It's been 11 long years since EA Sports released NCAA Football 14, their most recent installment in a highly successful series of college football video games. With Denard "Shoelace" Robinson gracing the cover and a plethora of college football's finest traditions and rivalries within the game itself, it was a massive hit amongst sports and video game fans alike.
This summer, the franchise will return. Seemingly in the works for years, EA Sports has finally locked in a new edition of one of their most popular games ever. EA Sports College Football 25 will be released on July 19, with pre-orders already available.
Thus, what better time to take a crack at predicting how Wisconsin players will be rated when the game releases this summer? Before we dive in, there's a few important things to keep in mind.
For those that aren't familiar with how EA Sports rates its players in Madden and previous iterations of NCAA games, ratings are on a 1-99 scale.
What's more, we don't know exactly which Badgers will be in the game. However, with EA Sports reporting more than 10,000 athletes agreeing to the game using their name, image and likeness, it's a safe assumption that many — if not most — of Wisconsin's starters will be featured.
So, without further ado, lets predict the rating for each projected starter on the Badgers' depth chart:
OFFENSE
QB Tyler Van Dyke: 79 overall
Van Dyke has proven he can be a capable quarterback, but his struggles the past two seasons will have EA — and the rest of the college football world — sleeping on his ability to recapture the magic from his 2021 season.
RB Chez Mellusi: 85 overall
When healthy, Mellusi has done nothing but play like one of the better tailbacks in the Big Ten. His injury and durability ratings figure to be low, but I don't know how EA developers could watch that 89-yard touchdown scamper in the opener against Buffalo a season ago and give him anything less than speed, acceleration and agility in the low 90s.
RB Tawee Walker: 78 overall
Explosiveness aside, I believe Walker is the better overall back than Mellusi. However, I don't expect many to share that opinion at this time. And considering I never saw an EA representative at spring practice, I have no reason to think they would either. Walker figures to have well-rounded ratings in the game, but nothing eye-popping.
WR Will Pauling: 87 overall
I would personally rank him higher, but remember, this is how I'm projecting EA to rank each player. Pauling should be even better this season, and I'd be shocked if he didn't crack the 90s when all was said and done.
WR Bryson Green: 80 overall
Green's body of work at Oklahoma State should save him from the 70s, but Wisconsin's second-most productive receiver a season ago was extremely inconsistent. He'll need to put some more big plays on tape before developers bump his overall.
WR Vinny Anthony: 73 overall
If EA did its homework, Anthony should have elite speed in this game. He figures to be a blast to use on kickoffs as well. But remember, he only has 10 catches for 99 yards in his career.
TE Tucker Ashcraft: 72 overall
Like Anthony, Ashcraft simply doesn't have the body of work to merit a high rating. After making a handful of nice catches as a freshman, EA should at least give him a solid catching rating.
OT Jack Nelson: 84 overall
I have a feeling Wisconsin offensive linemen will get some benefit of the doubt simply because they play offensive line for Wisconsin. If this game came out last summer, Nelson likely would've been in the 90s. But after a disappointing 2023, the tackle has a lot to prove.
OG Joe Brunner: 77 overall
In previous editions of EA Sports NCAA Football, the highest-ranked freshmen you recruited would be in the high-70s/low-80s. Brunner, a former top-75 recruit who has yet to play significant snaps, figures to follow that same formula.
C Jake Renfro: 85 overall
Renfro has been excellent when he's been on the field. His last full season was an all-conference one, and without much Wisconsin tape, I believe EA will revert to his Cincinnati tape, in which he was mostly dominant.
OG Joe Huber: 82 overall
Huber was solid last season for the Badgers, nothing special but not detrimental either. An overall in the high 70s or low 80s reflects that perfectly.
OT Riley Mahlman: 84 overall
I believe Mahlman is the best the Badgers have to offer on the offensive line. The interior of the offensive line overall looked more promising this spring, but I expect both starting tackles to have respectable overalls in the low-to-mid 80s.
DEFENSE
S Hunter Wohler: 93 overall
At this point, Wohler is a nationally recognized star safety. I expect him to be the highest rated player on the team.
S Austin Brown: 78 overall
Brown's snaps towards the end of the 2023 campaign, particularly his start at nickel in the ReliaQuest Bowl, will be big in determining his rating. Without a full season as a starter under his belt, however, it's going to be tough for EA to rank him in the 80s.
CB Ricardo Hallman: 89 overall
Hallman's NCAA-leading 7-interception season in 2023 is seemingly flying under the radar on a national level, likely because at 5-foot-10, he doesn't possess prototypical size at his position. Still, with his ball skills and technique, he deserves one of the highest ratings on the team.
CB Nyzier Fourqurean: 81 overall
This is another rating I expect to increase throughout the season. Fourqurean was a solid, not great cornerback for Wisconsin last year, and EA figures to rank him as such.
CB RJ Delancy: 83 overall
EA will break down a player's tape and scout them like a coach, and Delancy put together some pretty impressive film last season at Toledo. I think the developers will respect what they saw on tape and give Delancy a very respectable rating.
ILB Jaheim Thomas: 87 overall
Thomas pops in practice, on film and on the stat-sheet. He'll have one of the better tackling ratings on the team.
ILB Jake Chaney: 84 overall
EA will respect Chaney's experience and speed. He'll be particularly fun to "user" while playing defense.
ILB Tackett Curtis: 85 overall
Curtis started as a true freshman for USC and put some extremely impressive skills on tape. I expect EA to do their homework and rank him accordingly.
OLB John Pius: 79 overall
Pius has an uphill battle coming from an FCS program. While I think he'll be one of the better players on this defense, he'll need to prove himself to developers over the course of the season.
OLB Leon Lowery: 82 overall
Lowery was very serviceable at Syracuse, and although "serviceable" should be the bare minimum from Lowery based on his dominant spring, he'll also have to put it on tape in the Cardinal and White before he sees a serious ratings bump.
DL James Thompson: 76 overall
Thompson will be Wisconsin's highest-rated defensive lineman, but that won't be saying much.
DL Curt Neal: 69 overall
Neal could feasibly be Wisconsin's lowest-rated starter. He hasn't put much on tape to suggest otherwise.
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