Utah Players Who Could Have Made Cover Of NCAA Football During Absence

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – EA Sports stopped making the NCAA Football video game in 2014, leaving six years of lost opportunities for Utah players.

Utah has had one player on the cover of the NCAA Football video game back in 2010 when former quarterback Brian Johnson was on the cover of the PlayStation 3 edition.

EA Sports announced on Tuesday that the College Football game will return at some point in the near future. They plan to release the game within the next couple of years on the new consoles, including PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.

From 2015 to 2021 has left a void of what could have been. Here is who I think should’ve made the cover of the EA Sports franchise during the years of its absence. Since the game has mainly featured players on offense, I am going to include a defensive player for each year too.

For those who never stopped believing… #EASPORTSCollegeFootball pic.twitter.com/ojDl9LzXuj

— EASPORTSCollege (@EASPORTSCollege) February 2, 2021

Utah Cover Athlete For NCAA Football 16

Devontae Booker was a Heisman candidate throughout the 2015 season after racking up 1,261 yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior. His explosive play in both the running game as well as passing made him a very reliable player for the Utes. Booker was one of the best running backs in 2015 not only on the west coast but in the country.

Defensive Player: Gionni Paul

2017 Version

Cover Athlete: Joe Williams

The story of Joe Williams is always fun to tell even five years after it happened. Going from the No. 1 running back to retiring before making his return just weeks later to rushing for 1,407 yards and 10 touchdowns. Who can forget the amazing game in the Rose Bowl when he set a Utah football single game record with 332 yards to go with 4 touchdowns.

Defensive Player: Marcus Williams

2018 Version

Cover Athlete: Zack Moss

When Joe Williams graduated, that was when it was time for Zack Moss to shine. He rushed for 1,173 yards and 10 TD’s in 2017. I know many will think that Moss deserves to be the cover athlete in 2019 but I have to space these out and had to strategize where to put guys. Just wait until you get to the 2019 section. If they came out with a decade edition of EA Sports College Football, Moss would be deserving to be on that for the massive impact he made in four years of that decade.

Defensive Player: Julian Blackmon

2019 Version

Cover Athlete: Jason Shelley

Jason Shelley threw for 1,162 yards and 5 touchdowns when filling in for Tyler Huntley after he suffered a season ending injury in Tempe, Arizona. The numbers won’t stand out but what he did down the stretch of games in 2018 will always be remembered and made him an instant fan favorite. Shelley led the Utes to a seven-point win over Oregon, a dominating victory in a blizzard in Boulder and led a comeback against BYU when the Utes trailed by 20 points late in the third quarter. He was tasked with trying to get the Utah program to do something it had never done. That was to win a Pac-12 Championship.

Defensive Player: Chase Hansen

2020 Version

Cover Athlete: Tyler Huntley

Tyler Huntley made massive strides in his game from 2018 to 2019. He was one of the most efficient quarterbacks in all of college football. His impact on the games where Utah won 11 contests in 2019 will never be forgotten by the Utes faithful. Completing 73 percent of his passes, Huntley threw for 3,092 yards, 19 touchdowns and just 4 interceptions. He was named first team All-Pac-12, beating out eventual top 5 draft pick Justin Herbert.

Defensive Player: Jaylon Johnson

NCAA Football 21

Cover Athlete: Ty Jordan

This was a no brainer. Not only for what Ty Jordan did on the field but off of it. His humble and smiling personality was contagious among his teammates. He was always critical of himself in mistakes and humble in his success. The impact that Ty Jordan made on the Utah football team, the Salt Lake City community and the state of Utah will never be forgotten.

Many have expressed to EA Sports College Football that Ty Jordan should be on the cover of the first game they release and I believe that should happen.

Can y’all please put my boy @_ylfotyt on the cover of the new NCAA Game @EASPORTS pic.twitter.com/xxIZifB3TX

— Ja'Quinden Jackson (@leg3ndaryjaay) February 2, 2021

Defensive Player: Devin Lloyd

Trevor Allen is a Utah Utes Insider for KSLSports.com and host of the Crimson Corner podcast. Follow him on Twitter: @TrevorASports. You can download and listen to the podcast, here.