North Texas is one of six teams tied for fifth among American Athletic Conference programs in EA Sports’ College Football 25 overall ratings heading into the season.
The highly anticipated college football video game was released Monday for early access.
The first college football video game, Bill Walsh College Football, debuted in 1993. EA Sports eventually bought the franchise in 1998 and began publishing yearly editions.
The series was discontinued in 2013 due to a lawsuit against the NCAA and the Collegiate Licensing Co. by a group of former college athletes led by UCLA basketball great Ed O’Bannon for using their name, image and likeness without compensation.
Those suits were eventually settled, clearing the way for the return of the beloved game.
Players across the country opted to have their profiles included. They will be compensated through annual payments throughout their careers.
A number of UNT players agreed to have their profiles used and were rated by the game. Defensive tackle Roderick Brown, cornerback Ridge Texada and running back Ikaika Ragsdale are UNT’s top three rated players in the game. Brown and Texada are both rated 84 overall. Ragsdale is rated at 83.
Quarterback Chandler Morris, safety Isheem Young, running back Zach Evans and offensive lineman Gabe Blair rank just behind the trio at 81 overall.
Brown anchored the middle of UNT’s defensive line last season when he finished with 40 tackles, including 3.5 tackles for loss. Texada was credited for defending eight passes last year and intercepted another.
Ragsdale played in just two games in 2023 before suffering a season-ending injury. He is expected to return this fall.
Ragsdale has been one of UNT’s top offensive players when he’s healthy. He has 1,323 rushing yards to go along with 12 touchdowns in four seasons with the Mean Green.
