Ohio State's J.T. Tuimoloau elects to not opt-in to EA Sports College Football 25

Ohio State has the top overall rated defense in EA Sports College Football 25. Even so, one of the units most impactful players isn’t even in the game.

J.T. Tuimoloau, one of the top defenders and players in the sport, has reportedly not opted into the video game. However, with routine updates to the virtual game, that could eventually change based on his own personal decision.

“Tuimoloau’s absence makes him one of the nation’s most prominent players not at the game during its release,” Stephen Means of cleveland.com wrote on Monday. “Many players opted in immediately while others only did so over the past few weeks such as Texas’ backup quarterback Arch Manning, who originally planned not to be in it.”

“The game will continue to update throughout the season,” Means noted. “At any time Tuimoloau could eventually opt-in and join his teammates in their quest for a virtual national title.”

Tuimoloau is entering his senior year in Columbus after not leaving for the 2024 NFL Draft.

In his three previous seasons, he has posted 83 tackles, 22 of those being for loss, along with 11 sacks, seven deflections, two interceptions and fumble recoveries apiece, and a pair of defensive touchdowns. That includes a career-year as a junior last season with 38 tackles, seven being for loss, and five sacks with two of the deflections and one of the fumble recoveries.

2023 was an All-American type season for Tuimoloau. It was also the second straight year in which he earned first team all-conference honors in the Big Ten.

Coming out of Eastside Catholic in Washington, Tuimoloau was a five-star prospect. He was the No. 5 overall recruit in the 2021 cycle according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He rated as the No. 2 DL behind only Korey Foreman and the top prospect from his state. That made him the third-highest commitment in that cycle for the program behind QB Quinn Ewers and DE Jack Sawyer.

Tuimoloau is one of a few Buckeyes who are not in EA Sports College Football 25. His absence is also one of the most notable in the entire sport. However, if he were in the game, it’d be safe to assume that he’d be ranked well within their Top-100. That group includes FS Caleb Downs (95), RB Quinshon Judkins (95), WR Emeka Egbuka (93), RB TreVeyon Henderson (93), DE Jack Sawyer (92), LG Donovan Jackson (91), CB Denzel Burke (91), and DT Tyleik Williams (91).

There are still more than enough impactful defensive pieces for Ohio State to log on with this week. It just, at least for now, won’t include Tuimoloau.