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

2. Caleb Williams

Now we're getting into the thick of it. The presumed No.1 pick in the upcoming NFL draft is probably the most likely person to get the cover, but I like the idea of a current college player having it, so I'm slotting Caleb Williams in at number two.

Williams won the 2022 Heisman Trophy by displaying an array of talents that has seen him plausibly compared to Patrick Mahomes. He followed that showcase up with another season of incredible play, but he was mostly overlooked (though not by NFL scouts) due to USC's defense being amongst the worst in the country. He'd be the third Trojan to appear on the cover, joining Carson Palmer and Reggie Bush in 2004 and 2007.

Williams is no stranger to stardom, even off the football field, as he's appeared in commercials for Wendy's, Fanatics, and Dr. Pepper, with the soda even depicting him on a video game cover in one of its "Fansville" ads. The NFL is hyped for Williams' arrival; it makes sense that College Football 25 gamers would be, too.

1. Jalen Milroe

Alabama has a proud history of EA Sports cover athletes, with Mark Ingram and Shaun Alexander having gotten the gig in the past. Milroe would be the first Alabama quarterback to do the honors, though I do like to imagine a black-and-white version of NCAA Football 1965 with Joe Namath on the cover.

Milroe overcame a slow start to the year to turn an incredible season, one which featured his impossible 4th-and-goal throw from the 31 to beat Auburn, a victory over two-time defending national champion Georgia in the SEC Championship, and a near-defeat of Michigan in the College Football Playoff semifinal that was the closest anyone came all year to beating the Wolverines.

After Nick Saban retired last month, Milroe announced that he was staying in Tuscaloosa under new head coach Kalen DeBoer. Whether that means he can keep Alabama on the top rung of the college football ladder remains to be seen, but as one of the college game's most intriguing returning athletes, he'd be a great choice for the cover.