Several Ohio State players got a ratings bump in EA Sports College Football 25’s first ratings update of the season.
Ohio State left tackle Josh Simmons had his rating increased from 83 to 85, Lorenzo Styles Jr. saw his rating jump from 76 to 79 and Jaylen McClain’s overall rating leaped from 72 to 76 as EA Sports issued its first ratings update of the season on Wednesday.
Ohio State punter Joe McGuire, who was excluded from the game’s initial rosters in favor of Nick McLarty and Anthony Venneri, is also now in the game with a rating of 76.
Two Buckeyes saw their ratings drop as cornerback Calvin Simpson-Hunt had his rating reduced from 80 to 79 while safety Keenan Nelson Jr. dropped from 78 to 76.
Simmons, who was a late addition to the game in August, gets a rating bump after a strong start to the season in which he has allowed zero sacks while helping lead the way for an offense that currently ranks third in the FBS with 7.98 yards per play and 6.58 yards per rushing attempt.
Styles’ rating increases after a strong start to the season for him on both defense and special teams. He has earned Ohio State’s special teams player of the week award twice while also performing well in limited action as the Buckeyes’ No. 2 nickel cornerback, recording seven total tackles and a pass breakup.
McClain has also performed well in second-string duty in the secondary, establishing himself as one of Ohio State’s top backup safeties by recording six tackles with one tackle for loss in just 39 defensive snaps.
McGuire beat out McLarty and Venneri in preseason camp to be Ohio State’s starting punter and has performed well in that capacity so far, averaging 42.1 yards per punt while the Buckeyes have yet to allow a single punt return for positive yardage this season.
Simpson-Hunt has played only six snaps on defense so far this season while Nelson has played zero, though both have played on special teams in all of the Buckeyes’ first four games.
Elsewhere around the country, notable players whose ratings increased with Wednesday’s ratings update include Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter (95 to 97), Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty (92 to 96) and Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord (85 to 86), who is now rated one point higher than his successor at Ohio State, Will Howard. Despite Jeremiah Smith’s spectacular start, South Carolina defensive end Dylan Stewart is now the highest-rated freshman in the game as his rating jumped nine points from 78 to 87 while Smith’s rating remains at 85.
Despite being one of the game’s cover athletes, Michigan running back Donovan Edwards is among the players whose ratings have dropped, sliding from a 91 to a 90 after rushing for only 258 yards on 59 carries in Michigan’s first five games. Kalel Mullings, the Wolverines’ leading rusher with 540 yards on 77 carries, had his rating increased from 81 to 87.
