Earlier this year, EA confirmed the upcoming release of EA College Football 26, set for this summer. In a significant move, the company previously compensated high-profile college football players $600 each for the rights to their names, images, and likenesses in EA College Football 25. However, a new sports representation agency, Pathway Sports and Entertainment, could alter this landscape by offering players a premium package for their NIL rights.
According to recent reports, Pathway Sports is making bold strides to engage elite college football athletes by offering $1,500 upfront for their NIL rights, along with potential future royalties. Already, more than 450 student-athletes from prominent programs like Alabama, Illinois, Georgia, Texas Tech, Wisconsin, and Oregon have accepted these offers, indicating the growing appeal of such agreements.
With ambitious plans, Pathway Sports is dispatching representatives nationwide to recruit every scholarship-level football player, which totals approximately 11,000 nationwide. The financial implications are staggering, with estimates suggesting it could cost over $17 million to sign all players at the current rate. Factoring in additional payments for select athletes, the total could surpass $20 million.
“The overall vision is for athletes to earn more than what was seen in the first year of the video game,” stated a co-founder of Pathway Sports. “This creates mutual value for athletic directors, coaches, and schools, who are all striving to create meaningful opportunities for their players.”
As of now, EA has no direct association with Pathway. However, if Pathway successfully engages the majority of the athletes needed for EA College Football 26, the game developer may need to negotiate new terms or forgo securing the star players that have driven the franchise’s success.
