For those looking to become stars in College Football 25, EA Sports has provided a detailed overview of its new Road to Glory mode.
As a quick refresher, Road to Glory is a single-player mode introduced in NCAA Football 06 as Race for the Heisman, where players create a character and strive to achieve greatness, from winning the Heisman trophy to racking up as many other awards as possible and leading their team to a bowl game or the National Championship. Unfortunately, players start as college athletes, with the developer previously confirming that players will not get to play their senior year of HS.
Nevertheless, EA revealed players will get to pick from five positions: QB, HB, WR, MLB, and CB, in addition to Star Level. Scholarship offers are determined based on recruiting level and what values mean to you. Alongside Star Level and Position, players will also select a mental ability and archetype.
As you’d expect, in Road to Glory you are not just a college football player but also a college student, with players having to juggle practice on top of classes, though the mode will not include exams for you to take. However, with the inclusion of the Wear & Tear system, which EA Sports said is a key contributing factor in Road to Glory, players need to ensure they are academically eligible and stay healthy and at low risk of injury.
Your relationship with your coaches and teammates will also impact your player’s reputation. Some skills increase or decrease depending on the choices you make. Even after you become the starter, your position on the depth chart can still be challenged. When battling for the starting position, mini-games can be triggered depending on whether or not you build or lose trust with the coach, and EA has already confirmed that you will not be able to reset the mini-game once it begins. However, if you are a true freshman and are not starting, you will automatically redshirt your first season.
EA previously teased that Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals will be implemented and can alter how you perform off-field or on the field. NIL deals can improve things such as your player’s health or in-game attirbutes like improved stamina.
Alongside NIL, the Transfer Portal has been introduced in collegiate athletics in recent years. EA also confirmed that it will be available in College Football 25 and that players can access it.
Like in other modes, when it comes time for your junior year to stay another year or declare for the NFL draft, you will be able to transfer your player to Madden NFL 25. Despite College Football 25 not receiving a PC, PS4, and Xbox One port, EA confirmed that Road to Glory players can be imported to these versions of Madden NFL 25 as it is not platform locked but rather tied to your EA account.
College Football 25 will be released for PS5 and Xbox Series X and S on July 16 for those who pre-order the Deluxe Edition or MVP Bundle, or July 19 for everyone else. For more, check out the top 100 players, the top-rated teams, and the deep dives for Dynasty mode and College Ultimate Team. If you are curious to know IGN’s thoughts ahead of our review, check out our hands-on preview.
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.