Michigan kicker says College Football 25 has made him better in real life

I've heard many stories about athletes using video games as training. MLB The Show 24 mentions a few that use the game to scout opponents. Pro soccer player Conor Chinn has gone on record as using EA's soccer games to get ready. Add Michigan kicker Dominic Zvada to this list, as he told the Detroit Free Press that EA's smash-hit football offering helps him visualize his kicks on the real gridiron.

So far he has only kicked in Michigan's stadium, but he said he will soon add stadiums including Washington, Illinois, and Indiana soon. Whatever he's doing is working, as he has hit all three of his extra point attempts and all five of his field goal attempts. That includes three from more than 50 yards out.

Zvada was a finalist for the Lou Groza Award, which honors college football's best kicker, in 2022. As Michigan tries to find its way in the post-Jim Harbaugh era, their kicker has been their most consistent source of offense.

It makes sense. The practice athletes do on the field is important, but it doesn't accurately represent video game conditions. The practice squad guy who pretends to be Lamar Jackson is not really Lamar Jackson.

EA Sports College Football 25 simulates several factors, including the stress of having 100,000 people cheering so loud the stadium physically shakes. But I'm going to ask the question that anybody who has played CFB 25 would. Is my man hitting kicks with that field goal meter? It's possible you need to be a kicker on scholarship in the real world to use that thing effectively.