One of the ACC's best players likes to play as the Tennessee Vols in new EA Sports College Football video game

One of the top players in the ACC told The Athletic recently that he sometimes likes to play as the Tennessee Vols in the new EA Sports College Football 25 video game.

Miami Hurricanes linebacker Francis Mauigoa, a member of the All-ACC Second Team last season, told The Athletic that when he's not playing as Miami, he likes to play as the Vols.

"I like Nico Iamaleava," said Mauigoa . "He can throw it and run, too. Plus, they got a sick D-end (James Pearce Jr.). That’s a solid team to play with."

Mauigoa, a former three-star recruit, spent the first two years of his college career at Washington State (where he was teammates with former Vols quarterback Jarrett Guarantano in 2021) before transferring to Miami.

Objectively, Tennessee is a fun team to use in the video game. The Vols' playbook offers the wide splits with plenty of vertical shots and fun choice routes that have made Josh Heupel's offense successful. And Pearce, as Mauigoa noted, is one of the best players in the game. Just like in real life, Pearce wreaks havoc on opposing quarterbacks and makes things "easy" on defense when playing as Tennessee.

The fact that Tennessee is a fun team to play with in the new game is a big plus for the Vols when it comes to recruiting. There's a generation of young football players who are likely playing this game often. And they could end up having interest in the Vols simply because of how fun Tennessee is to use in the game.

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