Dozens of area players part of return of college football video game

The initial release includes almost 60 players from local high schools.

At least one local player (including kicker and punter) represents every position on the field, so the group is big enough to form its own team even if depth would admittedly be limited.

Here is a look at who’s in the game:

The highest-rated player is Rod Moore, a senior safety at Michigan who graduated from Northmont. He is an 89, although a spring knee injury has his season in doubt.

Also rated 80 or better are: Ohio State linebacker C.J. Hicks (Alter); Cincinnati center Gavin Gerhardt (Xenia); Ball State right guard Taran Tyo (Versailles); Ohio State right guard Tegra Tshabola (Lakota West); Oregon linebacker Jestin Jacobs (Northmont); Iowa State strong safety Malik Verdon (Hamilton); Kentucky strong safety Alex Afari Jr. (Lakota West); Oklahoma cornerback Kendel Dolby (Springfield); Notre Dame right tackle Aamil Wagner (Wayne); and Bowling Green quarterback Connor Bazelak (Alter).

Wayne and Lakota West lead the way with nine players apiece, while Springfield has eight alumni in the game and Alter has five.

According to EA, players who agreed to have their name, image and likeness in the game received $600 and a free copy as compensation.

Some players are also part of an ambassador program and received more benefits in exchange for helping promote the game.

A college football video game existed in one form or another from the early 1990s through 2013, when EA stopped producing its popular version.

That came after former UCLA basketball standout Ed O’Bannon spearheaded a class-action antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA for allowing the use of his name, image and likeness in video games.

Further litigation and changes to NCAA rules that barred players from capitalizing on their fame cleared the way for the game’s return.

Per reporter Matt Brown, who runs a newsletter centered on the business of college sports, more than 11,000 players are involved in the game, and more are likely to be added.

EA plans to update all facets of the game, including rosters, throughout the summer and fall. Since the last version of the game was released more than a decade ago, that has become commonplace for sports games, including EA’s wildly popular Madden NFL football franchise.

Although players can decline to be part of the game, most of the local grads who are not in the initial release appear to be summer transfers or freshmen who might not have been on their team’s roster in time to be included.