The Athletic has live coverage of Oregon vs. Indiana in the 2025 College Football Playoff semifinals.

When David Pollack played linebacker at the University of Georgia from 2001-04, he was considered one of the best defenders in the country: a two-time consensus All-American and a two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year.

But when he played the game in college, NIL (name, image and likeness) deals didn’t exist, and active players were not named in athletic video games. In the EA Sports College Football series, Pollack knew he was No. 47 for Georgia.

Pollack now sees the video game as more than entertainment or a fun way to pass the time. The game can also be a tool of instruction for coaches at all levels, particularly those coaching young children and adolescents. In addition to being a recognized college football analyst, Pollack is a defensive line coach at North Oconee High in Bogart, Ga.

Also on his resume: He’s one of the voices of EA Sports College Football 26 as an analyst.

Teaching players about schemes and how to react on the field has become reality for him as a coach with the help of video games such as EA Sports College Football 26 and Madden NFL 26. He’s a believer of the method and has seen the return on investment.

“I can’t tell you how many of my kids that I’ve coached (using video games) over these years,” Pollack said, “and they were really little, too — 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 years old.”

EA Sports College Football 26 includes more than 2,800 new plays and 45 new formations. Madden NFL 26 features a playbook expansion of more than 1,000 plays. Football video games have come a long way from the days of Tecmo Bowl, a 1980s-released game featuring only 12 pro teams and four offensive plays per team on the Nintendo 8-bit console.

Because of technology becoming so advanced, studying plays by way of video games can resemble studying in real life to football players of all ages. Coaches can talk football jargon with younger players who are familiar with it from the video games. Players are understanding what offensive schemes work best against certain defenses. Conversely, they are learning multiple defenses and what might be the best option to contain an offense.

“With Madden, with College Football, these kids learn what Cover 2 is, what Cover 3 is, what Cover 4 is,” Pollack said. “The games have gotten to be so detailed that it’s correct.”

David Pollack, now an assistant coach at North Oconee High in Georgia, was a star linebacker for the Georgia Bulldogs. On video games, he knew he was No. 47 for the Bulldogs. (Joshua L. Jones / USA Today)

Statistically, EA Sports College Football 26, released in July, is again among the best-selling games, ranking fifth and trailing only NBA 2K26 among sports games, according to GameStop. College football was brought back to video game consoles in July 2024 with EA Sports College Football 25, the first such game since 2013. EA Sports College Football 25 was the second-highest selling game of 2024, according to GameStop. There were 2.2 million unique players during early access in July 2024, per EA Sports.

Pollack said many young football players he’s worked with who have gravitated toward video games as an entry point to the sport show up with a deeper understanding of the game. And with the College Football Playoff now in full swing, there is a sample size of a fan base that learned about the significance of the tournament through gaming, despite having no connection to any of the 12 teams originally selected for competition. (Miami beat Ole Miss on Thursday to advance to the CFP Championship. The Hurricanes will face the winner of Friday’s semifinal between Indiana and Oregon.)

Young fans as gamers, however, are looking for realism down to the smallest detail. EA Sports creative director Scott O’Gallagher said a lot of the feedback the company receives from gamers goes beyond gameplay. With football video games, there are gamers who want to see players in the right helmet style, the right style of shoe, even the correct number of wristbands. That detail, O’Gallagher said, resonates particularly when young gamers are playing with the team that features certain athletes they admire.

Before becoming immersed in video games as a career, O’Gallagher was an NAIA basketball All-American at Warner Pacific University in Portland, Ore. He played professionally overseas in Europe and Australia. He learned as a professional athlete in Europe that passionate fans care about every aspect of their favorite team.

The details that go into making football video games as real as possible include keeping the playbook updated. EA Sports works throughout the season to add any wrinkles to the playbook that can be added to its games. A young player can follow a team they like and not only understand what plays are used, but also see the changes over the course of the season.

“We’re a live service, so if things are happening during the year, we’re definitely going out there and trying to add them,” O’Gallagher said. “I can talk to one of our playbook guys about what USC was doing and say, ‘Hey, did we get this? It’s a new wrinkle that Lincoln Riley’s put in. Let’s make sure we have it.’”

A more intricate game doesn’t just help Pollack’s young players, but also gives more for Pollack to discuss in his role as an in-game analyst. When recording for the game, it’s no longer about simply saying “first down.” Announcers will record game analysis in studios with tons of energy but without seeing an actual play. They will spend hours preparing to record for several scenarios.

“The technology’s getting so much better that we’re able to do so much more now and give layered concepts,” Pollack said. “It’s crazy how much they can learn about the game and are ahead of the curve on playing the real game.”

Football education by way of video games isn’t limited to a specific squad, either. Evan Dexter, EA Sports vice president of brand and marketing, said data shows football games make a strong connection with young fans who don’t have allegiance to a particular team.

“If you were to pull the analytics of (College Football) 25 and 26, I’m sure Colorado is being used far more than what you might think, based on the population of alumni or people geographically around the school,” Dexter said, referring to the popularity of Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who led Colorado during the 2024 season.

“It’s certainly true that younger sports fans will abandon allegiance in favor of some form of hero worship, some form of individual superstar,” Dexter said. “As the sport becomes a little more superstar driven, the Travis Hunters move through it, and the Arch Mannings (of Texas) and those narratives start to transcend the old-school rivalries.”

Whether rivalries are traditional or budding, the evolution of football video games will continue to be an introduction to the sport for young gamers who ultimately want to become football players. They’ll now have a lot more than four plays to choose from to learn the game.

“It’s definitely raising the football intelligence of kids all around the world by playing the game and understanding what’s going on,” Pollack said.

SEATTLE — In this edition of Inside the Arena, Niko is back from the Seahawks’ huge win in Santa Clara and sounding off on the sudden departure of UW QB Demond Williams and what it means for the future of NIL.

Plus, Chris introduces us to the RailSpur development in Pioneer Square, which has been boosted by bonus Mariners and now Seahawks games in advance of the 2026 World Cup.

RELATED | Seahawks secure No. 1 seed in NFC and division title with dominant 13-3 win over 49ers