EA College Football 25 release date: Countdown timer points to big announcement

College football fans have waited a decade for the return of a CFB video game. It's finally coming in 2024, but when exactly?

That's been the mystery of the spring with EA providing nuggets of information about the upcoming revival officially titled EA Sports College Football 25. We even know some cover athletes now. The one thing they have not provided is a release date.

Now we have a countdown timer to set our watches to.

EA College Football 25 release date likely to be revealed on May 16

The College Football 25 page on EA.com is currently displaying a countdown to Thursday, May 16 at 11:00 a.m. ET.

While we don't know for sure if a release date is coming then, it would be a surprise if that's not the big announcement. It's the one thing everyone is waiting to hear.

Along with the familiar voices of college football and all the authentic settings, the new video game will feature current college football players who will be compensated for their appearance in the game for the first time ever. That's thanks to the advent of NIL legislation. Student-athletes can now profit off their name, image and likeness.

Disputes over compensation were the death of the NCAA Football franchise all those years ago. Lawsuits were filed because EA was using the likeness of current players without their consent. Even without real names on the rosters, everyone knew who the 5-foot-11, 199-pound QB from Florida wearing the No. 16 Michigan jersey was even if his name wasn't listed as Denard Robinson.

Back then, student-athletes weren't allowed to profit off their athletic fame. Taking money would make them ineligible to play college sports.

Fortunately, those days are gone. Players who opt in to appear in the game will receive a free copy as well as $600. Thousands of players have agreed to that deal, though not all.