With a big news dump yesterday, the reality of a new college football video game became impossible to deny even for the most pessimistic sports video gamers. EA Sports College Football 25 is on the way, every team in Division-1 FBS will be in the game, and players began signing their NIL deals for inclusion in the game. South Carolina football fans wondered who might be the first Gamecock to be “in the game,” and it didn’t take very long for that name to surface.
Long snapper Hunter Rogers was picked by GamecockCentral’s Mike Uva as a player to watch when considering which Gamecocks might be first in line to sign on the dotted line with EA. Rogers responded to Uva, letting him know that he was correct. The first South Carolina football player officially to announce their involvement with the game is the team’s All-SEC long snapper.
Some fans have been concerned that big-name players would opt out of the game in hopes of making more money through other means. However, based on some of the early names that have come out, that fear doesn’t appear to be well-founded.
Some of college football’s biggest names in NIL have already signed on to have their name, image, and likeness used in the video game franchise. Travis Hunter (wide receiver/cornerback, Colorado), Carson Beck (quarterback, Georgia), Quinshon Judkins (running back, Ohio State), Jalen Milroe (quarterback, Alabama), and Donovan Edwards (running back, Michigan) all have high NIL valuations but will be “in the game,” according to On3’s official NIL tracker.
Rogers was not on the NIL tracker yet, but with the next update, his name surely will be on there.
Even non-football athletes are signing on like Colorado women’s basketball star Shelomi Sanders and Nebraska softball pitcher Jordy Bahl. They will receive NIL deals for promotional content for the game. A number of current college football athletes also will get additional NIL deals as part of promoting the game or being featured in the game more than just as a player (cover athletes, featured graphics, etc.). No Gamecock has been announced as part of that list, however.
Other South Carolina football players have made comments indicating they plan on being in College Football 25 but have not officially said so. Defensive back Nick Emmanwori and running back Oscar Adaway have posted on their personal Twitter/X accounts messages that seem to indicate they will be in the game, and there are plenty more expected to make official announcements soon.
