How EA Sports improved Clemson’s stadium in new college football video game
.JPG "Clemson fans sing the alma mater before the South Carolina game a Memorial Stadium in Clemson, S.C. on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024.")
Clemson went all in on helping EA Sports create a virtual Memorial Stadium in “College Football 25” and was deemed the “gold standard” for school participation.
Still, the virtual Death Valley didn’t exactly mirror the real Death Valley.
But that’s changing in “College Football 26”, according to the game’s lead designer.
In a recent appearance on Clemson’s “2 Right Turns” podcast, EA Sports principal game designer Ben Haumiller teased a number of upgrades for Memorial Stadium that will show up in “College Football 26”, which goes on sale July 10.
The presentation fixes, according to Haumiller, include an extended pregame sequence that shows Clemson players coming off buses and rubbing Howard’s Rock before they line up to run down The Hill in the east end zone, and fans filling in open space on The Hill after kickoff, as opposed to leaving it empty during the game.
Neither of those elements were present last year, which frustrated some fans.
“We had the mantra that every school is someone’s favorite, and so we really take that to heart when we’re building everything out,” Haumiller said in a podcast episode published June 13. “And so in that first year, we tried to get to everything we were able to get to. But … that is a list that does not end.”
A clip of Clemson players walking off the bus and rubbing Howard’s Rock was featured in the “College Football 26” official reveal trailer released May 29.
EA Sports has also added the correct signage for the tunnel directly behind the west end zone goal post leading into Clemson’s home locker room, according to screenshots of “College Football 26” gameplay compiled by a fan.
Previously, that tunnel had been bare.
How Clemson helped EA Sports improve stadium
The Clemson athletics department provided extensive information to EA Sports during its nearly three-year information-gathering process for “College Football 25,” The State previously reported, including thousands of stadium photos, and band song and helmet sticker specs. EA Sports released “College Football 25” last July.
A few months later, Matt Kamph, Clemson’s senior director of social media and digital initiatives, said he spent four hours going “frame by frame” through various Clemson home games on YouTube and within the game itself.
The goal, Kamph said on the podcast, was to “improve on an already great product.”
After comparing images and taking notes, Kamph said he spent a few days last fall photographing Memorial Stadium and giving EA Sports additional reference points. He and other Clemson staffers collaborated on a large spreadsheet detailing potential spots for improvement (primarily stadium details) and submitted over 7,000 new reference photos to EA Sports as it developed “College Football 26.”
Clemson’s feedback was in depth and extensive. Kamph said his favorite moment in the process was realizing that the large, overhead LED lights in EA Sports’ virtual Memorial Stadium had one extra row of bulbs.
“It was taking great pride in how our stadium was represented,” Kamph said.
Haumiller, the game’s principal designer, said his team didn’t take Clemson’s feedback as a dig or a criticism and values information “directly from the source.”
Some of EA Sports’ omissions were errors or bugs. Others were details that designers were aware of but could not work into the original game, which was a massive undertaking and had its release date pushed back multiple times.
“Now coming back to the second year of it, (we’re) adding things like the bus, which is an iconic element of the Clemson runout … we’re adding touching Howard’s Rock and then running down The Hill,” Haumiller said on the podcast. “And also having The Hill close and actually having fans fill that hill in.”
During pregame at Memorial Stadium, Clemson lays a long, orange carpet down in the middle of The Hill for the team to run down. After the team runs down, that carpet is rolled up and students quickly fill. But “College Football 25” kept the carpet and empty space in place midgame, an odd look in an otherwise packed area.
EA Sports’ previous college football games (think “NCAA Football 14”) had the same issue. Haumiller said the company previously lacked the technology to fix it.
“Now you’ve got fans filling in the hill,” he said. “It feels more authentic and feels more organic.”
What else is new for Clemson in ‘College Football 26’?
Clemson and every other school in the game will also benefit from “dynamic lighting,” which incorporates the time of day and time of year into outdoor games.
After focusing heavily on getting players signed up and face-scanned for last year’s game, EA Sports has also added real coaches to “College Football 26.”
Over 300 head coaches and coordinators, including Clemson’s Dabo Swinney, Garrett Riley and Tom Allen, got face-scanned and will be in the game.
It’s to be determined whether or not EA Sports has corrected a number of other errors noted by Clemson fans, including one ironic bug where Memorial Stadium plays the song “Sandstorm,” which is associated with rival South Carolina.
Haumiller said EA Sports welcomes feedback from fans and will continue to make adjustments to the game annually and mid-year, through online patches.
The “College Football 26” deluxe edition cover features Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik, plus The Tiger mascot and a Tiger Band member on the cover.
“If a Clemson fan is picking up the game, they have expectations of how Clemson’s represented, and if we’re missing that mark, they’re going to let us know, which is great,” Haumiller said on the “2 Right Turns” podcast. “I love that.”
This story was originally published June 18, 2025 at 7:45 AM.
