Name Image Likeness

New NIL Deal Sets College Football Players Up for Video Game Compensation

The long-awaited return of this video game marked a unique movement for name, image and likeness compensation going forward.

Claire Boyer

An image of Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe fades from the screen as kids play the new EA Sports College Football 25 video game at the McDonald Hughes Center in Tuscaloosa.
An image of Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe fades from the screen as kids play the new EA Sports College Football 25 video game at the McDonald Hughes Center in Tuscaloosa. / Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / USA TODAY NETWORK

EA Sports College Football 25 was announced to make its return to video game consoles in the summer of 2024. With news of this decade-long drought ending, many players signed agreements to be featured in the game and paid for their participation.

Pathway Sports and Entertainment is pioneering this new initiative, striking deals with a number of high-performing college football programs across the country.

In a post from ESPN Insider Pete Thamel, it was revealed that founder Casey Schwab has already struck deals with more than 450 players.

Featured teams include the Alabama Crimson Tide, Georgia Bulldogs, Illinois Fighting Illini, Wisconsin Badgers, Oregon Ducks and Texas Tech Red Raiders.

Compensation through video game likeness will most likely result in royalty payments for the players throughout the duration of the video game's active window. All players involved will also receive a payment of $1,500 right off the bat for group rights.

This deal aims to revolutionize the NIL business, valuing the players' involvement and contributions to a greater extent. The company will do direct business with the video game makers to ensure proper use of each athlete's likeness.

Schwab has also attested to the legitimacy of these deals, noting that this would be a commercial deal. In that case, universities could support their student-athletes outside of the revenue-sharing cap that has recently been placed on athletic programs.

College athletes are allowed to make outside NIL deals, and through companies like Pathway Sports and Entertainment, student-athletes can exercise the range of their name, image and likeness.

Excitement around the video game continues to build.

EA Sports College Football 25 marked the return of the first such edition since EA's NCAA Football 14 video game was released back in 2013.

Many of the current student-athletes who will have a hand in enhancing the game grew up on the original format, making this NIL deal special.

The 10-year gap was due, in part, to disagreements over player involvement and compensation, an issue that is easier to resolve today thanks to NCAA rule changes over NIL.

Payments to this new wave of athletes involved with Pathway Sports will receive annual payments as long as they remain in business with the company.

Deals with video game executives will also help keep the royalty payments flowing.

With new safeguards in place, NIL deals will make for a diverse and hard-earned recruitment scene for upcoming athletic programs.

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Claire Boyer
CLAIRE BOYER

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