LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Countdown to kickoff is in full swing for the Louisville football program, and we are officially under 100 days away from the Cardinals kicking off their 2025 season against Eastern Kentucky at L&N Stadium. While we’re still waiting for the return of real college football, its virtual companion made its triumphant return last summer.
Following an 11-year hiatus, EA Sports officially launched College Football 25, marking the first college football video game to be released since NCAA Football 14. Not only was it the second-highest selling video game of 2024, but it became the best-selling sports video game ever in the United States.
Now, its successor is just right around the corner, with College Football 26 scheduled for a July 10 release. While we don’t know who from Louisville has (or hasn’t) opted into the game, more than 10,000 FBS players – with their actual names and likenesses – were featured in CFB25.
So with that in mind, who will be Louisville’s top-rated players on launch day? Well, Louisville Cardinals On SI decided to try and predict who the Cards’ top ten rated players will be.
Projected Rating: 84 OVR
Watson might be second on the depth chart at running back for Louisville, but he’s still one of the best players on the entire team. From a yards per carry standpoint, he might their most explosive player, period. While he wasn’t in CFB25, should he make is debut this year, there’s no doubt he’ll be a home run threat.
Despite being the No. 2 option at running back, Watson still managed to do a fair amount of damage last season as a true freshman. In 12 games, the 6-foot-0, 180-pound back rushed for 597 yards and seven touchdowns, and caught five passes for 60 yards and a score. Watson’s 8.9 YPC not only led the team, it led all of the FBS (min. 75 percent games played, 4.0 rushing attempts per game).
Projected Rating: 85 OVR
In the Madden NFL or original NCAA Football series of games, as well as in real life, one thing has always a constant: big and physical wideouts can usually be counted on to go up and get it. If you’re the type of player to take risks and throw it into traffic, Bell is your guy to target.
The 6-foot-2, 220-pound receiver has made steady improvements each year in college, and is coming off of a career year. Starting all 13 games, Bell caught 43 passes for 737 yards and four touchdowns, all of which were second on the team to Ja’Corey Brooks.
Projected Rating: 85 OVR
Louisville has a handful of defensive tackles who are worthy of top-10 ratings on the team, but if I had to pick one, it would be Guerad. He’s the type of lineman that, if you play against him, you don’t run up the middle. He’s also a prime user candidate when you play on defense – if controlling defensive linemen is your thing.
Injuries limited Guerad’s availability and efficiency over the first month of the 2024 season, but he still found a way to have a productive year. In 10 games and six starts, the 6-foot-2, 300 pound defensive tackle collected 22 tackles, four for loss, 2.5 sacks and a fumble recovery.
Projected Rating: 86 OVR
If you’re facing the kind of player who likes to throw nothing but bombs, at the very least, they probably won’t throw Evans’ way – or least they’ll find out quickly why they shouldn’t. For starters, the FIU transfer was a First-Team All-Conference USA safety last season, and very much looked the part for the Cards in spring ball.
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound safety is coming off of an extremely impactful 2024 campaign for the Panthers. Starting all 12 games, he led the team in pass breakups with seven and was third in tackles with 93, with both marks ranking seventh in C-USA. He also snagged a team-best two interceptions, logged three tackles for loss and forced one fumble.
Projected Rating: 86 OVR
Moss might not have the arm strength that Tyler Shough has, but both his awareness and accuracy ratings are likely going to be higher than Shough’s were this past season. Sure, he wasn’t perfect last season at USC, but he’s a fantastic quarterback to play with if you love to nickel-and-dime your opponent. Not to mention he had plenty of standout moments in spring ball.
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound signal caller started the first nine games of the 2024 season, completing 64.4 percent of his passes for 2,555 yards and 18 touchdowns to nine interceptions. The first start in his collegiate career came in the 2023 Holiday Bowl vs. none other than Louisville, where he threw for 372 yards and a bowl-record six touchdowns to one interception.
Projected Rating: 87 OVR
For the last couple seasons, few things have been more reliable for Louisville than Quinn going downhill to make plays against the run. He might not be the best player to user in pass coverage, but you can certainly count on him to be a force when facing a run-heavy team.
The 2024 season marked the second year in a row that the 6-foot-1, 235-pound linebacker led the Cardinals in tackles. Starting all 13 games, he collected 82 total tackles, including four for loss plus 1.5 sacks, as well as a pass breakup.
Projected Rating: 88 OVR
Ashton Gillotte might be off to the NFL, but Louisville will still have an elite edge rusher on their 2025 squad. Lubin is the kind of pass rusher where your opponent has limit his playbook simply because he won’t have much time to get the ball out. Also because the AI blocking in CFB25 was not great, but I digress.
This past season, Lubin was the Coast Carolina’s top pass rusher, and one of the top defenders in the Sun Belt. The 6-foot-3, 250-pound defensive end’s 12.0 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks not only led the team, but were fourth and third, respectively, in the conference. He also collected 44 total tackles (24 solo), three pass breakups, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery for a touchdown.
Projected Rating: 89 OVR
I know I’m not the only person who abused Lacy in online play. Between near-guaranteed underneath routes and his ability to run slot fades, he was usually my leading receiver when I played as Louisville. It will likely be that in real life now that he’s healthy.
Thanks to a broken collarbone that led him to self-redshirt the 2024 season, the 5-foot-10, 190-pound receiver logged just 18 catches for 196 yards and a touchdown in five games. During the 2023 season with South Alabama, he was one of the most prolific and explosive wide receivers in all of college football, catching 91 passes for 1,316 yards and seven scores.
Projected Rating: 90 OVR
Not to tip my hand too much, but Clark is who I’m going to user when I’m playing on defense. Between his efforts against the run and abilities in pass coverage, Clark is the complete modern linebacker package. While he had to miss spring ball due to injury, he will still be a headache to deal with both on the virtual and real gridiron in 2025.
After playing a key role in the linebacker rotation as a true freshman in 2023, the 6-foot-3, 235-pound inside backer had a breakout 2024 season. Starting all 13 games, his 76 overall tackles and eight tackles for loss were both second on the team. Not to mention he also caught two interceptions, forced two fumbles, and tallied two pass breakups.
Projected Rating: 92 OVR
Was there any doubt who would be number one? Brown is not only Louisville’s best player, but one of the top overall players in college football. He sports a elite combination of speed and agility, and as someone who loves to run the ball online, I can’t wait give him a spin when the game drops.
Appearing in all 13 games and making nine starts as a true freshman, including the final eight, the 5-foot-9, 190-pound all-purpose back rushed for 1,173 yards and 11 touchdowns on 165 carries, while also catching 30 passes for 152 yards and a touchdown. Brown not only broke Lamar Jackson’s true freshman rushing mark at Louisville, but earned Second-Team All-ACC honors, and was named the ACC Offensive and Overall Rookie of the Year
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(Photo of Stanquan Clark: Clare Grant – Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK)
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