Good morning, and thanks for your continued support of Extra Points.

EA Sports College Football 25 finally comes out next week…late Monday afternoon for those who purchased Early Access, Friday for everybody else. By the 19th, so many of the myriad questions that so many consumers have about game features, details and more will finally be answered.

But today is not the 19th. Every day I sit down at my computer to see more questions, and then I do my very best to get some answers.

Let’s start by talking about rosters….who is in the game, who isn’t, why, and what’s next:

In the months leading up to the game, only one nationally recognized player indicated he planned to opt-out….Texas quarterback Arch Manning. 

Earlier this week, Manning reversed course, cutting a promotional video with Eli Manning, indicating that actually, he’s “in the game.”

Also, earlier this week, EA Sports released the official ratings for the Top 100 players in the game, confirming the participation of several athletes whose participation was questioned by at least some fanbases and corners of the internet, like Ohio State running back Treveyon Henderson, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Oregon quarterback Dillion Gabriel, and Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III.

Two sources at EA Sports with familiarity with the roster ratings told me that Manning was far and away the most famous name that was previously not part of the game, and that the launch rosters do not have any “major” opt-outs.

I still don’t know the full story of the Manning “in or out” roster situation, and I suspect the full details won’t come out until Arch is in the NFL. What I do know is that the reports that Manning would decline to participate were a surprise to EA Sports and Opendorse (he was originally offered a secondary promotional contract, like many other top athletes), and that a few folks from inside the industry have told me that the reticence to participate wasn’t coming from Arch himself.

On3 reported that Manning earned between $50-$60K for his promotional efforts. That would put Manning’s total comp near the very top, if not the top, of any non-cover athlete for the game (industry sources have told me that the three main cover athletes were paid “low six figures” for their promotional work, with the bulk of other secondary promotional contracts ranging from low four figures to low five figures), so if the entire operation was to squeeze a few more bucks and attention, well, it worked. But I don’t know if that’s actually the case.

What I do know, however, is there are some athletes who will play significant snaps this season that aren’t currently in the game.

Subscribe to Premium Membership to read the rest.

Become a paying subscriber of Premium Membership to get access to this post and other subscriber-only content.

A subscription gets you:

✓  FOUR newsletters a week

✓  Access to every single newsletter in our archives

✓  Free stickers! (while supplies last)

✓  Access to Athletic Director Simulator 4000