Oklahoma Players Already Building Dynasties, Legends in 'College Football 25'

Jackson Arnold, Billy Bowman and Danny Stutsman started playing the game last week and seem thrilled to be a part of the action this time around.

Danny Stutsman II / Danny Stutsman via Twitter/X

Preseason training camp opens next week, and the 2024 college football season will kick off one month later.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma players are already scoring touchdowns, already snagging interceptions, already executing their celebration dances.

Virtually speaking, of course.

EA Sports’ “College Football 25” is all the rage among players across the nation. 

“It’s awesome,” said OU safety Billy Bowman. “It’s like being a kid again. Last time a college football game came out I was 11 years old. So, just being on the game is a blessing, or being able to play the game.”

“I grew up playing ‘NCAA 14’ with my friends and my cousins,” said quarterback Jackson Arnold. “Seeing I'm in the game and I'm able to play as my character now, it's really special.”

While everyone’s having a good time with the return of the college game, some are taking it to another level.

Linebacker Danny Stutsman, for instance, created a recruit — “Danny Stutsman II,” apparently — who has committed to Oklahoma and intends to take his virtual avatar’s starting job.

No spot is safe…not even my own! pic.twitter.com/VNKpr5WCve

— DannyStutsman (@FbStutsman) July 16, 2024

“Yeah about that,” Stutsman said. “So Danny Stutsman the second, he actually changed Danny Stutsman’s alarms, so I slept through a fall camp practice and Danny Stutsman didn’t play. We lost versus Temple in a simulation because Danny Stutsman, he’s buried deep on the depth chart. He’s made his way up. Somehow the simulation lost against Tulane. That’s alright. I deleted the app. I deleted the game. It’ll all come back in a few days. So, not great.”

Stutsman said Danny II is sort of like his son.

“He was only a 4-star and I was able to get him for like two cheeseburgers and a chicken wrap, so that wasn't that bad,” Stutsman said. “But he got buried on the depth chart.”

Arnold said he and Stutsman played a game on the plane ride from Norman to Dallas last week for SEC Media Days.

“Honestly, it's really surreal playing the game,” Arnold said.

There was no report on the outcome of the Stutsman v. Arnold competition, but based on previous matchups, it sounds like it might have been one-sided.

“I actually played him on Madden earlier,” Stutsman said. “I killed him. ... I think the defense part he struggled on. He didn't really know how to use the sticks. But he's a really good football player when a controller's not in his hands.”

Stutsman also intends to create a player based on head coach Brent Venables’ alter ego, scout team superstar Jimmy Greenbeans. 

No doubt Greenbeans will be the focal point of Stutsman’s next virtual efforts on CFB25.

“That's a really good question,” Stutsman said. “Obviously he's going to be a 99 overall, 5-star our of Kansas. I think every team's going to be offering  a lot of money to get Jimmy Greenbeans, maybe a few million. So hopefully I'll have the chance to try to get him on a roster. But a guy like that, man, it's going to be tough.”

While some frontline players will make a nice chunk of change for their virtual representation, such as commercial endorsements or cover appearances, players who simply opted into EA Sports’ agreement to appear in the game get a moderate paycheck for their name, image and likeness.

Bowman said he quickly checked out the stats on virtual Billy Bowman. 

“I’m not necessarily worried about my overall, what my speed is,” he said. “But it’s awesome. It’s very fun.”

And the best part?

“It actually does look like me,” he said.