Predicting the EA Sports College Football cover athlete: 11 stars fans would love

The winter of college football fans' discontent is nearly over. Yes, the College Football Playoff is expanding to 12 teams, but that news is inconsequential compared to the bombshell that's coming this summer. I'm speaking, of course, of the return of EA Sports to the college football scene, with EA Sports College Football 25.

Like many college football fanatics, I have fond memories of my time playing the game that some unjustly characterized as Madden's little brother. I remember playing in my room at UNC, naming the entire team after all the guys that lived in my dorm, then dragging my Tar Heels to the national championship through diligent recruiting and an unstoppable spread offense.

Ah, those were the days, but like a graduate senior that has run out of eligibility, they were destined not to last. Ed O'Bannon brought his case against the NCAA for using his likeness without his permission, and just like that, the world of college sports video games was razed to the ground.

It's a different world we live in now, one that would be unrecognizable to the amateur athletes of yesteryear. Thanks in large part to O'Bannon's lawsuit, players may now profit off of their name, image, and likeness without jeopardizing their eligibility, which has changed the landscape of college athletics irrevocably.

Whether you believe that's a positive development or not is something that's best kept between you and Dabo Swinney. For the rest of us, one glorious side effect of this new free market is the return of one of our favorite video games.

EA Sports released a teaser yesterday for College Football 25, its long-awaited sequel. The spot gave a tantalizing glimpse into what to expect from the game, but the best piece of information to come out of the 1:33 video is that the game will definitely be releasing this summer, which means the wait is almost over.

One of the many exciting things to think about now is who might be on the cover. In the past, EA Sports was restricted to athletes that had just left school, but now that we're in the NIL era, there's nothing preventing a current college athlete from being the star.

With that in mind, we're going all-in on the possibilities, from players that will be NFL rookies this year, to some of the favorites to win the 2024 Heisman Trophy. We've even thrown in a couple of wild cards that could be fun, bringing the total to 11 different choices, since we've gone 11 years without the game. So who's it gonna be?

11. Jaxson Dart

You want a star for your cover? I give you Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss quarterback. This guy has rockstar vibes and the game to match, having just led the Rebels to a top-10 end-of-season ranking for the first time since 1969.

Dart was one of the best quarterbacks in the SEC, throwing for over 3,300 yards and 31 total touchdowns, and he saved his best performance for last, a 379-yard, four-touchdown effort to shred Penn State in the Peach Bowl.

Dart will be among a handful of Heisman Trophy favorites next fall, and will have every opportunity to carry his school into the newly expanded College Football Playoff. He also has a head coach in Lane Kiffin that's never been shy on the promotional front, and you have to admit, those sweet Ole Miss uniforms would look pretty nice lining the Gamestop shelves.