College Football

LeBron James, Shedeur Sanders among stars to preview 'College Football 25'

Published Jul. 15, 2024 11:34 a.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

The highly-anticipated official release of EA Sports' "College Football 25" isn't until Friday, but some notable star athletes were able to get their hands on the new video game over the weekend.

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, Colorado's Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, Michigan running back Donovan Edwards, former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow were among those who got the chance to play the game early over the weekend, and in turn, gave football fans a preview of what they can expect.

James was the first of the bunch to stream the game over the weekend, playing it with his longtime friend, Frankie Walker. The NBA star opted to play with Ohio State against Miami (Fla.), recording multiple interceptions, including a pick-six with safety Lathan Ransom. 

"Welcome to the Horseshoe!" James, a noted Ohio State fan, yelled.

James also threw a touchdown with Ohio State QB Will Howard after connecting with wideout Carnell Tate on a screen.

James took a 28-0 halftime lead in that Buckeyes-Hurricanes game. He later played with Colorado against Oregon. James won that game, 38-7, throwing a deep touchdown with Sanders to WR Jimmy Horn Jr. late in the game.

In addition to controlling Colorado's offense to a dominant performance, James also virtually coached up Hunter. "Travis, if you're going to play both offense and defense, you ready? Yessir," James said as he imitated a conversation with Hunter.

Meanwhile, Edwards played with his real-life team, Michigan, when he went up against YouTuber MMG, who played with Michigan State. Edwards was nearly upset by MMG and the Spartans, but he was able to get an interception on a two-point conversion to seal a one-point win. 

"I just got bailed out, bro," Edwards said.

Edwards is one of the three cover stars of the game. Hunter, another cover star of the game, played against Sanders. In one game against Utah, Sanders ran into the end zone with the video game version of himself. 

Once he scored, Sanders flashed up the video game version of his watch pose celebration.

Hunter and Sanders each also played as Colorado against each other. Sanders intercepted the video game version of himself with Hunter before running the ball back roughly 100 yards for a game-winning touchdown as time expired.

Hunter also seemed to take a shot at Colorado's offensive line when he was playing with the Buffaloes.

"Is the O-line realistic? Yes, very realistic," Hunter said after getting sacked. "They can't block for nothing."

Star athletes weren't the only ones to get in on the fun over the weekend. Comedians Matt Soder and Shane Gillis also took part in a stream for EA Sports.

"Is crying allowed on the stream?" Soder jokingly asked after he threw a pick-six with Penn State QB Drew Allar against a Gillis-controlled Notre Dame.

The standard version of "College Football 25" will be released Friday, but some can play it earlier than that time. Those who pre-ordered the deluxe version can start playing the game as early as Monday at 4 p.m. ET.

[Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.]

share

Get more from College Football Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

College Football

LeBron James

Travis Hunter

Shedeur Sanders

Donovan Edwards

Michigan Wolverines

Colorado Buffaloes