It has been more than a decade since EA Sports released a college football game of any kind. The absence has been, well, challenging. We can leave it at that.

Thankfully, with the impending launch of College Football 25, this painful, video game-less era will soon subside. And as we enter a new phase of CFB on console systems, one can't help but wonder what the last decade would have looked like if the game were released each year.

More specifically, given all the excellence that has come through in that time, it's hard not to zero in on all the glorious cover athletes who never were.

Today, we've set out to change that. We're providing 10 years of cover athletes who could (and should) have been.

Before we do, let's lay out the criteria. While the state of college football and NIL rules allows current athletes to be on the cover, that was not the case when NCAA Football 2014 was released.

We're staying true to those roots in this exercise, meaning only players who have graduated or moved on to the NFL can be included on the cover. To translate this further, the biggest star from 2013 would be in line for the cover for NCAA Football 15, which would have launched in the summer of 2014.

Yep, life was different back then. But let us celebrate these roots. Here are the cover stars we missed out on.

NCAA Football 15: Johnny Manziel

In terms of sheer star power, few have ever given college football what former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel did.

Statistically, there were better players in 2013. Quarterback Derek Carr, formerly of Fresno State, delivered a 50-touchdown season. Aaron Donald, who led the nation in tackles for loss at Pittsburgh, delivered one of the more dominating defensive years the sport has ever seen.

(Let's make something clear; not picking Donald was extremely difficult!)

But Manziel, through controversy and larger-than-life performances, operated with a video game mindset. His game thrived in chaos he helped establish, and no player seems more suited for the cover than him.

This was not an easy choice, but Manziel gets the nod.

NCAA Football 16: Melvin Gordon III

Depending on what matters most, this one could've gone a handful of ways.

The champion of the 2014-15 season was Ohio State, and running back Ezekiel Elliott, who ran for more than 1,800 yards, was a worthy candidate.

The issue? Elliott came back to school the following year.

Marcus Mariota, formerly at Oregon, won a Heisman Trophy and finished runner-up to the Buckeyes after a 40-touchdown, four-interception year. He was very much in the mix as well.

With that greatness acknowledged, one can't help but get swept up in the sheer absurdity Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon III delivered each week. His 2,587 rushing yards are the second-most in a college season, behind only Barry Sanders. His 29 rushing touchdowns in one year rank sixth all-time.

Gordon averaged more than seven-and-a-half yards per carry, and he rushed for 200-plus yards in a game on six occasions.

This is a tricky one, but the video game numbers were too much to pass up. Gordon's the choice.

NCAA Football 17: Derrick Henry

Ezekiel Elliott, this time around, was a viable candidate for the cover after another unbelievable season with the Buckeyes. The same could be said about his teammate, Joey Bosa, who was a defensive force for the same team.

But it was a running back in a linebacker's body who captivated that college football world. That back was none other than Derrick Henry, who led Alabama to a national championship and secured a Heisman Trophy along the way.

Henry ran for 2,219 yards and 28 rushing touchdowns during the 2015-16 season. This culminated in a 158-yard, three-touchdown performance against Clemson in the national championship.

Given his stature, impact and overall imprint on the postseason, this one wasn't all that tough. (Heisman voters from this season could feel differently, though.)

NCAA Football 18: Lamar Jackson

Every season offers up a slew of deserving cover stars. That should go without saying.

But this particular star is perhaps the most obvious of any cover star in this imaginary almanac. It's a player who would have been a joy to play with—the closest thing we've seen to a video game cheat code since Michael Vick was given supernatural abilities in Madden.

Lamar Jackson was raw, spectacular and one of the best shows college football has ever seen in his time at Louisville. In 2016, he burst onto the scene by throwing for 3,543 yards and 30 TDs. Oh, and he ran for 1,571 yards and 21 scores on his way to the Heisman.

There are plenty of solid cases to be made for other stars. But Jackson's play and style matches up too perfectly not to grace the cover.

NCAA Football 19: Baker Mayfield

While the last choice came easy, this one requires some discussion. And that discussion begins with Saquon Barkley.

The former Penn State back ran for 1,271 yards in 2017. He also added 54 catches for 632 yards. Beyond that, he was one of the closest things to Reggie Bush we've seen.

Over in Louisville, Jackson had another spectacular year.

On defense, Bradley Chubb (NC State), Denzel Ward (Ohio State), Roquan Smith (Georgia) all seemed like reasonable options. And if linemen are your thing—and they certainly should be—Quenton Nelson and Mike McGlinchey, both top-10 picks who starred at Notre Dame, would have made for a glorious cover.

Still, no one impacted college football in terms of swag and excellence like Baker Mayfield. The former walk-on turned No. 1 overall pick was brilliant under Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma, scoring 95 touchdowns in his final two seasons in Norman.

He was polarizing, talented and never boring. The pick.

NCAA Football 20: Kyler Murray

Are you tired of Oklahoma yet?

Well, hopefully not.

Before we get to that, we must at least acknowledge Trevor Lawrence and Tua Tagovailoa. Both emerged immediately, leading Clemson and Alabama to monster years in 2018. Both underclassmen would have likely shared the cover the following year in a different era—aka this era.

Other quarterbacks who were worthy of consideration were Gardner Minshew (Washington State) and the late Dwayne Haskins (Ohio State).

But it was Kyler Murray who conquered college football each and every week, showcasing an enormous skill set in an undersized frame. Murray led his team to the College Football Playoff, accounting for 51 touchdowns.

Would the game have featured two Oklahoma quarterbacks in a row? It's hard to imagine anyone else.

NCAA Football 21: Joe Burrow

Welcome to one of the most dominant seasons in the history of sports.

The only debate about this particular cover is what player—or players—from 2019 LSU deserve the honor.

As a team, the Tigers finished 15-0. They conquered Alabama on the road. They throttled Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. They demolished Oklahoma before ultimately beating Clemson in the national championship.

So, who is on the cover?

Wideouts Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson had more than 3,000 combined receiving yards and 38 combined receiving touchdowns. They were simply absurd, and one could make the case they belong on this cover.

But the historic performance of Joe Burrow throughout the year warrants its own spotlight. The quarterback scored a combined 65 touchdowns while throwing only six interceptions in his Heisman-winning season.

Want to argue that the entire LSU roster should have been featured? That's fair. It would have made sense. But none of it was possible without Joey B.

NCAA Football 22: DeVonta Smith

The 2020 college football season was nothing short of a jumbled mess thanks largely to a pandemic that ultimately resulted in an avalanche of cancellations.

While many games were lost, there certainly wasn't a lack of stars.

One of the biggest stars college football has welcomed in the past decade, Trevor Lawrence, was certainly in the mix. The former Clemson QB lived up to the hype that followed him starting in high school, helping the Tigers maintain their dynasty status.

Fellow QBs Kyle Trask (Florida) and Mac Jones (Alabama) also were in the discussion after monster years, although it was Jones' favorite target who emerged as the biggest star among stars.

In 13 games, DeVonta Smith caught 117 passes for 1,856 yards and 23 touchdowns. He won a Heisman, something no wideout had done in nearly three decades. Smith also culminated his season with a national championship, catching 12 balls for 215 yards in the final game of his career.

What a player. What a year.

NCAA Football 23: Aidan Hutchinson

Of the covers missed, this hypothetical version was perhaps the most intriguing and open for discussion.

Unlike most seasons across this stretch, there wasn't an abundance of dominant quarterbacks. In fact, former Pittsburgh QB Kenny Pickett, who was a solid college QB, was the only quarterback taken in the first round.

The combination of wideouts Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave, former Buckeyes who became first-round picks after combining to catch 25 touchdown passes the following year, was an interesting option.

In the end, however, a player on Ohio State's rival team gets the nod. And that player just so happens to play defense.

Aidan Hutchinson finished the 2021 season with 14 sacks, showcasing a motor that catapulted him to ultimately become the No. 2 pick in the draft. In an odd year, a defensive end who helped jump-start Michigan's revival gets the nod.

NCAA Football 24: Bryce Young and Will Anderson Jr.

The final missing installment of the lost video game void has no shortage of options.

In terms of sheer "wow," former Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson and Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud were certainly viable choices. Stroud was superb with the Buckeyes along with the Texans for his rookie campaign. Richardson, one of the most physically gifted players to ever play the position, would have been a joy to play with if the game had been around.

Then there's Caleb Williams, the 2022 Heisman winner. The issue, of course, is that Williams had another season to play with the Trojans. That was also the case with Washington's Michael Penix Jr.

With all that accounted for, we're breaking protocol for a double feature. Quarterback Bryce Young and linebacker Will Anderson Jr., two of the greatest players in Alabama's history and the No. 1 and No. 3 picks in the 2023 NFL draft, share the honors.

Young was dynamic in his two years as starter, while Anderson tormented defenses and stockpiled stats seemingly every game.

Although the Crimson Tide ultimately didn't win a title the year before both players entered the NFL, the magnitude of their performances warrants this double dip.