'College Football 27' adds Marty Whims, Akron's fan play-caller, to video game
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
Sure, Deion Sanders being added to EA Sports' "College Football 27" was the big addition to the game's latest update.
But what about Marty Whims?
The college football video game added Akron's "Offensive Coordinator of the Game" from its Week 2 home opener against Robert Morris as a playable coach in the latest update.
Head coach Joe Moorhead is the Zips' play-caller in real life, meaning there was no offensive coordinator in the game. That resulted in EA Sports using Whims as the placeholder, rather than a made-up coach.
It's hard to argue EA Sports isn't paying attention to the minutiae of college football. Whims and Akron's offensive coordinator promotion went viral, with the program allowing a season ticket holder to script the team's opening drive with Moorhead against Robert Morris.
Whims, a real estate CFO from Cleveland, wore a headset on the sideline, held a play call sheet and ran out onto the field with the team through the tunnel.
Marty Whims reporting for duty for the OC of the Game presented by @Arbys steak nuggets‼#GoZips🦘 pic.twitter.com/mdycDR1rEx
— Akron Football (@ZipsFB) September 12, 2026
Unfortunately for Whims, his play-calling career ended prematurely after an Akron player fumbled on the opening offensive drive. Whims and the Zips ran for 12 yards, passed for a 2-yard gain and ran again for a 7-yard gain before Marcel Williams caught a short pass and fumbled.
"It was a thrill of a lifetime, a dream come true," he told Akron's in-house radio crew, per the Akron Beacon Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network.
"College Football 27" players can now start a dynasty — a game mode where players can recruit, develop and make coaching decisions for a team — with Whims at the helm as either a head coach or offensive coordinator. His coaching prestige, as fans probably could expect, starts as an F, the lowest grade, while on the hot seat.
Whims' starting goals are to beat Kent State, have fewer than 20 turnovers and to sign a top-100 ranked recruiting class: all more than doable.
Taking a Whims-led Akron team all the way to the national championship game is what the video game is all about, right?
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'College Football 27' adds Marty Whims, Akron's fan play-caller, to video game
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos