Last month, EA Sports announced that college football players could not start opting in or out of the upcoming College Football 25 video game. The compensation for opting in would be a $600 payment as well as a free copy of the game. Now, we are starting to hear about more and more players opting in, as well as one notable player who has opted out.
Arch Manning Opts Out
This week, Texas Longhorns QB Arch Manning reportedly decided to opt out of being included in College Football 25. These reports came from Anwar Richardson, who covers the Longhorns for Orangebloods.com. According to Richardson, Manning had decided to not be in the game, and was instead “focused on playing football on the field.”
Manning, the nephew of former NFL QBs Peyton and Eli Manning, was a top recruit for the Longhorns last summer. Manning redshirted last season, and appeared in only one game. Manning is expected to have a similar role this year, as starting QB Quinn Ewers has announced he is returning to Texas for another season. Ewers has also announced that he will be included in College Football 25 when it releases.
10,000 Strong and Growing
While Manning may be opting out, many more players are opting in. On Monday, EA Sports announced that more than 10,000 college football players have already opted into being included in College Football 25. This includes some of the biggest names in the sport. Players like Alabama QB Jalen Milroe, Missouri WR Luther Burden, and Colorado WR/CD Travis Hunter are among those that have opted in. This is a great sign to see so many big name players choosing to be included in the game. However, there are still some top players that have not confirmed if they will be in the game or not. It will be interesting to see if they choose to follow Manning’s lead and focus on football, or if they will choose to be part of the most anticipated sports video game release that we can remember.