AUSTIN, Texas — EA Sports' first college football video game in more than a decade will have a little Forty Acres flair.
The official cover of College Football 25 was revealed Thursday featuring Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers on the cover, along with Colorado two-way player Travis Hunter and Michigan running back Donovan Edwards.
It's the first time in the game franchise's history that all three cover athletes are active players, according to the Associated Press. All three players said money played no role in being a part of the cover.
"It's going to be such a big game. Just being on the cover itself is plenty enough for me, and I'm not even worried about the NIL aspect," Ewers said.
Ewers led Texas to a victory over Alabama at the beginning of last year's season and a College Football Playoff appearance in the school’s final season in the Big 12. The Longhorns lost to Washington in the semifinals. Ewers and Texas will compete in the Southeastern Conference this season, joining rival Oklahoma.
The game will feature all 134 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) schools.
EA Sports offered FBS players a minimum of $600 and a copy of the game to have their likeness included. The company also offered some players NIL deals to promote the game through an ambassador program.
More than 11,000 players have accepted an offer to be in the game.
College Football 25 will be the first version of EA Sports’ college football franchise to be released since 2013, when the game stopped being made amid lawsuits accusing it of using players’ likeness without paying them.
The NCAA’s approval in 2021 of players being able to profit from their brand opened the door for the game to be made again.