On the May 18, 2023 edition of The Andy Staples Show, co-host Ari Wasserman (national college football reporter for The Athletic) shared that he had been contacted by EA SPORTS to view Dynasty Mode and the recruiting aspect of EA SPORTS College Football to share his thoughts and opinions.

While under a strict NDA, Wasserman was unable to share any game details or specifics. However, he did seem very optimistic and pleased with what he had seen.

"I don't know if either of you had the opportunity to do this, but EA SPORTS contacted me during the development of this game and I'm not allowed to give any details because I had to sign an NDA. They took me through the recruiting interface and were using my coverage and resources of [inaudible]. ... They were asking like 'how often do you see this happen?' or 'how should we do this? or that?' And I will tell you because I've seen some of the back of the interfaces of what they're working on and stuff. It is going to be awesome. And they are doing it in a way where you're just not going to get a Madden engine with the college uniforms. They are really trying and I think the reason why they delayed it a year was so that they wanted to make sure that when that game finally made its return that it wasn't just some crappy knock-off of Madden and that it was its own thing and like the Dynasty mode and recruiting and rankings and territories and all the things that we talk about on this show is going to be represented to some extent in the video game. ...

"I don't know if that's [NIL collectives, player/portal tampering, et al.] going to be represented yet, but I do feel like as the years go on, it's going to be a priority for EA SPORTS to make sure that whatever's going on in the recruiting dynasty interface to actually mirror what we're talking about because people want a college football or the creators of the game want a college football fanatic like the people who listen to the show and the people who have dedicated their lives professionally to covering it to feel connected to the actual sport. ... "It's like really, really, really cool." ...

The last major hurdle for the launch of EA SPORTS College Football has been cleared: FBS players can opt-in to having their name and likeness appear in the game, launching July 2024.

In the latest TGT Podcast, cdj and JBHuskers talk about this big news which has been ten years in the making.

Follow the link to watch the Video Podcast and share your thoughts on the show along with future topics.

The Gaming Tailgate Podcast is also available on Spotify and iTunes.

To submit show feedback, ask a question, or suggest a topic for a future show, e-mail the guys at podcast AT thegamingtailgate.com or post your thoughts below. ...

The reason for the cancellation of the EA SPORTS NCAA Football franchise and the last remaining hurdle for the launch of EA SPORTS College Football has been cleared. ESPN.com's Michael Rothstein broke the story this morning: 'An EA Sports representative confirmed to ESPN on Wednesday that it has contracted with OneTeam Partners to "facilitate collegiate athletes' names and likenesses" into the game, solving one of the major questions about college football's return to the video game space.'

Early reports state that each player who opts-in would receive around $500 with the goal being to acquire the license for every scholarship FBS player, per Matt Brown. Brown also notes that players at the service academies cannot enter into NIL agreements, though those programs are looking into the issue.

Continue on for more on player NIL coming to the game as well as our follow-up aspects and questions with this latest news. ...

Today, EA SPORTS has announced a summer 2024 release date for EA SPORTS College Football, confirmed two features (Dynasty Mode & Road to Glory), and released work-in-progress screenshots of the title.

While the February 2, 2021 announcement of College Football's return indicated that generic players may be utilized if NIL rights could not be attained, EA Sports' vice president and general manager Daryl Holt today stated "our intent is to work towards that and find a meaningful way to include them in the game." As of now, all 10 FBS conferences and the College Football Playoff are signed onto the title along with 120 programs. (As of publishing, there is no word on which schools are remaining as holdouts, but EA expects more to join.)

To very little surprise, the first two confirmed game modes are Dynasty Mode and Road to Glory. The WIP screenshots include two of Brutus Buckeye and one of Michigan Stadium in various stages of design.

The information and quotes from Holt came via two ESPN.com articles by Michael Rothstein: "EA Sports to release college football game in summer 2024" and "What to know about the new EA Sports college football video game."

Continue on to see the screenshots and more. ...

Could College Gameday be coming to EA SPORTS College Football?

On location for tomorrow's College Gameday for Montana vs. Montana State in Bozeman, MT, Matt Brown (of Extra Points with Matt Brown) had the opportunity to interview producers and hosts of the program, including Rece Davis and David Pollack.

From Brown on Twitter:

- Pollack "confirms that he WILL be providing voice talent for next year's EA Sports College Football."

- "Rece Davis told us he's played as Montana a few times in the old EA Sports CFB games. I asked if he'll be in the next one. He smiled, said he isn't sure how he's allowed to answer...but hes gonna be real busy on Monday. (WINK)"

Perhaps the most noteworthy tweet came in a response to community member Nate (Twitter: @OklahomersPod) who asked "WE’RE GETTING GAMEDAY IN THE GAME AREN’T WE." Brown responded solely with a smiling emoji, seemingly suggesting Gameday may be coming to year one of EA SPORTS College Football.

If true, how would you like to see College Gameday incorporated into the game? What are the key aspects you are looking for?


Continue on to see the aforementioned info courtesy Matt Brown on Twitter. ...

It's arguably the most anticipated possible addition to Dynasty Mode in EA SPORTS College Football: the Transfer Portal.

In the latest TGT Podcast, cdj and JBHuskers talk about how it might look should it be added to EA SPORTS College Football. What features or aspects of the Transfer Portal would you like to see in the game?

Follow the link to watch the Video Podcast and share your thoughts on the show along with future topics. ...

Since the creation of the Transfer Portal in 2018, it has become the most immediate, high impact way for a college football program to try and turn around their fortunes. Conversely, it can also see a program suffer a roster exodus, stymying any progress or depleting a position.

In the NCAA Football franchise and in the pre-Portal world, Recruiting was the lifeblood of a program. Success or failure depended on the evaluation and development of talent with minimal transfers. Now, the floodgates are open and programs can get immediate help on their roster through the Transfer Portal to establish depth or even a starter. Some programs (Pitt in regards to Jordan Addison leaving for USC, for example) would argue that other schools are tampering with players in part with Name, Image, Likeness policies to pull players away.

As important as Recruiting was in NCAA Football, the Transfer Portal may be even more so in EA SPORTS College Football. Its inclusion seems all but a given in year one and should add an entirely new dynamic to Dynasty Mode. The Transfer Portal will undoubtedly be the most anticipated new feature within Dynasty Mode, and for good reason. Based on community feedback and seeing the Transfer Portal in action for several seasons, here are some key aspects we would like to see reflected for the mode in the video game as well as some questions we have on how it might work.

Continue on or click Read More to see our thoughts and to share yours with the community. ...

As the college football season gets underway, we are asking the community to help us here at The Gaming Tailgate update our Stadium Sounds section.

While we do not know if/when the mode will return to the EA SPORTS College Football franchise, it's never too early to have the information updated. Plus, it can still be used in NCAA Football 14 and CFB Revamped.

There are numerous ways to submit info for your team: Printable PDF to fill out while watching games, Google Form, or posting here at TGT.

Even if you only catch one song in a random game, please submit it as it helps get our records one step closer to accurate and complete. Our goal for the year is to have several song items for every FBS program.

As you visit our Stadium Sounds sub-forum, make sure to check out our new Resources and Covers thread, containing links to marching band albums and covers of popular songs.

Continue on to submit songs, chants, & traditions for your school. ...

Utilizing open records requests and sources close to EA SPORTS, 247sports.com's Brandon Marcello has been able to uncover the latest news surrounding EA SPORTS College Football. Some highlights:

In line with previous reports, game development has ramped up in the final calendar year of a three-year development process which is still aiming for a July 2023 release. As of July 2022, developers were entering the final push in gathering art assets for all 130 FBS programs. Currently, on-air talent from ESPN (no names given or hinted) are recording commentary for the title.

Industry leaders expect EA SPORTS to finalize a partnership with an NIL group deal this summer. As mentioned in the article, this could include OneTeam's partnership with OpenDorse.

To no one's surprise, the game is being built on the Madden NFL engine but with tweaks and changes to fit the college game, similar to the formula for the NCAA Football franchise. The focus for year one is game design, atmosphere, and unique traditions for each program while playbooks will be more robust and team-specific.

Finally, in terms of game features, Dynasty Mode and Road to Glory will appear in the title, while other modes (including Ultimate Team) could be added in later updates.

To view Marcello's entire article on 247sports, click here. ...