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Top 15 Oregon Ducks to use in EA Sports NCAA Football who never got a game

Zachary Neel
·9 min read

It’s been over 10 years that we’ve had to find something to do with our free time while arguably the best video game of all time has been out of commission.

However, that time is no longer. Fans have been rejoicing this week as EA Sports announced that the beloved college football game — now called College Football 25 — will be returning to shelves this summer.  That’s welcomed news, considering that the game was discontinued after the 2014 version of the game was released in July of 2013.

Though it has been gone for so long, many avid fans still play the game today, loving it for the recruiting aspect that can’t be enjoyed in EA’s Madden.

It has been rumored that EA Sports already has 120 FBS schools on board with the game and have begun working with them to get realistic stadium noises, music, and even chants. These schools will be paid out on a tiered basis depending on their top-25 finishes.

All of that said, there was an era from 2014-2023 that saw no NCAA Football games released. There is a large group of big-time players that never saw themselves in a game. Joe Burrow from LSU’s title run in 2019, Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray in Norman, Okla., Christian McCaffrey at Stanford, and many more.

The Oregon Ducks also had some guys who were like real-life video game characters, including a Heisman Trophy winner in that time. Who would be the 15 most fun Ducks to play with in NCAA Football that never got a game over the past decade? Let’s discuss.

Heisman Era Marcus Mariota

Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports

Marcus Mariota Stats in 2014

  • 4,454 Pass Yards | 42 TD | 4 INT

  • 770 Rush Yards | 15 TD

Mariota was obviously around before the NCAA football games went on hiatus, and many of us got to play with a duo of him and De’Anthony Thomas in Oregon uniforms back in the day. However, the peak Mariota was not yet unleashed. We want the 2014 Heisman Trophy version of Mariota in the game to play with.

In a year where he had 42 TD in the air, 15 TD on the ground, and was the most electric player in the nation, it seems like a shame that we never got that at our fingertips at home. If I could bring back anyone to play with, it would be 2014 Mariota.

Royce Freeman

(Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr/Getty Images)

Royce Freeman Career Stats

  • 5,621 Yards | 60 TD | 814 Receiving Yards | 4 TD

No. 1 rusher in Oregon history? Consistent production with an extremely low injury rating? Quickness, physicality, and breakaway speed? That has the making of an incredibly valuable video game player who you can rely on to be your bell-cow in the offense.

Justin Herbert

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Justin Herbert Career Stats

  • 10,541 Passing Yards | 95 TD | 23 INT

  • 560 Rushing Yards | 13 TD

Anyone who plays Madden knows how fun it is to have Justin Herbert as your quarterback. There is simply no limit to the throws that you can attempt. His arm strength stands apart from the rest of the pack, and he has more quickness and elusiveness than you might expect. Playing with him in a college video game would be fun, so long as you could pick a more aggressive offensive scheme to deploy him in…

Devon Allen

(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Devon Allen Football and Track Stats

Non-Oregon fans may scoff at this pick, seeing as Allen had a solid career on the gridiron, but nothing that would make him a standout video game player. His speed, however, is what sets him apart.

Allen has been to two Olympic games, won three national championships at the USA Track and Field Championships, and holds the 3rd fastest time ever recorded in the 110m hurdles. You’re telling me that’s not a 99 or even 100 rating on the speed meter?

The DeForest Buckner-Arik Armstead Duo

Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

DeForest Buckner and Arik Armstead Combined Stats

  • 319 Tackles | 46.5 TFL | 22 Sacks | 12 PBU | 3 FF | 4 FR

It may not be a flashy pick, but one of the most demoralizing things that can happen to you when playing a Madden-style video game is getting run on play after play, giving up chunk yardage while the clock ticks down. Getting DeFo and Armstead would certainly help that.

Vernon Adams

Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports

Vernon Adams Stats at Oregon

  • 2,643 Passing Yards | 26 TD | 6 INT

  • 147 Rushing Yards | 2 TD

Vernon Adams is going to get overshadowed by Marcus Mariota and Justin Herbert, but it’s pretty easy to argue that he is the third-most entertaining quarterback that the Ducks have had in the past decade. His arm wasn’t as tantalizing as Herbert’s and his legs weren’t as prolific as Mariota’s, but Adams was a dynamic player who could make things happen and put points on the board. For any video game player who likes to scramble out of the pocket and make plays in the chaos, Adams may be your guy.

Troy Dye

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Troy Dye Career Stats

  • 391 Tackles | 41.5 TFL | 13 Sacks | 5 INT | 14 PBU | 4 FF

Almost as important as having a couple of run-stoppers on defense, you need a versatile linebacker who can stay in the box and help out on early downs, but also drop into coverage and service against the pass. More than that, putting Troy Dye in your lineup would give you some blitzing opportunity up the middle. Dye was among the most entertaining players to watch at Oregon over the past decade, and he would be a great game-breaker on defense.

Jevon Holland

(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Jevon Holland Career Stats

  • 108 Tackles | 4.5 TFL | 9 INT | 10 PBU | 1 TD

Who doesn’t love a ball-hawking safety back in the secondary who can sit on a route and jump a pass for a user-pick multiple times a game? Even better, Jevon Holland offers the ability to come up into the box at times and be a run-stopper when you need it.

CJ Verdell and Travis Dye Combo

CJ Verdell and Travis Dye Combined Stats

We saw over the past couple of years how dynamic of a 1-2 punch both CJ Verdell and Travis Dye can be. They rank as the No. 3 rushing tandem in UO history and were among the best rushers in the Pac-12 over the past couple of years. Of course, Verdell’s injury rating on a video game might be a little low, as would Dye’s fumbling numbers.

Kayvon Thibodeaux

(AP Photo/Andy Nelson, File)

Kayvon Thibodeaux Career Stats

  • 126 Tackles | 35.5 TFL | 19 Sacks | 7 PBU | 3 FF

So you have a run-stopping duo on the defensive line. You have a versatile linebacker who can drop into coverage. You also have a ball-hawking safety roaming the secondary. What’s left? How about an elite defensive end who you can routinely bring around the edge and put pressure on the quarterback? Kayvon Thibodeaux is perhaps among the most intriguing Ducks to not be featured in the EA sports games, and using him on Madden next year will be incredibly entertaining.

Noah Sewell

Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports

Noah Sewell Career Stats

  • 218 Tackles | 20.5 TFL | 7.5 Sacks | 2 INT | 9 PBU | 3 FF

Noah Sewell had one of the better defensive careers we’ve seen at Oregon in recent memory. With the new game coming this summer, it’s fun to imagine what he could bring to the table to a defense. He can be a run-stopper who excels in open-field tackling while also being able to cover some ground in the chase and drop back into coverage.

Bo Nix

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Bo Nix Career Stats

  • 1,286-for-1,936, 15,352 yards, 113 TD, 26 INT

Bo Nix established himself as one of the best QBs that Oregon has seen in recent memory this past year when he went on to break the college football single-season completion record and be a Heisman Trophy finalist. His career was long, split between Auburn and Oregon, but he was undoubtedly one of the most enthralling passers in the nation during that time. I would love to use his dual-threat abilities in a video game.

Troy Franklin

Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports

Troy Franklin Career Stats

  • 160 catches, 2,483 yards, 25 TDs

If you’re talking about the best wide receivers to use in an Oregon Ducks video game, it’s pretty hard to argue against Troy Franklin at the top of the list. He is arguably the greatest WR in school history after his 2023 season that saw all sorts of school records be broken. Pairing him up with Bo Nix, Justin Herbert, or Marcus Mariota would result in a very fun afternoon.

Bucky Irving

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Bucky Irving Career Stats

  • 475 rushes, 2,937 yards, 20 TDs

There’s no shortage of elite and electrifying running backs for Oregon Duck fans to play with in the video games, but we can add Bucky Irving to the list. With his elusive abilities and his physical running nature, getting No. 0 out there in open space would surely be a lot of fun.

Christian Gonzalez

(Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)

Christian Gonzalez Career Stats

  • 128 tackles, 6 TFL, 4 INTs, 17 PBUs

We only got one year of Christian Gonzalez in Eugene, but he was among the best cornerbacks in the nation that year, and he would present a fun ball-hawk to play with in the game, locking down one side of the field for your defense.

Story originally appeared on Ducks Wire