The Athletic’s All-EA Sports NCAA Football Team: A look at 30 years and 21 titles

The Athletic’s All-EA Sports NCAA Football Team: A look at 30 years and 21 titles

Chris Vannini and David Ubben
May 31, 2023

Initially, it would take a few weeks. Maybe it would take sending a memory card to someone you discovered on the internet and hoping he’d return it with the precious file included. By its apex, EA Sports NCAA Football gamers could have rosters full of real names just a few hours after release ready for download thanks to advanced copies of the game filtering into the ether.

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The game never has had real players, not technically, but we all knew “USC RB #5” was Reggie Bush, with the correct look, hometown, size and skills. That’s what made Ed O’Bannon and others so upset and led to a hiatus of the game: The names might not have been there, but even casual fans knew who the players were.

EA Sports’ college football video game will return next summer after more than a decade in dormancy. This time, thanks to a group licensing agreement with OneTeam Partners, the real players officially will be in the game. Players will be able to opt into the game and be paid for their name, image and likeness to appear. If a player doesn’t opt in, he’ll receive a generic avatar — much like “Jon Dowd” was Barry Bonds in EA Sports’ MVP Baseball 2005.

On3 Sports reported players could receive around $500 each. Time will tell if star players try to get more.

O’Bannon didn’t want the game to end; he just wanted players to get paid. EA Sports said in a filing at the time it was willing to pay the players, but the NCAA wouldn’t allow it, so EA Sports shuttered NCAA Football after its 2014 title in the face of more litigation. The sport suffered for it; a generation of fans lost a direct touch, and players didn’t get to see themselves — or, their likeness — in the game. They didn’t get to experience the fun of purchasing a copy and chasing the Heisman Trophy with their gamer images.

This year marks 30 years since the EA Sports game series debuted with Bill Walsh College Football in 1993. Over those 30 years and 21 titles, some players stand alone as all-time greats in the game. Their names may not officially have been a part of the game, but their virtual legacies live on.

That said, who were the best at each position?

The Athletic compiled a team of all-time greats from the past three decades of the video game’s existence. The team consists of 26 players — 12 on offense (fullbacks deserve love, too), 11 on defense and a kicker, punter and returner making up special teams. Players are listed with their overall rating in a specific year of the game. These players weren’t always the highest rated at each position — nor were some the best in real life — but they were the virtual players who put fear into opponents. In some friend circles, they were even banned for use in the game, as they made an opponent’s palms sweaty when they showed up on a TV or computer screen.

Offense

Quarterback (1)

Pat White, West Virginia (97 overall rating, 2009)Honorable mention: Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State; Tim Tebow, Florida; Vince Young, Texas

There were higher-rated quarterbacks. Tebow was the only two-time 99-rating player (2010 and 2011), while USC’s Matt Leinart and Stanford’s Andrew Luck also reached the 99 mark. But true die-hard NCAA heads know no quarterback was feared like White, who teamed with running back Steve Slaton to form the best 1-2 running-game punch in college football history.

Few were tougher to stop running the read option, and White’s legs (and users’ propensity to cheaply use them) made him an obvious choice. Young (96 rating) was a similar player, but White’s skills in the game could produce fights among friends. Defensive schemes hadn’t evolved yet, and few teams had linebackers fast enough to contain quarterbacks with speed ratings in the 90s. Cheapness aside, it was a forecast of what was to come in the sport.

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Running backs (2)

Reggie Bush, USC (97, 2006)Darren McFadden, Arkansas (99, 2008)Honorable mention: Chris “Beanie” Wells, Ohio State; Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma

Bush in the open field was terrifying. Power backs like Wells and Peterson could emerge from piles and break open games, but getting running backs the ball in space has always been a cornerstone of NCAA football, and no player could turn a completion in the flats into points more often — or more spectacularly — on the game than Bush.

McFadden was a good balance of speed and power, and he headlined a freakish backfield with future Madden cover boy Peyton Hillis (93 rating) and running mate Felix Jones (89).

Fullback (1)

Brian Leonard, Rutgers (97, 2006)

There was a time, dear reader, when Rutgers was a very good team under Greg Schiano. Before the Scarlet Knights’ breakout 2006 season — a season that included a top-10 national ranking — Leonard teamed with Ray Rice to form one of the game’s most intriguing backfields. Most gamers liked to throw the ball, but a good fullback was an underrated value if you wanted to run the ball.

Leonard was a bulldozer ready to clear the way through the hole as a lead blocker, but he was fast enough to earn carries, too. He became a second-round NFL Draft pick in 2007.

Wide receivers (2)

Roy Williams, Texas (99, 2004)Rashaun Woods, Oklahoma State, (98, 2004)Honorable mention: Calvin Johnson, Georgia Tech; Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State; Larry Fitzgerald, Pittsburgh; Julio Jones, Alabama

Jump balls, better known as user catches in the virtual world, allowed big-bodied receivers like Woods and Williams to be nearly unguardable against undersized defensive backs downfield. When in doubt, throw it up.

 Rashaun Woods (82) was a standout at Oklahoma State. (Brian Bahr / Getty Images)

Great players could time catches perfectly and leave opponents ready to chuck their controller into the TV.

Tight end (1)

Jermaine Gresham, Oklahoma (99, 2009)Honorable mention: Greg Olsen, Miami; Tyler Eifert, Notre Dame

Gresham’s virtual counterpart was just like his real-life persona for Oklahoma’s record-setting offense in 2008. He could break tackles in the second level and was fast enough to break open a game with a big play. At 6-foot-5, he also was tall enough for quarterbacks to throw the ball high to downfield.

In the game, he held 98 catch in traffic, 95 route running, 94 spectacular catch and 89 break tackle ratings. Few receiving threats were scarier in the game than Gresham.

 

Offensive linemen (5)

OT Sam Baker, USC (99, 2008)OG David Baas, Michigan (98, 2005)C Ben Wilkerson, LSU (99, 2004)OG Max Jean-Giles, Georgia (99, 2006)OT D’Brickashaw Ferguson, Virginia (98, 2006)Honorable mention: OT Alex Barron, Florida State; C Jake Kirkpatrick, TCU; OG Duke Robinson, Oklahoma; OL Shawn Andrews, Arkansas; OL Robert Gallery, Iowa

Nothing was quite as sweet as running around the edge with a tackle who was rated 98 or 99. Who needs creativity? And if the guard was in the 90s, too? Game over. It barely mattered who carried the ball.

The game was light on highly rated guards, but there were a bunch of tackles who showed up with elite ratings. One offensive lineman didn’t affect pass blocking that much, but he could be a game-changer in the running game. Just run behind him for 20 minutes.

Defense

Defensive linemen (4)

Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina (99, 2014)David Pollack, Georgia (99, 2005)Marcus Spears, LSU (99, 2005)Gaines Adams, Clemson (99, 2007)Honorable mention: Tommie Harris, Oklahoma; Glenn Dorsey, LSU; Terrell Suggs, Arizona State; Gerald McCoy, Oklahoma

An elite defensive end could completely wreck your game plan (or field-goal attempt), and that’s what Clowney, Pollack (moved to linebacker in the NFL), Spears and Adams could do regularly. There were a few years where timing the snap just right would cause your defensive end to immediately run over the offensive tackle and get in the backfield.

Clowney might be best remembered for his big hit against Michigan in the Outback Bowl, and he could do that regularly in the game. He goes down as the last 99-overall player in the game’s history. He had a 94 acceleration and 91 strength. Just unstoppable.

Linebackers (3)

James Laurinaitis, Ohio State (99, 2009)Dan Connor, Penn State (99, 2008)Derrick Johnson, Texas (99, 2005)Honorable mention: E.J. Henderson, Maryland; Manti Te’o, Notre Dame; Rey Maualuga, USC

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The mid-to-late 2000s were absolutely loaded with big linebackers. Their style may not comport with today’s wide-open game in real life, but they were tackle machines who could limit any big runs or get in the backfield for a tackle for loss, and the best ones still could manage quarterback contain well enough.

As overall 99s, Laurinaitis had a respectable 89 speed rating in 2009, and Johnson was an 88 speed in 2005.

Defensive backs (4)

CB Chris Gamble, Ohio State (99, 2004)CB Terence Newman, Kansas State (99, 2003)S Taylor Mays, USC (99, 2010)S LaRon Landry, LSU (98, 2007)Honorable mention: S Sean Taylor, Miami; S Ed Reed, Miami

When your opponent controlled a safety before the snap, you knew you were up against a true gamer. Defensive backs got picked on in a game where everyone wanted to throw the ball, and that’s what made elite defensive backs so important.

Landry goes down as the best hit-stick player we’ve ever seen in the game. (Will the new game include the targeting penalty?) Mays’ 95 speed let him cover all over the field, and Newman’s 99 speed and 88 awareness in 2003 made him one of the best lockdown corners in the game’s history.

At honorable mention, Taylor’s 92 speed made him one of the fastest safeties in the game after Mays, and Reed’s rating (95 overall in 2002) was the best on a 2001 Miami team that had 17 future first-round picks.

Special teams

Kicking team (2)

K Mason Crosby, Colorado (99, 2007)P Dustin Colquitt, Tennessee (99, 2004)Honorable mention: K Mike Nugent, Ohio State; P Tom Malone, USC

Specialists with a 99 rating were rare, but Crosby and Colquitt were two of only a few in the 13 versions of the game who migrated to the PlayStation 2/Xbox gaming era.

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Both validated those rankings with lengthy NFL careers. And both blossomed into NFL stars.

Return team (1)

Ted Ginn, Ohio State (93, 2007)Honorable mention: Trindon Holliday, LSU

Ginn was only a 93 overall, but no one who played the game was surprised when he housed the opening kickoff of the 2007 BCS National Championship Game against Florida. It was a scene all too familiar for gamers.

Ginn had 99 speed and was the fastest player possible in the history of the game. Particularly shameless gamers would move him to quarterback (banned by those with respect for themselves and others) and zone-read opponents to death with Beanie Wells.

Leftover thoughts

• The game didn’t add individual overall player ratings until 2002. While players before that era left a mark on the sport in real life, they generally weren’t as impactful or dominant in the game. It wasn’t until the series moved to PlayStation 2 and Xbox that the series and individual players truly stood out.

• The folks at EA Sports passed high ratings around like hotcakes in the mid-to-late 2000s. The 2006 game had 41 players rated a 96 or better. The 2002 game that debuted overall player ratings had just three athletes rated a 96 — and none higher than that. By the time the last game came around (NCAA Football 14), it was back down to only five players rated at least a 96.

• The franchise got much more strict with the 99 ratings in the later years. There were only two 99 players in the last four years of the game (Clowney and Luck) after having four in 2010 (Tebow, Mays, Gresham and Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford) and three in both 2007 and 2008.

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• It was fun seeing current broadcasters pop up in the game. Pollack and Spears were 99s in their final years in 2005, and UConn’s Dan Orlovsky was a 93 that year. Oklahoma’s Dusty Dvoracek was a 96 in 2006, while Notre Dame’s Brady Quinn was a 97 in 2007. Alabama’s Greg McElroy was an 87, and West Virginia’s Pat McAfee was an 83 in 2009. Baylor’s Robert Griffin III was a 95 in 2012, and Arizona State’s Brock Osweiler was an 87 that same year.

• Speaking of finding old players, this exercise was some peak “Let’s Remember Some Guys.” To honor the old Deadspin series by David Roth, let’s remember some 99- or 98-rated guys who didn’t make this team. Guys like Boston College’s Mathias Kiwanuka, Ohio State’s Mike Doss, Penn State’s Paul Posluszny and Texas’ Nathan Vasher and Limas Sweed. We college football fans remember you.

• A big thank you to the people who compiled player ratings on an old message board or scrolled through every team in a YouTube video more than a decade ago. We have no idea why you did that, but it made this research so much easier. We salute your service.

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(Illustration: Sean Reilly / The Athletic; photos: David Maxwell and Wesley Hitt / Getty Images, Dmytro Aksonov / iStock and John Cordes / Icon SMI / Icon Sport Media via Getty Images)