Which Ohio State Buckeyes Got Snubbed In College Football 25 Ratings?

EA Sports unveiled the ratings for the Top 100 players in the new College Football 25 video game on Wednesday. Ohio State had the most players of any team make the list. Was there a major snub though?

Nov 5, 2022; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau (44) celebrates a stop during the second half of the NCAA football game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Ryan Field. Ohio State won 21-7. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch Ncaa Football Ohio State Buckeyes At Northwestern Wildcats / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA

The highly-anticipated Top 100 rankings in College Football 25 were released by EA Sports on Wednesday. The Ohio State Buckeyes had the most players of any school in the country in the Top 100 with eight. The next closest was Georgia and Alabama with six players each. As for the rest of the Big Ten, Michigan and Oregon both had five players on the list.

After witnessing the Buckeyes sit atop all of college football with eight players holding ratings of 90 or higher, it is hard to question the creators of the video game. Especially when this has been such a long-awaited arrival and feels like one of the largest video game releases in recent history.

It does feel like there may be one snub who possibly should have had a 90 overall rating.

J.T. Tuimoloau is an experienced pass rusher for the Buckeyes. His duo with Jack Sawyer on opposite sides of the defensive line is expected to wreak havoc in the backfield this coming season for the Buckeyes. The question is "Why did Tuimoloau not make the Top 100?"

Sep 3, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau (44) during the NCAA football game between Ohio State Buckeyes and Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Ohio Stadium. / Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA

When he flashes his ability, it is evident that he is one of the most talented pass rushers in the game. Tuimoloau has all the potential to be dominant and is expected to be a high draft pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

There are two reasons that come to my mind as to why EA Sports does not have Tuimoloau as a 90 overall. One could be that there have been concerns about his consistency. In real life, he has moments of brilliance and can disappear for stretches of time. Without seeing him dominate on nearly every rep, perhaps some categories like strength and awareness got dinged just a bit. Even the slightest drop can take a 90 to an 89.

The other reasoning could be that EA Sports felt it was completely unfair to have three defensive linemen on the same team hold 90 overall ratings or higher. With Jack Sawyer ranked No. 29 overall at a 92 and Tyleik Williams ranked No. 54 overall with a 91, they could have just purposefully avoided putting Tuimoloau at a 90 or higher.

Sep 24, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau (44) celebrates a tackle during the first half of the NCAA Division I football game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch Ncaa Football Wisconsin Badgers At Ohio State Buckeyes / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA

It makes sense that superb young talent that is unproven at the collegiate level would not get rated quite this high. That includes some of the young superstar wide receivers such as Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate and Brandon Inniss. It also makes sense that a player changing positions would not be rated quite this high. That is in reference to Sonny Styles moving to linebacker from safety.

If there is any player to question based on what has been released so far, it is Tuimoloau. Despite missing out on the Top 100, I would expect to see his overall rating fall somewhere between an 86 and 89.