Who are the top Penn State players we missed playing with in the EA Sports College Football video game?
Penn State and college football fans can hardly wait for the release of EA College Football 25. Three current Nittany Lions are among the game’s top 100-rated players. There are undoubtedly a number of you reading this who are salivating at the thought of firing Abdul Carter off the edge into an opponent’s backfield or ripping off a long, firework-inducing touchdown scamper with Nicholas Singleton. Thanks to various lawsuits and the change in name, image, and likeness rules, you’ll be able to do that. But, it also got us thinking about something else: If the beloved franchise did not cease to exist for a decade because of those legal issues, which Nittany Lions would have been the most fun to play with?
We offer some top choices below and invite you to share yours inside of The Lions Den.
Penn State players we wish we could have played with in EA Sports College Football: Offense
There is no where else to start this list. In the last installment in 2014, Oregon running back De’Anthony Thomas was one of the top four highest-rated players in the game. In this year’s version, Oklahoma State star tailback Ollie Gordon III is No. 3 overall. They carried ratings of 97 and 96, respectively. Where would Saquon Barkley have ended up on the game’s rating list by the time he was collecting Big Ten honors at his main position and as a specialist while also making multiple All-American teams? One can only wonder. But, he leads the rankings.
Next on our list is tight end Mike Gesicki. He would not have had the highest strength ratings but he would have had terrific speed and jumping abilities for his position and probably would have cracked the top 30, which no tight end did in this year’s game.
Speaking of speed, how far would it have been to recreate some of KJ Hamler‘s long catch-and-run touchdown scores? He would have been a menace for opposing defenses to deal with in video game form just as he was on the field and would have owned a high speed rating. Staying at the same position, former first-round pick Jahan Dotson may not have graded out as highly as some of his peers, but few over the last decade would have been more reliable if you needed to move the chains.
Last but certainly not least on offense is quarterback Trace McSorley. Dubbed “The Wizard” by FOX’s Gus Johnson during his playing days, Nittany Lion fans would have had a field day recreating some of the passer’s most iconic moments.
Nittany Lions we wish we could have played with in EA Sports College Football: Defense
As was the case with Barkley, there really isn’t a conversation to be had here in terms of No. 1. Micah Parsons may have been among the highest-rated defenders ever in the game if it existed when he was at Penn State. His rare blend of size, speed, athleticism, and tackling ability would have easily made him one of the game’s top-rated players in 2019 and 2020. The defense list starts here.
The next obvious picks come at the defensive end spot. Imagine blasting off the edge with Chop Robinson or Odafe Oweh. Each may have received a slight demerit because their production was not always as high on the stat sheet as some thought it should be. But, based on purely the areas used to rate players, each would have been among the game’s best in each of their final seasons in State College.
Moving to the secondary, patrolling the backfield with either safety Jaquan Brisker or cornerback Joey Porter Jr., would have ensured that, while you may have lost on the ground, you were not getting beat through the air.
Ranking the PSU players we would have loved to play with in EA Sports College Football
- Saquon Barkley
- Micah Parsons
- KJ Hamler
- Chop Robinson
- Jaquan Brisker
- Mike Gesicki
- Odafe Oweh
- Joey Porter Jr.
- Trace McSorley
- Jahan Dotson
