Michigan Wolverines On New EA Sports College Football Game
FINALLY.
EA Sports has announced that it will be rebooting the insanely successful college football series that ended back in 2014. Former Wolverine legend Denard Robinson was on the cover of that game, and many folks, in my age bracket at least, are still playing that edition on the XBox 360. Hopefully soon, we won't have to do that anymore.
The tweet announcing the return of the game is obviously pretty vague, and there don't seem to be many details out there about when exactly it will happen, but it doesn't matter. The game is coming back.
If it were coming back in time for this year's football season, how would the Wolverines look?
Fastest
If Xavier Worthy doesn't end up at Michigan, this rating award goes to sophomore wide receiver Roman Wilson. Worthy's personal best in the 100m dash is 10.55, while Wilson's is 10.68. Both are incredibly fast and would definitely challenge each other as the fastest player on Michigan's roster.
If I was designing the game, I'd give Wilson a 96 speed rating.
Highest Overall - Freshman
If you're familiar with the 2014 version of NCAA Football, you know that the highest-rated incoming freshmen generally hover around 81 or 82 overall. Those kinds of skills from day one usually result in a player finishing their career in the high 90s overall. That's the kind of trajectory I see for running back Donovan Edwards. The standout from West Bloomfield is college ready right now because of his build at 5-11, 190 pounds, speed, vision, balance and ability as a receiver. He's already at Michigan and is as ready to play the position as a freshman can be. He's also a newly-minted five-star prospect per 247 Sports, which means that he'd be in that discussion for the "80 Overall Club" as a true freshman.
As a rookie, Edwards would be in the discussion as the highest-rated running back on the roster as an 81 overall with a 93 in both speed and acceleration.
Best Accuracy/Highest Arm Strength
It's honestly hard to say who would be the highest-rated quarterback on the roster, but in terms of accuracy and arm strength, it's pretty clear to me. Even though he's just a freshman, JJ McCarthy is likely already the most accurate thrower on the team. Cade McNamara would give him a run for his money, but if they competed in an accuracy contest, I'd give the edge to JJ. As a senior at IMG Academy, McCarthy didn't throw one interception. He's been lighting it up since he was a freshman and led Nazareth Academy to a state championship as a sophomore. Simply put — he can put the ball exactly where he wants to. He'd be a 90 in the accuracy department if it were up to me.
As for the strongest arm, it's still Joe Milton by a lot. McCarthy and McNamara both have plenty of arm strength, but Milton literally might have the strongest arm in the country. I think if push came to shove, he could throw it at least 80 yards in the air without much of an issue. Obviously that doesn't mean he's the best player at the position, but if you need someone to throw a Hail Mary at the end of a half, Milton is your guy. There's no doubt in my mind — Milton's arm strength rating would be a 99.
Highest Strength
With Kwity Paye and Ben Mason set to begin the next chapter of their football lives, the strongest player on the team is up for debate. Senior defensive end Aidan Hutchinson would certainly be in the mix, as would offensive linemen Chuck Filiaga and Nolan Rumler, and linebacker Ben VanSumeren, but overall, I'm going to go with junior defensive tackle Christopher Hinton. At 6-4, 305 pounds, he's one of the biggest and most athletic players on the team. He might not be at the top of every lift, but I think overall, he'd score the best if the team was put through a weightlifting competition.
As he prepares to be one of the mainstays on the defensive line in 2021, I'd give him a strength rating of 92.
Highest Overall
There are some talented players on Michigan's roster, but Daxton Hill stands out above them all. As he gets ready for his junior season, Hill is going to need to do a lot under new safeties coach George Helow. We've seen Hill create turnovers, cover top receivers and even excel with the ball in his hands on a fake punt. The kid is such a natural that he really could play several positions on both sides of the ball if asked. He's a safety by label, but he plays like a cornerback quite often making him extremely skilled when it comes to video game ratings. He's extremely fast, can play man and zone coverage, has great ball skills and tackles extremely well. If he were being graded out as a video game player, he'd have little to no weaknesses.
He'll be eligible for the NFL Draft after next season and will likely be one of the more coveted defensive backs in the country. If he were on this year's version of NCAA Football, he'd be a 95 overall all day long.
