EA College Football 25 Drops 'Road to Glory' Mode, Features Info Before Release Date

EA Sports did not skimp on the details making Road to Glory one of the robust features in College Football 25.

The company released its Road to Glory (RTG) deep dive on Thursday, and it appears it will be one of the most robust first-person modes in sports gaming history.

The mode starts with a user choosing the path they want to take in RTG, which is broken down into four options:

• Elite: Player starts as a 5-star recruit and 79 OVR rating. 
• Blue Chip: Player starts as a 4-star recruit and 75 OVR rating.
• Contributor: Player starts as a 3-star recruit who has to work to get onto the field early in their career.
• Underdog: Player starts as a 2-star recruit and 60 OVR rating.

From there, the user chooses whether they want to play quarterback, running back, wide receiver, linebacker, or cornerback. No linemen or special teams positions are available in RTG.

Once the position is chosen, players will choose their archetype, which will determine how their starting attributes are distributed and their potential abilities.

After the customization of the player's physical tools are broken down, it's time to figure out their mental ones. EA Sports offers three different mental abilities to start a player's career, along with ones they can earn along the way.

• Fan Favorite: This ability increases a player's composure during home games and is tied to academics.
• Road Dog: This ability increases a player's composure during road games and is tied to brand deals.
• Clearheaded: This ability limits the loss of composure after making a mistake on the field and is tied to leadership qualities.

To achieve fan favorite status, a player has to maintain a GPA of 3.0 or better. Keeping your GPA is tied to how you spend your weekly activity points, which can include pop quizzes and preparedness for midterm exams. Midterms take place during Weeks 8 and 15 of the regular season. Players whose GPA dips below 2.0 will be ineligible until they get their grades up.

Players with higher GPAs also earn a bonus tied to their Coach Trust.

Beyond in-game play, time management will be arguably the most critical aspect of the student-athlete life. Beyond academics, players will have to focus on honing their skills in practice modes during the week. Users will have the option to choose between team minigames, which require work with teammates, and skill minigames, which are focused on individual skills.

The more you work out with your team, the better your leadership qualities become. The more you focus on your individual skills, the faster you can level up your player's OVR.

Leadership is also tied to how fast your teammates progress and your team's composure at the start of games. It can also play a critical role in earning Coach Trust, a major factor when players are engaged in position battles for playing time. Position battles are engaged when a user is close to another player in terms of OVR and involve a best-of-3 minigame competition.

Taking care of yourself as an individual isn't just about bumping up your OVR, either. Users will have to be aware of the overall wear-and-tear their player is going through and allot rest time to avoid potential injury. These decisions also factor in during gameplay, as you'll be able to monitor your wear-and-tear status in games. This could lead users to start making "business decisions" and duck out of bounds rather than taking a big hit.

Of course, this is modern college football we're talking about here, so most of your "business decisions" will be made off the field. NIL plays a major factor in RTG, and thankfully the deals signed by your player don't result in simply making fake virtual currency. The rewards for NIL deals come in the form of bonuses that can make your player better on or off the field.

• Gameplay NIL Bonuses: These involve boosts to your in-game attributes.
• Off-Field NIL Bonuses. These involve boosts to your off-field attributes, such as Coach Trust or wear-and-tear.  

If a user is dissatisfied with their current team at the end of the season, they'll also be able to hop into the transfer portal and make the switch to another college. Once their college eligibility is expired, users will have the option to export their player to Madden's Superstar mode.