National Spotlight shines on Colorado with "College Football 25" video game

The virtual world is no exception — when there's a national spotlight to be snagged in collegiate sports, Colorado football always seems to be, quite literally, front and center.

The long-awaited "EA Sports College Football 25" video game was released this week to millions of sports-starved gamers. And right on the cover? Buffs two-way player Travis Hunter. Colorado football, even after a 4-8 season in Year 1 of Coach Prime, remains one of the most popular teams in the sport.

"It's a great feeling to see Trav on the cover," Buffaloes wide receiver Jimmy Horn said. "It's fun to see everything going on right now [at Colorado]. It's been 10 years since this game came out, and now I'm in the game, Trav's in the game, everybody on the team is in the game."

On Friday, 5430 Alliance, a Colorado NIL collective, threw a release party on campus to invite fans to play against their real-life athlete counterparts. About 40 Buffs players matched up against fans (many of them kids) and signed autographs for the crowd.

For the first time, collegiate athletes were paid for their image and likeness to be recreated in an officially licensed game. A lawsuit halted the annual NCAA-themed football series in 2013 and forced its hiatus for over a decade.

Its return has led to an extremely hyped release, with 2.2 million players logging onto the game in its first 24 hours. Athletes were given $600 and a copy of the game for opting in as playable characters.

"I always dreamed of being inside a video game," Horn Jr. said. "It's an opportunity that not a lot of people get to experience. It's just a blessing to be a part of this."

The national attention is nothing new for CU football in the Deion Sanders era, but it is the latest example of how Colorado is capitalizing on the hype.

Kahlil Benson, a highly touted offensive lineman prospect from Indiana, joined the Buffaloes roster via the transfer portal this offseason. Despite playing in a different conference and having no ties to Colorado, he kept his eye on what was being built in Boulder.

"When I was at IU, I was watching [Colorado] games as well," Benson said. "And I was like, 'man, I know I can do better than what they were doing.' So, I didn't second-guess it at all. Once I hit the portal, everything started flowing the way I wanted it to. And that's what led me here."

Colorado football opens its season Aug. 29 at home against North Dakota State.