In a day 11 years in the making, the deluxe edition of EA Sports College Football 25 was released on Monday, giving fans early access to the first college football video game made since 2013.
Due to name, image and likeness (NIL) laws passed in 2021, players are now fully able to be featured in the game. While previous editions of the game would show a player's jersey number and position while heavily implying who the player was, his actual name would never be used.
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That changed with the launch of EA Sports College Football 25, where all 134 FBS schools are featured. The vast majority of every roster is featured in the game. Players who opted to be featured in the game received a free copy of it via digital code.
Additionally, payouts to players on each school was determined by four tiers calculated by team success from 2014 to 2023. The University of Hawaii was in the fourth and lowest tier, receiving $9,987.52 to distribute among its players.
Hawaii's highest-rated player in EA Sports College Football 25 is receiver Steven McBride, who is an 85 overall, followed by quarterback Brayden Schager, an 83 overall. Safety Peter Manuma led all of UH's defensive players with a rating of 82, the same rating given to receiver Pofele Ashlock.
While many of Hawaii's players are featured in the game, some names in the roster do not appear. In order to fill out the UH roster, fictional names such as left defensive end Bob Kidd, left outside linebacker Warren Lafaele and cornerback Shareef Allen are listed as Rainbow Warriors.
Waimanalo native and Arizona receiver Tetairoa McMillan was the top-rated player with Hawaii ties with a 94 rating, good for 14th overall. Joining him in the Top 100 is Mililani alumnus and Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who is the 30th top-rated player overall at 92. Additionally, Arizona tackle and Saint Louis alumnus Jonah Savaiinaea was the 89th ranked player with an overall rating of 90.
As a team, Hawaii earned a 74 overall rating from EA Sports, including 72 on defense and 71 on offense.
The Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex as currently constructed did not make the initial release of the game, although a future update could change that.
In EA Sports College Football 25, Hawaii plays its home games at a stadium in Aiea referred to as both the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex and Aloha Stadium within the game, though it bears resemblance to neither. Hawaii fans in the stands are often throwing shakas in the video game.
Like previous editions of the game, Co-Ed Fight Song, the official fight song of the University of Hawaii, is featured.