• J.J. Post, ESPNJul 16, 2024, 07:35 PM ET

After a decade-long wait for a new college football video game, College Football 25 made its early-access debut Monday afternoon. Once the clock struck 4 p.m. ET, fans, athletes, coaches and athletic administrators all rushed to their consoles to get their first reps in on the virtual gridiron.

Whether it was leading a favorite team to a national championship or a long-awaited head-to-head showdown with a friend, the excitement to test out the game’s features was palpable. One group, however, had a unique perspective when the time came for the game’s big reveal.

College football players.

Real-life ones, that is. While most fans were simply excited to use their favorite teams in the game, current college football players got the chance to see and use their own likeness.

From rivalry scores settled to questions about digital depictions, here are some of the best reactions to College Football 25’s rollout from the players who make up the game:

Rebuilding your own team?

Massachusetts Minutemen tight end Dominick Mazotti didn’t need much help in determining which team he’d be playing with first in dynasty mode. In addition to being a 2022 Mountain West honorable mention selection, Mazotti moonlights as a video game streamer on Twitch. He has been rebuilding his real-life team since the game was released — and his virtual Minutemen are currently 6-5 on the year.

Virtual success

Part of College Football 25’s unveiling was a series of showcase matchups between a number of notable personalities in the days ahead of the game’s release. Notre Dame safety Jordan Clark came up in a major way for Shane Gillis’ Fighting Irish squad in his showdown with fellow comedian Dan Soder.

The virtual Clark snagged a pass from Soder-controlled Penn State quarterback Drew Allar just before halftime, taking it to the crib to set up a tie game. The real-life Clark took to social media to post about seeing the big play.

Virtual struggles

It wasn’t all strong moments for the virtual defensive backs. YouTuber AntoDaBoss was one of the content creators afforded early access to the game, and he created quite the highlight in his ‘Road to Glory‘ matchup between the Louisville Cardinals and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

With the game tied in the first quarter, the YouTuber’s user-created Louisville player took off for the end zone in search of the opening score. He eventually found pay dirt after clearing Yellow Jacket cornerback Warren Burrell with a hurdle — and the real-life Burrell took notice of the play on social media.

Getting revenge

It’s no secret that the Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan Wolverines don’t like each other very much. In recent years, though, Michigan has dominated ‘The Game,’ having captured each of the past three matchups — the Wolverines’ first three-game win streak in the rivalry since the 1990s.

Buckeyes sophomore receiver Brandon Inniss took matters into his own hands in bringing bragging rights back to Columbus, running up the score in the virtual showdown en route to a 91-16 victory. Inniss (the in-game version) put on a show, racking up 24 catches for 528 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Stat questions

It’s safe to say Penn State Nittany Lions center Nick Dawkins has some grievances about his 77 overall rating.

Dawkins took to his Instagram story to challenge “all the developers of EA Sports” to a series of physical competitions — including “a race, to a bench-off, to a power clean-off, to deadlift-off, to everything.”

“The challenge is out there,” Hawkins declared.

Self-deployment

LSU Tigers defender Harold Perkins‘ overall rating of 92 makes him one of the 40 best players in the game.

A versatile player, Perkins has played a number of different roles in real life for the Tigers. That’s not a trend he plans on changing once he starts using himself in the game. “I’m going to mix it around,” Perkins said. “I’m going to be all over.”

Dis-likeness

While College Football 25 can now compensate players for using their likeness in the game, such depictions aren’t always going to be exact replicas. Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart found that out the hard way when he got his first glimpse at what his virtual face in the game looks like.