It’s been over a decade since a college football player has had to deal with the dreaded “Cover Star Curse,” but the return of EA Sports College Football 25 has brought back talk of the curse. As the video game updated its player ratings earlier this week, one star in particular saw his rating drop.
So, what happened to Michigan Wolverines running back Donovan Edwards, and is the cover curse real?
Donovan Edwards Rating Drop Highlights Potential College Football 25 Cover Curse
Edwards donned the cover of EA Sports College Football 25 along with Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers and Colorado Buffaloes two-way athlete Travis Hunter.
For two of those cover athletes, the real-life 2024 college football season hasn’t gone according to plan.
For Edwards, it’s purely been a football struggle. Even as Michigan has all but abandoned the passing game, he hasn’t found a foothold this 2024 season. The senior has run for just 258 yards on 59 carries this season, failing to reach the 100-yard mark in any game and scoring just three total touchdowns through the first five games.
MORE: Simulate the College Football Season With CFN’s College Football Playoff Predictor
Not only that, but fellow Michigan running back Kalel Mullings has passed Edwards on the depth chart after running for over 400 yards and six touchdowns in the first three games of the season. Even though the opportunities are there, Edwards hasn’t really taken advantage.
Accordingly, in the latest player rankings update, Edwards’ overall rating dropped one point from 91 to 90. It’s not a huge fall, but it’s indicative of his disappointing start to the year.
Cover Star Curse? Accessing the Starts of Quinn Ewers, Travis Hunter
Edwards wasn’t the only athlete on the cover of the video game, however. Ewers has also struggled to begin the year but for a different reason.
Ewers injured his oblique in Week 3 against UTSA and hasn’t played since, though he could return next week for the Red River Showdown against Oklahoma.
So is there a cover star curse? One player says no.
Hunter has been immaculate this season. He’s in the top 10 in receiving yards and has a career high in touchdowns, despite playing just five games so far. On defense, he’s picked off two passes and had a game-winning forced fumble against Baylor.
A legitimate Heisman Trophy contender, Hunter is doing his best to offset the disappointing starts his fellow cover athletes have experienced.
A cheat code in the video game, it feels like Hunter is a cheat code in real life. If he keeps it up, it’s going to be difficult to claim that there’s such a thing as a cover curse.
College Football Network has you covered with the latest from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, and every Group of Five conference and FBS Independent program.