EA Sports College Football 25 has teams from athletic conferences across the country. But once glaring omission was the Southland Conference. James Hill, Southland Conference’s associate commissioner of communications and branding, spent hours changing that.
The game may come packed with 134 FBS teams, but thanks to the team builder feature, fans can go beyond the basics by adding custom teams — and the Frisco-based Southland Conference is stealing the spotlight.
Crafted by Hill, these teams on Teambuilder have racked up over 18,000 downloads since mid-July. This project was more than just work; it was Hill’s passion project. He spent countless hours perfecting every detail, from logos to rosters, stadiums and uniforms. But, due to the massive amount of real players on each of these teams, the players within the video game are fictional.
“I’m a detail-oriented person and wanted it to be as accurate as possible,” Hill told Local Profile. “It took a good full day’s work to get things created and then probably another two or three hours to tweak and get just right. Teambuilder was released on a Friday and I wanted to have the teams created before our football media day event just three days later. Let’s just say I did not get much sleep that night and owe my wife a lot of credit for letting me dig in and get it knocked out. Additionally, we wanted to be the first FCS conference to do this, as we knew it would be a hit on our digital platforms.”
The Southland Conference lineup includes Houston Christian, Incarnate Word, Lamar, McNeese State, Nicholls State, Northwestern State, Southeastern Louisiana, Stephen F. Austin, Texas A&M-Commerce and Texas-Rio Grande Valley.
The debut has been nothing short of sensational: in the first 24 hours alone, college football fans drove an incredible 1.5 million social media impressions, rocketing to nearly 3 million in just four days.
“We knew that the return of EA Sports College Football 25 was going to be a huge phenomenon,” Southland Conference Commissioner Chris Grant said. “Our own James Hill was very aware of the teambuilder aspect and we’re delighted that he was able to go into the game and create all of the Southland teams. It allows the millions of fans playing the game to play as any of our programs. We’ve gotten a lot of great feedback; our fans loved it. It’s a privilege and thrill to be part of the game.”
But the new addition in EA Sports College Football 25 is going beyond game exposure. According to Grant, the feature allows fans and students alike to connect with the schools and teams in a whole new way.
“The 10 Southland schools’ fans and students have more than 21,000 downloads alone, with Stephen F. Austin leading the way with more than 3,000,” Hill said. “That’s more than 21,000 downloads of our membership. When people played the game in previous releases, you didn’t typically take Alabama, Georgia or Ohio State into the dynasty mode; you took an underdog team that you then grew an affiliation and love for. This was an opportunity to offer more small school underdogs with whom you can live the dream.”
Becoming part of the game marks a significant step forward in the Southland Conference’s broader vision and ambitious plans. This digital presence not only elevates the conference’s profile but also creates fresh opportunities for engagement and growth on a national scale.
“We’re hopeful that it starts a conversation with EA Sports about putting FCS schools into the game and not having to create them through Teambuilder,” Grant said. “Ultimately, this gives Southland programs great exposure and can hopefully create more opportunities for our student-athletes in the ever-evolving world of NIL.”
Players looking to bring these custom teams to life can find them by searching for Hill’s username, hillgators32.
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