First Big Player Rating Update Hits and Misses
For the first time since College Football 25 was released back in July, EA Sports has made a huge player rating update.
Every week, we give the Trending Four that highlights team ratings, so it is refreshing to see that EA Sports may be reading some of our material. It is a great way to keep the game fresh, so this is a huge positive thing moving forward for the franchise. Accumulated from On3, here is the full list of player rating updates.
+ Colorado defensive back/wide receiver Travis Hunter — 97 (+2)
+ Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty — 96 (+4)
+ Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon — 95 (-1)
+ Michigan running back Donovan Edwards — 90 (-1)
+ Miami quarterback Cam Ward — 91 (+2)
+ Buffalo linebacker Shaun Dolac — 89 (+7)
+ Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell — 89 (+4)
+ Maryland wide receiver Tai Felton — 89 (+3)
+ Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson — 88 (+3)
+ Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava — 88 (+2)
+ Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels — 88 (-2)
+ Florida State EDGE Patrick Payton — 88 (-2)
+ South Carolina EDGE Dylan Stewart — 87 (+9)
+ Michigan running back Kalel Mullings — 87 (+6)
+ South Carolina EDGE Kyle Kennard — 87 (+3)
+ LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier — 87 (+2)
+ Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson — 87 (+13)
+ Texas safety Andrew Mukuba — 87 (-2)
+ Texas A&M quarterback Conner Weigman — 87 (-1)
+ Rutgers center Gus Zilinskas — 86 (+7)
+ Ole Miss linebacker Chris Paul Jr. — 86 (+3)
+ Duke safety Terry Moore — 86 (+10)
+ Syracuse quarterback Kyle Mccord — 86 (+1)
+ NC State quarterback Grayson McCall — 86 (-2)
+ Oklahoma cornerback Kani Walker — 85 (+9)
+ Texas tight end Gunnar Helm — 85 (+8)
+ Navy running back Eli Heidenreich — 85 (+7)
+ Nebraska wide receiver Isaiah Neyor — 85 (+3)
+ Ohio State left tackle Josh Simmons — 85 (+2)
+ Memphis running back Mario Anderson — 85 (+1)
+ Florida State left tackle Darius Washington — 85 (-4)
+ Texas wide receiver Silas Bolden — 85 (-1)
+ Troy wide receiver Devonte Ross — 84 (+6)
+ Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos — 84 (+5)
+ Michigan State linebacker Jordan Turner — 84 (+5)
+ SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings — 84 (+4)
+ Tennessee wide receiver Dont’e Thornton — 84 (+3)
+ Missouri left tackle Marcus Bryant — 84 (+2)
+ Penn State cornerback A.J. Harris — 84 (+2)
+ Miami safety Mishael Powell — 84 (+2)
+ Memphis linebacker Elijah Herring — 84 (+1)
+ SMU quarterback Preston Stone — 84 (-3)
+ UConn wide receiver Skyler Bell — 82 (+10)
+ Buffalo cornerback Marquis Cooper — 80 (+27)
+ Auburn running back Damari Alston — 80 (+4)
+ Texas running back Jerrick Gibson — 80 (+4)
+ Memphis left tackle Chris Adams — 80 (+9)
+ Colorado State quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi — 81 (-1)
+ Texas wide receiver Ryan Wingo — 81 (+1)
+ Florida State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei — 84 (-1)
+ Florida quarterback DJ Lagway — 81 (+1)
+ Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer — 82 (+1)
+ Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola — 82 (+2)
+ Florida State running back Roydell Williams — 83 (-2)
+ Duke quarterback Maalik Murphy — 83 (+2)
+ Alabama wide receiver Ryan Williams — 82 (+1)
+ Alabama cornerback Zabien Brown — 81 (+2)
+ Florida State offensive lineman TJ Ferguson — 81 (-2)
+ South Carolina wide receiver Mazeo Bennett — 80 (+16)
+ Texas A&M tight end Tre Watson — 80 (+11)
+ Oklahoma running back Taylor Tatum — 80 (+2)
+ Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love — 86 (+1)
The most notable player to receive an update was Colorado wide receiver/defensive back Travis Hunter, who received a two point boost that now makes him a 97 overall. The Buffalo Bulls saw two players receive significant rating boots including cornerback Maquis Cooper, who got a 27-point rating boost that now makes him an 80 overall. They also saw linebacker Shaun Dolac get a seven point boost to make him an 89 overall. For a team that is 3-2 and coming off a lopsided 47-3 loss to Uconn is kind of funny. With that being said, here are the biggest player rating update hits and misses.
Hits
Iowa Hawkeyes running back Kaleb Johnson getting a huge 13-point player rating boost makes him an 87 overall. He is second in college football in rushing yards with 82 carries for 685 yards and nine touchdowns. He is also averaging 8.4 yards per carry. This includes two games against Minnesota and a top-20 ranked Iowa State program.
Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty also gets a slight four point boost to make him a 96. Right now, he is the best running back in college football. Regardless of competition, he has 82 carries for 845 yards and 13 touchdowns. He is averaging 10.3 yards per carry, which is insane.
I love, love, love the updated rating for Buffalo linebacker Shaun Dolac. He leads the nation in tackles with 72 tackles, three sacks and two interceptions. The Bulls are in the MAC and don’t get a bunch of TV time or highlights, so it is good to see EA Sports is paying some attention to the smaller programs.
Misses
TCU quarterback Josh Hoover deserved some love with the player updates. This kid is slinging it for the Horned Frogs and has 1,774 yards for 14 touchdowns and four interceptions. He has an 85.5 quarterback rating as well, which is ninth in college football. Yet, he is still only rating a 79 overall. Huge missed opportunity here.
Virginia Tech defensive end Antwaun Powell-Ryland has been putting fear into offenses in the first half of the season - including Heisman hopeful Cam Ward. They almost upset Miami, and not only just in that game, but Powell-Ryland has been all over the field all season. He is second in the nation in sacks with seven, he also has two forced fumbles to go along with it and 17 solo tackles. He is currently an 88, but he should be at least a 90 with the way he has been playing thus far.
Lastly, UNLV Jalen Catalon has been doing it all this season for the Rebels. He leads the nation in interceptions with four (tied with three others), but this also includes a pick six. In addition to that, he also has 22 total tackles. He has been one of the best under the radar defensive backs in college football, yet he remained at an 85. He should’ve received a boost as well. UNLV has never made the Associated Press Poll, until now (ranked 25th). Most of that is due to having one of the best defensive backs in the nation.
Who else deserved a ratings boost? Did they overcompensate with anyone and give them too big of a boost?
Dedrick Hendrix is a Featured Columnist for Four Verts: A College Football 25 Substack. He also writes for Fansided and Just Baseball. You can follow him on X @dchendrix, Twitch @itsdchendrix, and Instagram @officialdchendrix.
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