Today, EA Sports College Football 25 was officially released to the public for early access. After 11 long years, we finally have a new college football video game. Throughout those years of waiting, many continued to play the original NCAA Football series, with a dedicated bunch releasing updated rosters for fans each season.
But while ways were found to keep the game as modern as possible, there were still a lot of players we never officially got to play with while the game wasn't being produced. Sure fan-made roster updates gave us a taste, but countless college football stars never saw their likenesses crafted by EA for the game.
Here are the top five Mississippi State Bulldogs we wish we could've played with in the NCAA Football series.
Honorable Mentions: The stars of the 2014 team
Bulldog legends like Dak Prescott, Chris Jones, and the other leaders of the 2014 team make the list as honorable mentions. They're only honorable mentions because, technically speaking, all of them were included in the final edition of the NCAA Football series, which released in 2013.
If you played with Mississippi State, those players were available to be used. I'm still including them as honorable mentions though because while they were in the game, their ratings didn't necessarily reflect how good they truly were. Dak specifically was just a redshirt sophomore backup when that game was released. We didn't get to see his final elite form in the game.
Quarterback Nick Fitzgerald
While we did get at least a version of Dak Prescott in the game, we never got the QB who followed in his footsteps. Nick Fitzgerald is one of the greatest rushing QBs in SEC history. He literally owns the record for career rushing yards by a SEC QB. The QB run game has infamously been a cheat code in this game series, and while passing was never Fitz's strength, he would've been a terror in the game on the ground.
Running Back Kylin Hill
Speaking of the run game, Kylin Hill would've been a handful in a video game. Hill is one of the single most talented RBs to ever come through Starkville, a place that's had a lot of talented RBs. He had a great combination of power, elusiveness, and pass-catching ability, and lining him up alongside Fitzgerald would've given you a dynamic rushing duo.
Nose Tackle Jeffery Simmons
Maybe the most dominant Bulldog to ever step foot on the gridiron, Jeffery Simmons was a wrecking ball in the middle of the defensive line. He regularly burst through double-teams to blow up plays in the backfield. Simmons would've been totally unfair against opposing offenses. And can you imagine subbing him in as a fullback down on the goal line?
Edge Rusher Montez Sweat
Jeff Simmons' pass rushing counterpart has to be included too. He terrorized opposing quarterbacks rushing off the edge in 2017 and 2018 with 22.5 sacks combined over those two seasons. And for as great as he was in real life, an edge rusher with legitimate 4.4 speed would be literally unstoppable in a college football video game.
Cornerback Emmanuel Forbes
Having a ball-hawk in your secondary was a huge plus to your defense in NCAA Football, and during his collegiate career, Emmanuel Forbes was quite literally the best ball-hawking corner in all of college football. He picked-off 14 passes three years with a NCAA record six returned for TD. You'd have been sure to rack-up defensive scores had you been able to play with Forbes in a college video game.