By Media Day events before a college football season kicks off are always entertaining, quite simply because you often don’t know what you’re going to get into.
At the top, there of course is injury news, talk of offseason improvement, and outlooks for what the upcoming season might hold. But beyond that? The Wild West awaits.
Tattoo talk? Yep. Discussions about eye black and how much is too much? Why not?
And then you can never shy away from the minivan reviews with Traeshon Holden.
One thing at the top of my mind all day, though, was the new era we’re in where EA Sports College Football 25 is never far from any of our minds. When hanging around a bunch of football players and beat reporters who are connected to the sport of college football every day, we’re either thinking back to our last game of CFB25 or preparing for our next matchup.
For us reporters, playing the game with our favorite schools still resembles how things were back when NCAA 14 was popular. But for members of the Oregon Ducks, playing with the video game versions of themselves is a whole new experience.
So I had to bring it up a few times.
What’s it like being in the game? Do you play with the Ducks every game? Do you scheme plays to anyone but yourself? What is your go-to uniform combination? Who is the best gamer on the team? More importantly, who is the second-best gamer on the team, because I know you’re lying when you say yourself…
As you would expect, I got plenty of colorful answers from all of the players I talked to about the subject. Here’s a roundup of what was said:
WR Traeshon Holden
(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
Who’s the best?: “I feel like I am. Not even being funny. It’s just me. Rod(rick Pleasant) is nice, Tysheem is great. They’re not bad. I just feel like I’m at a different level. I don’t know, I just like me.”
Who do you play with?: “Us, for sure. I play with Alabama sometimes.”
Oregon vs. Oregon matchups?: “I don’t do that. I don’t like doing that. If somebody gets Oregon, I will try to get somebody else. I don’t like doing that.”
WR Gary Bryant Jr.
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Go-to uniform combo?: “I love the throwbacks, man. Those will be the favorite ones that I like to wear.”
Who’s the best?: “If I’m being honest, there’s two players up there. It’s either Traeshon or Rod Pleasant. I’m up there too, don’t get me wrong, but those two guys… Every time I play them it’s like ‘man, I don’t know what I’m doing on this game.’
QB Dante Moore
Syndication: The Register Guard
What’s it like?: “Growing up, playing NCAA 14, of course nobody had their names on it. But being able to put Denard Robinson’s name and things like that, it’s just a true blessing to be able to play in the game now. The ratings and whatever going on there, I don’t really care for. I just know that I’m in the game and I really appreciate that. I know that when I have a son or a kid they’re going to be able to go back and look at that and know their father was in the game. It’s very competitive, it’s pretty realistic. Sometimes I’ll throw a pass and I’ll be like ‘there’s no way I threw that.’ It can be kind of on and off but overall I for sure enjoy it.”
Who’s the best?: “Traeshon is really good. He got me in Madden, we haven’t played NCAA. Rod is solid. We’re all pretty good.”
TE Kenyon Sadiq
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
What’s it like?: “It’s pretty surreal. Growing up and playing Madden and even playing the old NCAA game, it’s pretty cool to see all of the players and now be able to log on and throw the ball to yourself.
Who’s the best?: “I haven’t played too many people on the team. I’d assume that Dante Moore is pretty good. (Reporter: So far Traeshon has been a popular answer.) Really? I haven’t seen him play. I’m going to have to give him a run for his money.”
Tez Johnson
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
What’s it like?: “I get tagged in something every day with someone playing as my character. It’s wild. I don’t play with nobody else. I can’t. I can’t play with nobody else. If somebody picks Ohio State while I’ve got Oregon, I take it personal. If they play with ‘Bama or Georgia, I take it personal. If it’s a rival or someone we lost to, I take it personal.”
Go-to uniform combo?: “Okay hear me out. I mess with the combos. I got the white helmet, the nightmare jersey, and the white pants, and all-white accessories. Then I go with the chrome helmet, and all yellow, but I go white accessories. I’m big on the white. Then I go with the USC combination that we did last year. And I love the eggshell, but I don’t wear it as much because they put the green gloves with it which throws it off. I do green and black too. It’s underrated, but we wore it against Colorado.”
Who’s the best?: “Rod Pleasant. Rod Pleasant is good. I don’t know what it is. He looks on YouTube though and gets all of the little cheats. Tysheem (Johnson), Rod Pleasant, and…(Reporter: Other people say Traeshon?) Ah, he ain’t play me yet. I won’t say I’m the best, but I’m good. I just know how to get me the ball. I know how to get me the ball and let me run because you ain’t gonna catch me.”
Derrick Harmon
Syndication: Lansing State Journal
What’s it been like?: “Unreal. I’ve got my friends calling me from back home. I’m trying to play with them at night but we’re three hours behind here so that’s been a little difficult. But I’ve been loving it, it’s good.”
Who’s the best?: “Tysheem, man. He got me. He got me a couple of times, man. I was over at his house and we were playing a game, first it was Madden and we battled it out, but he got me at the end. Then we played NCAA and he got me. I think he had like…nah I ain’t gonna tell you what he had on me.”
EDGE Blake Purchase
Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
You play yet?: “Yea I sub myself in every time. I’m not gonna lie. But my player be getting killed a little bit. He’s not fast enough. I’ve been having to pull him out every once in a while.”
Who do you sub out for yourself?: “Teitum (Tuioti). That’s my guy, but I’ve gotta pull Teitum out every time.”
Go-to uniform combo?: “I don’t really change uniforms ever. I’m not one to get on and start changing them. Just whatever, just the basic ones.”
Brandon Johnson
Jaylynn Nash-USA TODAY Sports
Why aren’t you in the game?: “I believe the reason why I’m not in the game is because I was a late transfer this summer. So I don’t know if EA was keeping up with it since I wasn’t really on a roster. I did register for the game though so I should be in the game whenever they update it.”
Jordan James
(Photo by Lydia Ely/Getty Images)
What’s it been like?: “My friends get mad at me because I only play as Oregon, and I run the ball like 40 times a game.”
Who’s the best?: “Nobody. They can’t beat me. I played Traeshon, but he sucks.”
Do you spread the rock?: “I’m not gonna lie, in the game I just feed myself.”
WR Jurrion Dickey
Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
What’s it been like?: “It’s been a good experience. Me and my boys, we dreamed of stuff like that. As kids we always talked about moments of like ‘I want to have myself in the game, I want to be able to use myself and play and actually score the touchdowns. When the board comes up showing who scores, have your name pop up.’ So it’s been amazing, it’s been a dream come true.”
Who’s the best?: (Reporter: Traeshon says that he is the best on the team, do you agree?) “That’s his opinion.” (Reporter: What’s yours?) “My opinions is that I feel like we’re all great. That’s my opinion.”
