EA Sports discontinued the NCAA Football video game series a decade ago due to a lawsuit that cited student-athletes not having the opportunity to profit off of their name, image, and likeness. Now, they've got everything sorted out and a new college football game is set to hit stores this summer and it's going to be epic.
Following EA's teaser trailer on Thursday, my mind immediately turned to wondering what West Virginia's roster would look like on the game in terms of overall ratings. Below, I projected the top players along with a rating.
QB Garrett Greene - 88
I wholeheartedly believe Greene should at worst be a 90 overall. However, the folks that do these ratings grade harshly, as evidenced in Madden. With Greene having just one year of experience and the Mountaineers having a quiet nine-win season, I'm not sure he'll get the respect he deserves.
LT Wyatt Milum - 86
With Zach Frazier and Doug Nester moving on to the next level, Milum becomes the top dog up front. I believe he'll have a chance at landing on the All-Big 12's First Team and possibly get All-American considerations.
RBs C.J. Donaldson & Jahiem White - 84
I'm lumping these two together because I don't think there's much of a difference in terms of where they currently are in their career and their overall potential. Keep in mind, Donaldson has dealt with a handful of injuries throughout his first two years and White didn't come onto the scene until the back half of 2023. It might take another year for them to truly get on the map.
TE Kole Taylor - 81
Taylor led the Mountaineers in receptions (35) and tied for the team lead in receiving touchdowns (4). The next step for him is becoming a more well-rounded tight end, meaning improving his blocking. As far as being a receiving threat, he's as good as it gets.
S Aubrey Burks - 81
With the top five players on the roster being on the offensive side of the ball, I wanted to throw in a bonus here with Burks as the top defensive-rated player. The injury he suffered at TCU early in the season impacted his performance for a couple weeks, keeping him from putting up the type of production we all expected. He'll bounce back with a big year in 2024.
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