Illinois football QB Luke Altmyer set to help promote EA Sports College Football 25

Illinois football fans have had to wait 11 years for one of the best things in the sport to return.

Wait, what in the world could I be talking about? What has the Illini fanbase been waiting for in that stretch of time that has lasted over a decade?

EA Sports College Football 25.

That isn’t a typo. The video game that anyone in their late teens through early 40s loved is back. EA Sports announced the return of the college football video game about a week ago, and fans everywhere are excited. The game will be released this summer but a date hasn’t officially been announced.

All 134 FBS football programs will be featured in the game, as fans try to resurrect their program and take them to the pinnacle of the college football world, the National Championship.

Illinois football players have a chance to make some money off EA Sports College Football 25

While the warm and fuzzy feelings are starting to come back from the joy the previous renditions of the game brought to fans, the return doesn’t come without a price.

The main reason the original game went away was due to the name, image, and likeness of the players were being used without proper compensation. That has all changed.

Each college player who wants to be in the video game has a chance to opt-in to a deal that pays that player $600. If you have the low end of active players on a college football roster, 70, and do some math, that is a lot of money. 70 x 134 teams = 9,380 players x $600 = $5,628,000.

That is obviously a rough estimate, but there are some players who are in line to make more.  Pete Nakos of On3.com reported that EA Sports is working with Opendorse to put together side NIL deals to help promote the game.

These NIL deals are worth more than $600. Among the players selected to help promote the new game is Illinois quarterback, Luke Altmyer.

Altmyer threw for 1,883 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions as a sophomore with the Illini in 2023. He is entering the 2024 campaign as the sure-fire starter, and he should be one of the better quarterbacks in the Big Ten.

I fully expect Altmyer to have a great junior campaign on the football field. Even if he doesn’t and something goes wrong, I will now have the ability to take Illinois to the promised land. Finally, EA Sports NCAA Football 25 is back!