EA Sports continues to unveil new nuggets about its upcoming College Football 25 video game, and the latest bits of information were the ratings for the offenses and defenses in the game. Penn State stacked up interestingly against some of its peers.
The College Football 25 developers rated the Nittany Lions offense at 87 while the defense was rated at 88. Both ratings are out of 99.
Penn State's offense is ranked No. 12 overall, while the defense is ranked No. 9 overall.
The offensive ratings are led by No. 1 Georgia (94), No. 2 Oregon (94), No. 3 Alabama (91), No. 4 Texas (91), No. 5 Ohio State (89), No. 6 LSU (89), No. 7 Miami (89), No. 8 Colorado (89), No. 9 Missouri (89) and No. 10 Clemson (87).
In addition to Clemson, Penn State shared the 87 rating with No. 11 Utah, No. 13 Ole Miss, No. 14 Kansas, No. 15 Arizona and No. 16 N.C. State.
The defensive ratings are led by No. 1 Ohio State (96), No. 2 Georgia (94), No. 3 Oregon (90), No. 4 Alabama (90), No. 5 Clemson (90), No. 6 Notre Dame (90), No. 7 Michigan (90), No. 8 Texas (88), No. 9 Penn State (88) and No. 10 Utah (88).
The Nittany Lions share the 88 rating with No. 11 Florida State, No. 12 Oklahoma and No. 13 Iowa, in addition to Texas and Utah.
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Previously, EA Sports released the rankings of the "toughest places to play" in the video game, which featured Penn State's Beaver Stadium at No. 6. EA Sports also released a "sights and sounds deep dive" that featured the Nittany Lions in their virtual form.
The overall team ratings for EA Sports College Football 25 will be released Friday.
Both Nittany Lions units occupy interesting places in Penn State's College Football Playoff and national championship hopes in 2024.
Offensively, the Nittany Lions are entering their first year under offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, who had success under Lance Leipold at Kansas and Buffalo. Quarterback Drew Allar is back for his junior year and second season as the starting quarterback, and Kotelnicki is tasked with helping unlock the full potential of the former five-star signal-caller.
Much of that will depend on the development of a wide receiver corps that added fifth-year senior Julian Fleming and returns redshirt juniors Harrison Wallace and Liam Clifford, redshirt sophom*ore Kaden Saunders and junior Omari Evans, among others.
The junior running back duo Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen figures to be one of the best in the nation, while redshirt senior Tyler Warren returns and could be a major weapon at tight end. The offensive line needs to replace three NFL draft picks, including first-rounder Olu Fashanu, but the Nittany Lions have recruited and developed well there recently.
Read more: Where does Penn State's Beaver Stadium rank among toughest places to play in EA Sports College Football?
Defensively, Penn State is coming off a season in which it ranked No. 1 nationally. Defensive coordinator Manny Diaz decamped for Duke in the offseason, and coach James Franklin hired former Indiana coach Tom Allen to take over the defense. The Nittany Lions saw their top two pass rushers and top three cornerbacks, plus other key contributors, move on this offseason.
But All-Big Ten linebacker Abdul Carter has received positive reviews in his move to defensive end for his junior season, where he's set to play opposite junior Dani Dennis-Sutton, a former five-star recruit. There's a host of experienced players in the mix on the defensive line, too, including defensive ends Amin Vanover and Smith Vilbert and the defensive tackle stable of Zane Durant, Dvon J-Thomas, Hakeem Beamon and others.
Redshirt junior Kobe King returns at linebacker after he asserted himself as a starter last season, and sophom*ore Tony Rojas appears poised to be a breakout player this fall.
In the secondary, Penn State restocked at cornerback with the additions of transfers A.J. Harris (Georgia) and Jalen Kimber (Florida), while junior Cam Miller, redshirt sophom*ore Audavion Collins and sophom*ores Zion Tracy and Elliot Washington II are in the thick of the competition.
Safeties Jaylen Reed, KJ Winston and Zakee Wheatley headline a talented group on the back end.
Over the past few seasons, Franklin and his staff have built up the roster with talent and depth at key positions. So what will it look like in video game form? EA Sports gave us their thoughts Thursday.
EA Sports College Football 25 is currently available for preorder for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S ahead of its July 19 release date. An early access trial will start July 16.
Daniel Gallen covers Penn State for Lions247 and 247Sports. He can be reached at daniel.gallen@paramount.com. Follow Daniel on X at @danieljtgallen and Instagram at @bydanieljtgallen.
