College Football 25 Road to Glory guide: Creation, NIL, Gameplay, & more

Connor Knudsen

Connor Knudsen

College Football 25 Road to Glory details are finally here.

Outside of some Dynasty mode fanatics, the consensus from most College Football 25 fans is that Road to Glory is the mode they are most excited about. In CFB 25, Road to Glory gets a huge upgrade from previous iterations, adding in NIL, the Transfer Portal, and so much more to reflect the modern era of college football.

Here's everything you need to know about the new game mode, coming very soon.

College Football 25 Road to Glory: Character creation

At the beginning of Road to Glory, players will choose their path, which determines starting stats, their position, and then details surrounding what kind of player they will be. This includes obvious things like the look, size, and shape of your player, but also what your mental ability will be starting off.

To get started with your path, players will have four options to choose from, according to developers:

  • Elite: An elite recruit is a five-star prospect, starting with the highest overall rating (OVR) of 79. This player is expected to get on the field immediately and start right away at most programs across the country. Additionally, you will receive one extra mental ability and the five starting skill points, which you can use to upgrade your player. We will dive further into how this all works later. 
  • Blue Chip: A blue chip prospect is a four-star recruit with a strong starting point at a 75 OVR, along with one mental ability and four skill points. This player will be able to contribute immediately to most programs and earn significant playing time at some schools.
  • Contributor: This is a three-star prospect who may have the chance to get on the field earlier in their career, but will have to work hard for any playing time. They do not get an additional mental ability and start with only three skill points.
  • Underdog: This is the true underdog Road to Glory story. It is the hardest starting point where you will see little playing time and have to earn every snap on the field. Starting as a two-star recruit with a 60 OVR and only receiving two skill points, this journey is for those who love a challenge.
The fourth path's for character creation in CFB 25 Road to Glory (Image via EA Sports)
The fourth path's for character creation in CFB 25 Road to Glory (Image via EA Sports)

After that, comes your position. Players will be able to play QB, HB, WR, MLB, or CB in Road to Glory. Each will have their own sets of playstyles to choose from. QBs, for example, can be a Field General, Scrambler, or Improviser, which each give their own unique stats and physical abilities.

After that, players get to choose a mental ability from one of the following three options, with Blue Chip and Elite players getting to pick two.

  • Fan Favorite: This ability increases composure gains at home. It is tied to your academics, and if your GPA is above a 3.0, the Fan Favorite ability will be active. If it falls below a 3.0, then it will become deactivated.
  • Road Dog: This ability increases composure gains on the road. It is tied to your brand meter. When you reach Influencer status, it will turn on, and when it falls below that level, it will turn off.
  • Clearheaded: This ability limits the amount of composure you will lose during gameplay. It is tied to your leadership. When you become an excellent leader, it will turn on, and when it falls below that threshold, it will turn off.
The final step in your character creation is choosing mental abilities (Image via EA Sports)
The final step in your character creation is choosing mental abilities (Image via EA Sports)

After that, you will be all set and ready to begin your journey as a college football athlete, going through a recruitment process and signing with your dream team.

CFB 25 Road to Glory: Weekly Agenda

Once you have signed to a team in CFB 25 Road to Glory, you'll need to begin working. You'll have tasks each week to keep your player well-rounded and on top of their journey.

This is split across five categories: Academics, Leadership, Health, Training, and Brand. The gallery below, courtesy of EA Sports, shows what each one of these looks like on your weekly agenda screen.

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Basically, each week you will have to combine your efforts to ensure your grades don't drop, you're staying in shape, practicing, and doing all of the things you need to do to keep yourself rounded as a player. There will also be different one-off scenarios and dilemmas you will be forced to deal with throughout your journey that will influence these categories.

College Football 25 Road to Glory: NIL and the Transfer Portal

To reflect the modern era of college football, Road to Glory will allow players to negotiate for NIL deals and even transfer to a competing university if they so choose. Here's a quote from developers on an example of what an NIL deal could look like, and what players need to consider before taking one.

An example NIL deal you could earn is with a physical therapy center. As a part of their deal, they want you to participate in a regional commercial shoot that will air during the next month. While you won’t physically pose for the camera this year in Road to Glory, the deal will cost you two energy up front.

In return, they will give you free physical therapy sessions which will give you immediate wear and tear recovery and improve your health. By taking the deal and getting the health recovery, this will enable you to do other things during your weekly agenda time management.

- EA Sports developers
An NIL deal offer over text in Road to Glory (Image via EA Sports)
An NIL deal offer over text in Road to Glory (Image via EA Sports)

The same sorts of choices loom when it comes to the portal, where players can choose to pursue another university at the end of each season.

CFB 25 Road to Glory: Player Progression and Gameplay

Once you're finally on a team and you have gotten into the season, you'll begin playing games (if you're a starter) and progressing your player's stats and abilities. To earn certain abilities, you'll need to meet certain stat requirements, which you will earn over the course of the season. All of the player progression screens we've seen so far can be seen below, courtesy of EA Sports.

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In terms of gameplay, just like in previous iterations of this franchise, you'll play as your character with an up close and personal camera angle. Slowly, you'll earn more and more coach trust, allowing you to call more plays and take over the game. But be careful, just like other players, you'll need to manage Wear and Tear and stay healthy to continue playing!

CFB 25 Road to Glory gameplay (Image via EA Sports)
CFB 25 Road to Glory gameplay (Image via EA Sports)

So, there you have it, everything you need to know to get started with Road to Glory in College Football 25! For the complete deep dive, be sure and also check out the developers update and for more CFB 25 news, like our guides to Dynasty coaching and recruiting, stay tuned for more from esports.gg!