Five Former Utes We Wish We Could Have Played With in EA Sports' "NCAA Football"

After over a decade of waiting, NCAA Football is back.

On Thursday, Feb. 15th, developer EA Sports announced one of its most beloved video game franchises would be making its triumphant return this year.

The NCAA Football series was halted following the release of NCAA Football 14, due to a class action lawsuit regarding licensing rights and failure to pay athletes for their likeness. When the NCAA’s NIL rules were changed in 2021, it provided a legal framework for the game to exist in the modern CFB landscape. Therefore, after countless years of waiting, EA Sports will release a rebranded but essentially identical video game, College Football 25, this summer.

With a new College Football game on the horizon, it might be easy to forget there is an entire decade of college football players that we will have never been able to play with.

To not do those players a disservice, here are the top 5 Utah football players we missed out on playing with in NCAA Football:

5.) Clark Phillips III (2020-2022)

Clark Phillips III is one of the most reliable players to ever put on a Utah uniform, and for anyone who’s ever played a football video game, you know how important it is to have a cornerback you can trust. A Unanimous First-Team All-American with the Utes in 2022, Phillips wasn't only reliable, he was also electric.

No game from Phillip’s career displayed his playmaking more than Utah’s 2022 game against the Oregon State Beavers. In a season where the 5-foot-9 corner led all of Power-5 football with six interceptions, he picked off three passes and returned one for a touchdown in a single game against the Beavers. Highly skilled in both man and zone coverage, Phillips would have been a beast in NCAA Football.

4.) Tyler Huntley (2016-2019)

Tyler Huntley would've been an exciting quarterback to play with in NCAA Football. The perfect combination of speed, shiftiness, and arm talent, Huntley was as do-it-all as they come during his career with the Utes. Despite possessing blistering speed and the ability to dash past the defense when the play broke down, Huntley always excelled as a pure passer. One of the most accurate quarterbacks in program history, the 6-foot-1 quarterback would be more than capable of slinging dots in an NCAA Football franchise.

3. Britain Covey (2015-2021)

When in doubt, give the ball to No. 18 and he’ll make a play.

Fitting into this list as one of Utah football’s most dynamic athletes, Britain Covey did EVERYTHING in college. Who wouldn't want a player who can return punts and kickoffs, catch passes, rush for yards, and throw touchdowns? Don’t underestimate his skill in the latter, as, in three career collegiate pass attempts, Covey threw for 71 yards and two touchdowns. If you’re into calculations that would equal a passer rating of about 485.46. You might argue that’s too small of a sample size; I say to you... the data never lies.

Regardless of the jokes, Covey was lights out in college. A consistent big play threat whenever his hands touched the ball, Covey would have made defenses shiver in his video game form.

2.) Devin Lloyd (2017-2021)

Lloyd would’ve been a monster in NCAA Football. Linebacker is one of the most important positions in video game football, and Lloyd is arguably the best linebacker to ever play for the Utes. With over 250 tackles, 43 TFLs, 16.5 sacks, and five interceptions throughout his four-year college career, Lloyd did everything asked of him and more with the Utes. Called the “epitome of the modern linebacker” by Bleacher Report before the 2022 NFL Draft, Lloyd would’ve been every Utah fan's favorite defender to control on the online gridiron.

1.) Dalton Kincaid (2020-2022)

Number one on this list was an easy choice. Maybe it’s recency bias, or more likely, it is simply because he was amazing, but Dalton Kincaid would’ve been the most exciting Utah football player to play with in NCAA Football.

If you haven't watched Kincaid’s highlights from Utah’s 2022 game against USC, please do, and then come back and tell me you wouldn’t want to control him in video game football. It would be impossible. Kincaid is up there with Covey as one of the most dynamic players to ever suit up for the Utes. I can just imagine booting up a new NCAA Football franchise, navigating to the Utes, and playing a game with Kincaid who would most likely have multiple 90+ ratings in categories like spectacular catch, contested catch, route running, etc. It would be glorious.

Honorable Mentions: Matt Gay, Zach Moss, Jaylon Johnson, Devontae Booker