Johnny Manziel, or RG3). Kyler fits my fun video game quarterback mold perfectly. He only spent one season as the starter in Oklahoma and it was one to remember accounting for 54 touchdowns and 5,839 yards. Kyler Murray and the Lincoln Riley offense in video game form would have been monumental.
1. Lamar Jackson (Louisville)
Lamar is an easy #1 for me on this list due to all the same reasons as Kyler (being an athletic quarterback), but Lamar was something else. With him winning the Heisman in 2016 as a sophomore and returning the following season, his ratings for the NCAA 17 video game, had it come out, would have been off the charts. Surrounding him with some better weapons in the game would have been very fun. There are not many college football players who were as fun to watch as Louisville Lamar and I believe there are not any who would have been more fun to play as.