Colorado's Travis Hunter becomes first major player in EA Sports 2025 College football

The video game maker offered compensation for rights to appear in this year's release

CU Buffs

Colorado two-way standout Travis Hunter added his name to the growing list of college football players who've accepted EA Sports' NIL deal on Thursday. The Paul Hornung Award winner and consensus All-American became the first major talent to say he's in the game and confirmed his opt-in status via Instagram.

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The return of 2025 College Football has fanbases buzzing after a decade-long hiatus. Hunter was part of 11,000 players offered, which totals $6.6 million in NIL from EA Sports, according to Jason Wilson of Sports Business Journal. The players who decide to opt-in will become an "ambassador" and receive a free copy of the game before the general public.

However, not everyone is thrilled with the re-release from EA. The College Football Players Association urged players last year to reject a lesser offer from the video game maker. It will be a process to get everyone on board without a governing body representing the players.

“All current players should boycott this deal,” CFBPA vice president Justin Falcinell told NBC Sports June 2023. "A current NFL player told us that he got a check for $28,000 this year for Madden. You should not participate in this. It is a simple cash grab to just try to get you for the lowest amount possible.”

EA Sports reported multi-billion dollar profits to end last year. The total they're offering players represents a small fraction of what they stand to make this year. However, some players don't care about the money attached to this deal and want to see themselves captured in a digital space.

Hunter was one of the most electrifying players in college football last season. The Buffs two-way specialist racked 31 total tackles with five PDUs and 3 INTs on defense. He also added 57 receptions for 721 yards and 5 TDs, despite missing three games with a lacerated liver.