The college football world has been buzzing over the last 24 hours since the official announcement that one of the most beloved video games will be returning at long last.
On Thursday, EA Sports announced that College Football 25 would be hitting the shelves this summer, giving football fans a chance to play with their favorite teams, running spread offenses with their favorite players — and hopefully mascots — in the most iconic stadiums in the nation.
One of the biggest debates that has waged since the announcement is who will ultimately be on the cover of the new game, and whether it will be a former player, a current player, or potentially a coach.
For the Oregon Ducks, there are several players who are deserving. Oregon legend Joey Harrington graced the cover back in 2003, so instead of going through the archives of Ducks’ history, we narrowed things down since the game last was in circulation. Here’s who we think most deserves to be on the cover since then.
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Come on, is there anyone but Marcus Mariota who could have been No. 1 on this list? He is the only Heisman Trophy winner in school history, and to this day stands as one of the most electrifying and dynamic quarterbacks in the history of the sport. I think Mariota should hands down be the favorite as far as Oregon cover-athletes go.
De’Anthony Thomas
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It’s been interesting to see how much of a cult following De’Anthony Thomas still has nationally, and how frequently his Oregon highlights will circulate on social media with fans just marveling at what he was able to do in the green and yellow. I think that DAT would be an awesome cover-athlete, and one that fans around the entire nation would celebrate.
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If you’re talking about the Mount Rushmore for fan favorites in Eugene, then LaMichael James is certainly deserving of mention. He helped really put the Ducks on the map at the start of last decade, and I think is well-respected nationally as one of the more fun players to watch.
Dan Lanning
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Before you scoff at a non-player, Dan Lanning might actually be a really solid option. He has established himself as one of the top young coaches in the game, and he is nothing if not polarizing among fanbases nationally. I think that Lanning would make an entertaining cover for the game.
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Bo Nix made college football history this past year, breaking the record for single-season completion percentage. He was a Heisman finalist and among the most notable figures in the sport for his long and successful career with two different schools. It’s not hard to see him being an actual candidate for the cover this summer.
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It feels like Justin Herbert may be more deserving because of his NFL career rather than his college career, but his time in Eugene was incredibly impressive, and his status as a hometown legend is surely cemented.
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This is one for us… Obviously, it’s hard to imagine EA Sports would put an offensive lineman on the cover of their long-awaited video game, even if that is one of the best offensive linemen in college history and one of the best young offensive linemen in the NFL. Penei Sewell is a cult figure in Eugene, so he makes our list.
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Royce Freeman has the Oregon Ducks school record for most rushing yards and most rushing touchdowns. While he may not have had the national adoration from fans that some other guys on this list have, it’s pretty hard to argue against the notion that he is one of the best Ducks to see the field since 2014.
