Mississippi State players embracing new college football video game

DALLAS — After a long day of summer workouts on Tuesday, it was finally game time for Mississippi State offensive lineman Albert Reese IV.

No, not in real life — the Bulldogs don’t open the 2024 season until Aug. 31 against Eastern Kentucky — but in the newly-released EA Sports College Football 25 video game.

“I played it for four hours, as soon as I got home from workouts and being at the facility,” Reese said Wednesday at Southeastern Conference Media Days. “It was cool seeing myself on there. I was never a huge Madden guy, but I played it a little bit, and I always wondered how it would feel being an NFL player, being able to see yourself on there, so it’s cool to experience that.”

EA Sports released a college football video game every year from 1993 until 2014, initially called Bill Walsh College Football and later renamed College Football USA before becoming “NCAA Football” for the 1998 edition. Because college football players could not be paid or sign endorsement deals, player names and likenesses were not used; instead, they were simply designated by their position and jersey number.

The game was discontinued after the 2014 version, but after the United States Supreme Court ruled in 2021 that college athletes could benefit from their name, image and likeness, fans began clamoring for an updated version of the game, and EA obliged, including players’ real names and likenesses for the first time. College Football 25 launched Monday, with the standard version releasing Friday.

“I played with myself (Tuesday) for the first time,” quarterback Blake Shapen said. “I’m not a big gamer, but I did have to play the game because that’s pretty cool to be able to be in a college football game. I’m sure they’ll have a system up there for us to play, so I’m sure there will be a lot of competing going on in there.”

MSU is coming off a 5-7 season, so despite significant roster turnover on both sides of the ball, only three Bulldog players — center Ethan Miner (89), wide receiver Kelly Akharaiyi (84) and running back Davon Booth (82) — are rated higher than an 80 overall. Of the three players MSU sent to Dallas for media days, Reese is rated a 73, Shapen is an 80 and linebacker John Lewis is a 78.

Reese had not played against a teammate as of Wednesday morning, but Lewis said his linebacker mate Ty Cooper is an excellent player. According to Lewis, safety Kelley Jones, wide receiver Kevin Coleman and defensive lineman De’Monte Russell are all fun to play with despite none of them having a rating higher than 77.

“I play with Mississippi State all the time,” Lewis said. “They could’ve given me an 80 overall. I got a 78. But it was great. I like playing and I’m glad it’s out. A lot of guys on the team (are) good. Javae Gilmore, (he’s) overpowering, outrageous. I don’t know why, but he’s outrageous. Chris Keys, outrageous. He hits too hard in the game. It’s a lot of guys on our team who are really good.”

The Bulldogs’ players are enjoying the game now, but head coach Jeff Lebby emphasized that once fall camp gets started, the focus will be on real, not virtual, football.

“We said it on the plane on the way over here (to Dallas),” Lebby said. “You need to play now, because you won’t be playing in camp.”