South Carolina Gamecocks in EA Sports College Football 25: Details, Roster, and Stadium

College football enthusiasts have eagerly awaited the release of EA Sports College Football 25, marking the return of the beloved NCAA Football series after an 11-year hiatus. The game, set to launch on July 19, 2024, promises a realistic college football experience, and South Carolina Gamecocks fans have plenty to anticipate. This article delves into the Gamecocks' representation in the game, covering player inclusions, stadium details, and initial reactions.

Initial Trailer Appearance

The first official trailer for EA Sports College Football 25 was released on May 17th, generating significant buzz. South Carolina football fans eagerly searched for their team, but their initial appearance was not particularly flattering. In a brief clip, a play featuring Georgia Bulldogs tight end Oscar Delp executing a stop juke move that sent USC defensive back David Spaulding flying, with linebacker Debo Williams in pursuit, was shown.

This moment was a tough pill to swallow for Gamecock fans. Both Spaulding and Williams are talented players who didn't deserve to be on the wrong end of a highlight reel. Furthermore, Delp was a Gamecock lean during his recruiting process before ultimately signing with Georgia.

Release Date and Missing Players

The official release date for EA Sports College Football 25 is July 19th. However, some South Carolina fans noticed a key player missing from the initial roster: senior running back Juju McDowell, USC’s top returner at the position.

McDowell confirmed that he had trouble accessing his account to sign up for inclusion in the game by the initial April deadline. Athletes who opt into the game receive $600 from EA Sports and a copy of the game valued at $70. McDowell's inclusion should be on the way soon, as EA Sports needs to verify his identity with South Carolina. Once verified, he will be available for gamers to play with.

In the meantime, McDowell has been playing the game with his teammates, choosing to play with other college football programs. He confidently stated, "They can’t beat me."

Williams-Brice Stadium: A Virtual Recreation

South Carolina provided extensive information to EA Sports to create a realistic virtual representation of Williams-Brice Stadium. The university laid out a garnet and black carpet for EA Sports, providing tons of information to create a realistic virtual Williams-Brice Stadium.

Through public records requests, The State obtained information on various visual and audio assets that South Carolina provided to EA Sports during the game company’s exhaustive information-gathering process for all 134 Division I FBS schools that began in January 2021 and continued through this year.

While submitting these assets didn't guarantee inclusion in the game, EA Sports pledged to make the game as realistic as possible, emphasizing that "every team is somebody’s favorite team."

Visual Assets

South Carolina submitted dozens of images to EA Sports to assist with a virtual rendering of Williams-Brice Stadium, its towering 80,250-seat football stadium in Columbia. The school also sent in information on logos, uniforms and helmets.

The State obtained 57 of the photos USC sent into EA Sports to help game developers construct a virtual rendering of its stadium. Among the unique stadium assets highlighted:

Multiple photos of general seating bleachers
Close-up photos of luxury suites and their black leather chair seating
Multiple angles of the stadium’s classic upper-deck overhanging lights
Numerous shots of the press box
Pictures from the top of the stadium showing various buildings (including the football facility), roads and parking lots in the distance to help with scenery
Pictures of the school’s video board

Other photos submitted gave EA Sports a good look at the unique, widely curved staircases on each side of the stadium (to the upper left and right of each end zone) that feature ribbon-style player recognitions and other details.

One picture gave a clear view of a banner honoring star 1980s Gamecocks wide receiver Sterling Sharpe and his No. 2 jersey, as well as the small ribbon banners honoring USC’s 1969 ACC championship and 2010 SEC Eastern Division title.

Another picture offers a similar view of standout 1950s running back Steve “The Cadillac” Wadiak’s sign at the top of the staircase to the left of South Carolina’s video board. USC also sent in multiple pictures highlighting the hedges that line the back of the both end zones at Williams-Brice Stadium (and are often damaged or destroyed during field storms after upset wins, most recently USC’s 2022 rout of No. 5 Tennessee).

EA Sports said in a blog post it was committed to building out each stadium as accurately as possible and specifically mentioned South Carolina in a section about crowd details.

Read also: USC Wide Receiver Overview

"Each and every stadium is set up with its band section, away visitors section, and student section,” EA Sports wrote. “Also, schools are equipped with pageantry props accurate to life such as Pom-Poms at Michigan and Tennessee, towels at South Carolina and Pitt, and even the Tiger Tails for Missouri.”

Audio Assets

"Sandstorm," a song by Finnish DJ/producer Darude that’s become synonymous with Gamecocks football, before the opening kickoff as well as non-opening kickoffs. “Sandstorm” will be in the game, as confirmed by The Athletic, but it’s not included in the audio display above due to copyright reasons. USC, of course, also noted that the crowd waves towels while the song plays.

While it isn’t known if or how the Gamecocks’ “2001” entrance will be portrayed in the game, the university’s submission to EA Sports noted that fans chant “Game!” and “Cocks!” as part of the team’s pregame run-out. The school included an audio clip of that fan chant and paired it with the “Cocky’s 2001” song that’s performed by the band and has elements of the more-famous “2001” run-out song.

Rankings and Ratings

South Carolina’s Williams-Brice Stadium came in at No. 15 (three spots behind rival Clemson) in EA Sports’ “toughest places to play” ranking for the game, something many Gamecocks fans took issue with.

That was the only ranking USC popped up in, though, which was mostly a result of its 2023 season. After going 5-7 last year and missing a bowl game in coach Shane Beamer’s third season, the Gamecocks didn’t appear anywhere in EA Sports’ top 25 rankings for overall offense, overall defense and overall team ranking.

The silver lining? Those rankings, of course, are “subject to change,” and USC could very well surge in them if the team gets off to a hot start in 2024 with newly minted starting quarterback LaNorris Sellers and company.

Player Ranking Updates

EA Sports College Football 25 recently released an update to player rankings, bringing significant changes to several South Carolina Gamecocks players.

The update from EA Sports College Football 25 made significant strides in aligning the in-game Gamecocks roster with their real-life counterparts. Players didn’t have to undergo unnecessary position changes to make the depth chart fit the real-life roster, providing a more authentic representation of the team.

The adjustments to positions like Tonka Hemingway moving from RE to DT and Nick Emmanwori shifting from SS to FS reflect the defensive scheme South Carolina runs, enhancing the realism for fans and gamers alike.

However, one notable oversight remains in the wide receiver room: Ahmari Huggins-Bruce (AHB), who transferred back to Louisville, is still listed on the Gamecocks roster in-game with an 80 overall rating. He is also incorrectly wearing the No. 1 jersey, which now belongs to Robby Ashford, a QB transfer from Oregon and Auburn. Ashford did not receive an update despite being the highest-rated QB by PFF after last weekend’s performance. The game inaccurately shows Ashford with one year of eligibility left, but he actually has two remaining and is expected to stay with the Gamecocks for both seasons.

Top South Carolina Players and Ratings

Here’s a look at the top-rated Gamecocks players:

HB Rocket Sanders - 88
SS Nick Emmanwori - 87
MLB Debo Williams - 85
RE Tonka Hemingway - 85
LOLB Kyle Kennard - 84
WR Jared Brown - 83
C Vershon Lee - 83
TE Joshua Simon - 82
WR Nyck Harbor - 82
LG Jakai Moore - 82
CB O’Donnell Fortune - 81
C Torricelli Simpkins III - 81
TE Brady Hunt - 81
DT Alex Huntley - 80
WR Ahmari Huggins-Bruce - 80
ROLB Bam Martin-Scott - 80
WR Gage Larvadain - 80
P Kai Kroeger - 80
FS DQ Smith - 80
MLB Demetrius Knight Jr. - 80
SS Jalon Kilgore - 80
LT Tree Babalade - 79
RG Trovon Baugh - 79
WR Dalevon Campbell - 79
CB Vicari Swain - 79
DT TJ Sanders - 79
RG Kamaar Bell - 78
RE Dylan Stewart - 78
LE Elijah Davis - 78
QB LaNorris Sellers - 78
SS Gerald Kilgore - 78
CB Judge Collier - 78
CB Emory Floyd - 78
QB Robby Ashford - 78
HB Djay Braswell - 77
HB Oscar Adaway III - 77
LG Markee Anderson - 77
C Ryan Brubaker - 76
SS David Spaulding - 76
RE DeAndre Jules - 76
LMB Mohamed Kaba - 76
FS Buddy Mack III - 76
RT Cason Henry - 75
ROLB Jaron Willis - 75
RT Josiah Thompson - 75
RE Monkell Goodwine - 75
FS Peyton Williams - 75
LOLB Bryan Thomas Jr.

Game Availability and Editions

July 19, 2024, is the “worldwide launch date” for EA Sports’ “College Football 25.” The game will be available on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X (the most recent consoles for those brands). It will not be available to play on PC or any previous versions of the PlayStation and Xbox consoles.

The standard edition of the game is $69.99 plus tax, and the deluxe version of the game is $99.99 plus tax. The deluxe edition offers three-day early access starting July 16.

Pre-Order Bonuses

Promotional offers are available for both the standard and deluxe editions of EA Sports College Football 25. These offers expire upon the game's release.

Standard Edition Pre-Order Bonuses:

Alma Mater Ultimate Team Pack (Choice of 1 out of 134 player items)
Cover Athlete Ultimate Team Pack (choice of 1 of 3 player items)
Bring Glory Home Ultimate Team Uniform Item

Deluxe Edition Pre-Order Bonuses:

Heisman Hopeful Ultimate Team Pack (Choice of 1 out of 5 Player Items)
Alma Mater Ultimate Team Pack (Choice of 1 out of 134 player items)
Cover Athlete Ultimate Team Pack (choice of 1 of 3 player items)
Bring Glory Home Ultimate Team Uniform Item
4600 College Football Points
Up to 3 days early access to Product

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