Real-life players will appear in new college football video game, but coaches won't

The EA Sports college football video game is really coming back, and details are beginning to emerge ahead of the full trailer in May and the game's return in July. 

Multiple outlets reported Thursday that EA Sports will send out NIL contracts today for players to approve their likeness to appear in the game. Those who opt-in will receive $600 and a free copy of the game, and those who don't will have to explain to their friends and family why their likeness appears as "North Carolina RB #33" or whatever.

EA Sports College Football 25 will be as realistic as possible, including virtual versions of NIL and the Transfer Portal, conference realignment and all other off-field factors that affect Saturdays in the fall. 

However, coaches will not.

Those hoping to see Lane Kiffin slam his visor into the ground after a Jaxson Dart interception will be left wanting. 

"Coaches are a really good example as the figureheads of their schools," EA Sports senior VP of business development Sean O'Brien told ESPN. "Because we believe there's a real impact to gameplay or to product differentiation that you could be a coach, have a different type of schedule, have a different type of recruiting philosophy, have a different type of gameplay and play style.

"So there's an interesting way of doing that in a similar way to the athletes. No real way of doing that very easily."

That's a business-speak way of saying it's a lot of work to put 134 schools (EA confirmed all 134 FBS teams will be in the game), playbooks, stadiums, mascots, and not to mention 11,000-odd players, into a video game from scratch. Some things had to wait for the 2025 edition of the game, and that will be coaches names, image and likenesses, along with FCS teams. 

However, while coaches likenesses won't make it into the game, their playbooks will.

"You almost could say there's 134 different ways to play," EA Sports senior VP Daryl Holt said.

As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.