College Football 25: Kentucky notes and observations from the game

College Football 25‘s standard edition is now available to everyone interested in playing it. The deluxe edition of the video game of the summer was released earlier this week to pre-orderers; as of midnight, it’s available for purchase for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox X|S.

For anyone interested, here are KSR’s immediate observations from Kentucky Football‘s place in the game.

Missing Kentucky players

For the first time ever, thanks to NIL in college athletics, EA Sports used real-life student-athletes for its roster. However, not everyone, including one of the stars of Kentucky’s defense, gave EA permission to use their name, image, and likeness. Other late-spring roster additions are also absent.

Here are key players missing from Kentucky’s roster:

Jamon Dumas-Johnson (LB) – Kentucky’s prized transfer linebacker from Georgia opted out of the game, leaving a glaring hole in the depth chart for Brad White’s defense.

DJ Waller Jr. (DB) – A Michigan transfer, Waller joined the Kentucky program in late April after spring ball concluded in Lexington. Hopefully, he will be added to UK’s roster in the first update to the game.

Gerald Mincey (OT) – The former Vol is not a piece of the Big Blue Wall in the game.

Aidan Laros (P) – The FCS All-American punter was another late add to the roster, so he is missing from the punting depth chart. Wilson Berry and a generic name make up the two-deep without Laros.

Highest-rated Kentucky players

KSR gave you Kentucky’s roster breakdown with player ratings when the deluxe edition dropped earlier this week. Here, we will look at the team’s top-rated players, beginning with Deone Walker, a 93 overall on the defensive line. Seventeen Wildcats have an 80 rating or better.

No coaches in the game

You won’t find Mark Stoops on Kentucky’s sideline. EA Sports did not include any college football coaches, leaving dynasty mode to user-created coaches and coordinators.

I was really hoping to see Shane Beamer throw a clipboard in Kroger Field, down by 35.

Graphics check: Brock Vandagriff

Though names, images, and likenesses are finally in the game, they’re not perfect. We’ll use QB Brock Vandagriff for a graphics check. Close enough?

Gameplay observations

Due to work/life balance, my time spent playing College Football 25 is much lower than I had hoped during the countdown to Monday’s early release. Still, since the deluxe edition dropped on Monday, I’ve played two full games with five-minute quarters in Kroger Field as the Kentucky Wildcats. Here are some observations from those games, played on All-American difficulty:

— Minutes into a game I waited 10+ years to play, I blocked a field goal and took it to the house for my first points on College Football 25. Maybe it was worth the wait after all? I went crazy in the Franklin household as virtual Jordan Lovett returned the scoop-and-score.

Nasir Addison with the blocked FG. Jordan Lovett to the house. Play the fight song.

Yeah, I am hooked. pic.twitter.com/dQKnhWd0ml

— Drew Franklin (@DrewFranklinKSR) July 15, 2024

— Familiar Kroger Field sounds include the Air Raid siren, the third-down coal whistle, the fight song, and Go-Big-Blue chants. “Grove St. Party” did not make the cut, likely due to licensing.

— Shirtless Ryan Lemond is missing from crowd shots. I expected to see him after Dane Key‘s TD catch in the corner.

— With a new kicking meter, kicking is difficult. I missed an extra point and shanked a punt in my first game, so be prepared to break a controller or go for it on fourth down.

Kicking FGs in EA Sports College Football 25 is going to ruin lives 😅

pic.twitter.com/aJbD65sR7D

— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) July 15, 2024

— Defense is also hard. Josh Huepel’s no-huddle offense carved me up on my own turf. I’ll blame the learning curve.

— Barion Brown is unstoppable. With 99 speed and 98 acceleration ratings, Brown needs the ball often.

Now, let’s all power through this Friday so we can play all weekend.