The hype and anticipation around the release of EA Sports’ “College Football 25” is building ahead of the July 19 release date. Information about the game has been trickling out since the company officially confirmed the franchise’s return this summer after an 11-year hiatus.
Earlier this month, EA Sports announced Michigan’s Donovan Edwards, Colorado’s Travis Hunter, and Texas’ Quinn Ewers would serve as the cover athletes. Fans also got their first real look at the game when the company released an official trailer hours after the cover announcement.
All the footage and rumors of newfeatures have only stoked excitement for the return of the franchise. Fans have been lighting up message boards and social media asking about gameplay, Dynasty mode, Road to Glory, stadium models, how NIL will factor in and more.
Luckily, we have a few answers for you.
CBS Sports’ Bud Elliott was one of a few select reporters invited to play the game early and was kind enough to answer the most pressing questions ahead of the official release in less than two months.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Cameron Salerno: What were your initial thoughts after playing the game?
Bud Elliott: As someone who last played the last iteration and kept playing it for a while, the gameplay is just so much smoother. It feels like it was gone for about a decade and is now back. Yet it does feel different than how Madden plays. It’s a little bit faster. In the old game, you could wait until the last possible second to pass and the guy would usually get it off. That is noticeably different. They [also] put a ton of time and energy into really trying to make each playbook distinct.
The No. 1 thing that you get from this is that these guys who make…
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