Earlier this year, EA officially revealed that EA College Football 26 was in development for release this summer. Last year, EA offered prominent college football athletes $600 each to allow the use of their names, images, and likenesses in EA College Football 25. However, if a new sports management company succeeds, EA may need to allocate a significantly larger sum to feature these athletes in EA College Football 26.
As reported by Yahoo Sports, Pathway Sports and Entertainment is making bold moves by targeting the top players in college football. The company has offered athletes $1,500 upfront for their NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) rights, in addition to yet-to-be-determined royalty payments. Over 450 players from Alabama, Illinois, Georgia, Texas Tech, Wisconsin, and Oregon have accepted the offer, and Pathway has even more ambitious plans.
Currently, Pathway is dispatching representatives to universities across the nation with the aim of reaching every football player on a scholarship program. There are approximately 11,000 scholarship athletes, and it could cost over $17 million to secure agreements at the currently offered rate. However, reports indicate that the overall payouts could surpass $20 million when including “ambassador payments” for select players.
“The overall objective is for athletes to earn more than we saw in the first year of the video game,” said Pathway co-founder Casey Schwab in a statement. “We are generating mutual value here. This is beneficial for athletic directors,