College football is just over a week away from its return to video games, and to celebrate EA has spent the last several days releasing new tidbits of information about the game. There was a deep dive on Ultimate Team, a 20-minute look at gameplay, and a Dynasty mode breakdown that spans well over 10,000 words. Each preview has been more exciting than the last, but it wasn’t until Tuesday’s addition that the game finally started to feel imminent: a list of the 100 top-rated players.
The list comes in beautiful spreadsheet form, letting you sort by team, conference, position, and even individual attributes. Of course, the list is full of some of the most recognizable names in college football, like Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders and Michigan CB Will Johnson, but there are plenty of surprises you can find as well.
To help you get a jump start on all of College Football 25’s non-Ultimate Team modes, we broke down the list and pulled out a few highlights:
Top 10 players
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Image: EA Sports
The top 10 players in this year’s game see a variety of positions and schools represented, but three (Michigan, Ohio State, and Georgia) have multiple players represented. Those top 10 players are:
- Michigan cornerback Will Johnson
- LSU left tackle Will Campbell
- Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon II
- Tennessee defensive end James Pearce Jr.
- Ohio State safety Caleb Downs
- Colorado wide receiver Travis Hunter
- Georgia safety Malaki Starks
- Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham
- Ohio State running back Quinshon Judkins
- Georgia offensive lineman Tate Ratledge
Johnson, Campbell, and Gordon II are all 96s overall, while the rest of the top 10 are 95s. There are no players above 96 overall in the game at release. Hunter is one of three cover athletes for the game, along with Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers (ranked 27th, and 92 overall) and Michigan running back Donovan Edwards (ranked 49th, and 91 overall).
Best QBs
Quarterbacks are always an area of increased interest, as no position has a bigger impact on your style of play. Eight quarterbacks are included in the game’s top 100 players:
- Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, 93 overall
- Georgia’s Carson Beck, 93 overall
- Texas’ Quinn Ewers, 92 overall
- Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, 92 overall
- Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, 90 overall
- Ole Miss’s Jaxson Dart, 90 overall
- Kansas’ Jalon Daniels, 90 overall
- Liberty’s Kaidon Salter, 90 overall
Schools with the most players in the top 100
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Image: EA Tiburon/Electronic Arts
The top represented schools in the top 100 are Ohio State (8 players), Alabama (6 players), Georgia (6 players), defending national champions Michigan (5 players), and Oregon (5 players).
These ratings will carry over between every mode in College Football 25, with the one exception of Ultimate Team, where players will have their own unique ratings based on which specific card of theirs you’re using. These ratings are also likely to change some throughout the season as breakout players emerge and at least a few players fail to live up to their lofty preseason expectations.
EA Sports College Football 25 will be released on July 19, though if you pre-order the Deluxe Edition you can gain early access starting on July 15 at 4 p.m. ET.
