IOWA CITY — Leshon Williams arrived late to Tuesday’s Iowa football media availability.
He was playing “Call of Duty: Warzone” when he got a message asking if he was going to show up.
“I’m on ‘Warzone’ like, ‘Oh snap, I got interviews,’” Williams recalled. “That’s exactly what happened.”
Fittingly, when he did finally make it to the facility, video games were a topic of discussion. In particular, the upcoming release of “College Football 25.”
There is much excitement building for the return of the Electronic Arts-produced college football video game. The last time EA came out with a game in the series was “NCAA Football 14,” which featured Michigan’s Denard Robinson on the cover.
The evolving nature of college sports’ landscape has enabled a climate for the game to make a comeback. An extended hiatus and the passion of college football fan bases have combined to make the July 2024 drop highly anticipated.
That is true for those actually in the game, as well.
“It’ll be super competitive, especially in this building,” Iowa safety Xavier Nwankpa said. “So I’m excited for it.”
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Williams had the fortune of being featured in the game’s official reveal trailer, which dropped in May. During the video, a brief clip of Iowa’s “Kinnick Wave” was shown. The animated re-creation showed multiple Iowa players, including Williams and quarterback Cade McNamara, waving toward a virtual version of the UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital.
“That was very nice seeing that,” Williams said. “I didn’t know (I was going to be in it). I had a couple of people send it to me but that was very exciting. Me being the heavy ‘Madden NFL’ player that I am and knowing that I’m going to be a heavy NCAA player.”
But Williams was a bit critical of his depiction.
“They (didn’t) fix me up with no tattoos or nothing, though,” Williams quipped. “I ain’t got no wristbands or nothing. It’s just naked arm. It’s all good, though. As long as I’m on the game.”
Williams is deserving of being shown in the trailer, given how his teammates speak about him as a “Madden NFL” player.
“Right now, the best ‘Madden’ player is Leshon Williams,” Nwankpa said.
Receiver Kaleb Brown agreed: “That’s fair to say. Yeah, he got it. He got it … I mean, he’s a good player. He makes a lot of adjustments. That’s what it takes in that game.”
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It’s not surprising, then, to hear that Williams has already thought strategically about his game plan. Early details released about the game include a “Wear and Tear” feature. In short, it means taking hits and dealing with fatigue can affect a player, adding another factor to managing the gameplay.
Williams has already taken that into account when it comes to the Hawkeyes’ running back rotation.
“I heard it’s a ‘Wear and Tear’ on there, right?” Williams said. “So I’m probably gonna start off Kaleb (Johnson) and (Jaziun Patterson) and let them get the wear and tear. And then when it’s crunch time, put me in the game. I already got the game plan. I already got the whole strategy down. That’s how I’m gonna do it.”
Screenshots of team ratings from an EA-released “Gameplay Deep Dive” video spurred chatter in the gaming and college football worlds. As a disclaimer, the ratings were not final and still subject to change. That being said, Iowa’s ratings were as follows:
Nwankpa is excited to play as one of his defensive teammates.
“I’m trying to play with (Sebastian) Castro,” Nwankpa said. “Probably hit stick someone.”
As an offensive player, Brown naturally is looking forward to playing as someone on that side of the ball.
“I’d probably say Leshon, though,” Brown said. “I just want to see how he moves, though. If he moves like he moves in real life. I’d probably say that for everybody. It’ll be interesting to see if they all move the same way that they move (in real life).”
Said defensive back Jermari Harris: “If the game is how it really is, you’re gonna have Castro flying around doing what he does, along with Jay (Higgins).”
Trying to figure out individual player ratings also stirs discussion.
“I’d probably give myself like an 87,” Nwankpa said.
“Like an 89,” Brown said. “But that’s going to go up. It’s going to be an 89. Trust (me). It’s gonna be an 89. We’re gonna talk about this later on. It’s gonna be an 89. Maybe more. I don’t know.”
Said Williams: “At least an 85. Anything below that, that’s unacceptable.”
Follow Tyler Tachman on X@Tyler_T15, contact via email atttachman@gannett.com
