EA Sports College Football 25 launches July 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, marking a long-awaited return of American collegiate football to those consoles after more than a decade.

A news release on Thursday introduced Donovan Edwards, halfback from Michigan; Quinn Ewers, quarterback of Texas; and Travis Hunter, Colorado’s two-way star at receiver and defensive back, as the cover athletes for the reborn edition of one of sports video gaming’s most beloved series.

These are the first players to appear in a college football video game, much less on its cover, while active. NCAA amateurism rules had long forbade this kind of participation until a series of legal challenges and legislative efforts in the United States forced that organization and its members to change their policies.

In fact one of those court cases, in 2013, led to the cancellation of EA Sports’ old NCAA Football series, whose developers had tried, quietly, to circumvent NCAA rules by putting real-life players in the game albeit without their names.

Lawsuits brought by these athletes shut down the title and ultimately led to new NCAA policies allowing active collegiate players to profit from the use of their name, image, and likeness in commercial and promotional works. A report in February said that more than 11,000 players would be paid $600 each to appear.

In Thursday’s statement, Daryl Holt, EA Sports’ general manager said that all 134 universities comprising the top division of American college football will appear in EA Sports College Football 25 as well.

Edwards is a member of the reigning national champion Michigan Wolverines. Ewers led Texas to a 12-2 record and Big 12 conference championship in 2023. Hunter, from Colorado, is the only player in major college football over the past 20 years to gain 100 yards receiving and have an interception in the same game.

“I couldn’t be more pumped to be part of College Football 25 and represent my Buffaloes on the cover of a game with so much excitement behind it,” said Hunter. “I can’t wait to play and see myself, my teammates and my school in the game.”