College football fans have put up with enough bad news about the state of the game in recent years. After realignment dominated the 2023 offseason, the 2024 offseason brings something much more exciting: EA College Football 25.
The classic NCAA Football video game is back. Well, almost. Fans will have to wait until July 19 — July 16 for those who pay for the early release — to play the latest edition of the college football game.
The return of the game means the return of cover athletes, whether it's one player, multiple, or even several gracing the cover of EA College Football each year. The last decade of college football featured plenty of timeless stars, from Joe Burrow to Christian McCaffrey, but none of them got the opportunity to appear on the cover of a game with the EA Sports edition defunct.
Here's a look back at which players actually did land on the cover of EA College Football, which has changed up its approach a few times throughout its history.
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NCAA Football covers by year
| Year | Player | School |
| 1993 | Bill Walsh* | |
| 1994 | Bill Walsh* | |
| 1995 | None** | |
| 1996 | Tommie Frazier | Nebraska |
| 1997 | Danny Wuerffel | Florida |
| 1998 | Charles Woodson | Michigan |
| 1999 | Ricky Williams | Texas |
| 2000 | Shaun Alexander | Alabama |
| 2001 | Chris Weinke | Florida State |
| 2002 | Joey Harrington | Oregon |
| 2003 | Carson Palmer | USC |
| 2004 | Larry Fitzgerald | Pittsburgh |
| 2005 | Desmond Howard | Michigan |
| 2006 | Reggie Bush | USC |
| 2007 | Jared Zabransky | Boise State |
| 2008 | Owen Schmitt (PSP)*** | West Virginia |
| DeSean Jackson (PS2) | California | |
| Matt Ryan (PS3) | Boston College | |
| Darren McFadden (Xbox 360) | Arkansas | |
| 2009 | Brian Orakpo (PS2) | Texas |
| Brian Johnson (PS3) | Utah | |
| Mark Sanchez (PSP) | USC | |
| Michael Crabtree (Xbox 360) | Texas Tech | |
| 2010 | Tim Tebow | Florida |
| 2011 | Mark Ingram | Alabama |
| 2012 | Robert Griffin III, Barry Sanders | Baylor, Oklahoma State |
| 2013 | Denard Robinson | Michigan |
| 2024 | Quinn Ewers, Travis Hunter, Donovan Edwards | Texas, Colorado, Michigan |
| 2025 | Ryan Williams, Jeremiah Smith | Alabama, Ohio State |
* — The earliest editions of the game were initially named for Bill Walsh.
** — The 1995 edition of the game did feature players, but they were only small images that were, in some cases, unidentifiable. No standalone cover athlete was chosen until 1996.
*** — EA College Football produced different covers for different gaming systems in both 2008 and 2009.
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NCAA Football 26 cover athletes
As was the case last year, there will be two covers for EA College Football 26. The standard cover will feature Alabama wide receiver Ryan Williams and Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. The deluxe edition features a big crowd of college football players, coaches and mascots. Williams, Smith, Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, Penn State head coach James Franklin, and the Oregon Duck are just a few of the figures who appear.
Williams and Smith are perfect choices for the main cover as two of the most dynamic receivers in the country. Williams became one of the stars of the college football regular season, bursting onto the scene as a 17-year old freshman, and Smith (a more typical 18-year old freshman) dominated in the College Football Playoff as Ohio State won the national championship.
The deluxe edition cover also features some past cover athletes like USC running back Reggie Bush and Florida quarterback Tim Tebow. A big group of fans representing schools from around the country stands behind the players coaches, and mascots.
One key rule regarding NCAA Football covers has changed in recent years. Up until last season, the cover athlete of EA College Football was always an NFL rookie or a legend wearing their college uniforms because NCAA rules prohibited student-athletes from being on the cover. That's no longer the case, meaning college football fans get to see their favorite current players.