EA Sports hasn’t produced an NCAA football video game title since 2013, when it released “NCAA ’14.” We all took it for granted not knowing it would be our last. Now it seems that every year we hear rumors of the return of this magical product, but despite the rumors heating up hotter than ever due to the emergence of name, image and likeness licensing the future is still fairly dim.
We recently took a walk down memory lane and covered the highest-rated Ohio State Buckeyes from the game’s history and that, mixed with the recent release of “Madden ’24,” got me thinking about how this current roster would shake out and how some of the most popular players would be ranked.
We are going to dive into how the offense would have possibly looked had the game been released. Again, this isn’t all-encompassing with every player on the roster, just a touch of most of the players you’ll probably see when you sit down in front of your television in the fall.
Highest Rated: Marvin Harrison Jr.
Inside the Rating
The elusive 99 party is one of the most prestigious clubs in all of sports gaming and there have only been two Buckeyes to earn that accolade and both were on defense with James Laurinaitis and Chris Gamble earning the top spot, but Marvin Harrison Jr. would have no doubt been given that ranking had the game come out.
Rated between 95-99
Inside the Ratings
- Donovan Jackson, Offensive Lineman
- Emeka Egbuka, Wide Receiver
- TreVeyon Henderson, Running Back
- Miyan Williams, Running Back
Donovan Jackson, Emeka Egbuka, TreVeyon Henderson, and Miyan Williams are all rated as some of the top players in the country at their respective positions and would no doubt be ranked high. The rest of the offensive line would be ranked lower due to some question marks, but you have to think Jackson’s rating would lift that unit up.
Rated between 90-94
Inside the Rating
- Cade Stover, Tight End
Cade Stover is the last player I have on the offense listed in the 90 range and it does feel a tad bias placing three receivers at 90 or above, but all three were extremely productive and are expected to have big seasons. The quarterback position is likely to be ranked lower anyways so the higher ratings at receiver would provide a boost to the overall offensive ratings.
Rated between 85-89
Inside the Rating
- Matthew Jones, Offensive Lineman
Matthew Jones is one of those players who is a quality and experienced player, but not quite elite and therefore we place him in the high 80s. As you have probably noticed, Jones is the second highest ranked Ohio State offensive lineman and that is due to the amount of questions marks surrounding him and Jackson.
Rated between 80-84
Inside the Ratings
- Devin Brown, Quarterback
- Julian Fleming, Wide Receiver
- Josh Fryar, Offensive Lineman
- Carson Hinzman, Offensive Lineman
- Jakob James, Offensive Lineman
- Xavier Johnson, Wide Receiver
- Kyle McCord, Quarterback
- Zen Michalski, Offensive Lineman
The rest of the offense is going to fall within the early 80s range. For context a five-star recruit in past versions of the video game would be in the low 80s and the Ohio State offense is filled with former highly ranked recruits, but they are just unproven and thus placed within this tier.
