The new College Football 27 video game includes rosters featuring 27 alumni from the Denton area, according to a report by the Denton Record-Chronicle. The list highlights players currently competing at the collegiate level, with five Denton-area graduates receiving overall ratings of 80 or higher.
Sheridan Wilson, a senior center for Texas Tech, holds the highest rating among local alumni at 92 overall. Wilson, a 2022 graduate of Argyle High School, ties for the second-highest rating in Texas Tech football history and ranks third among all centers in the game. He trails Iowa junior Kade Pieper, rated at 95, and Oregon senior Iapani Laloulu, rated at 93.
Two Oklahoma players also rank among the top-rated locals. Eli Bowen, a junior cornerback for the Sooners and a 2024 Guyer High School graduate, earned a 90 overall rating. This mark ties him for the second-best rating on the Oklahoma roster and places him tied for ninth among all cornerbacks in the game. His brother, Peyton Bowen, a senior strong safety for Oklahoma and a 2023 Guyer alum, received an 87 overall rating. Only five other Sooners hold higher ratings, and Peyton Bowen ranks within the top 20 strong safeties nationally.
Other Denton-area alumni with ratings above 80 include Nebraska junior defensive tackle Riley Van Poppel and East Carolina senior wide receiver Landon Sides, both rated at 82 overall. Van Poppel is a 2023 Argyle graduate, while Sides is a 2023 Guyer graduate.
Guyer High School leads Denton-area schools with 11 alumni on the initial rosters. In addition to the Bowen brothers, Guyer has two players on the North Texas roster: sophomore wide receiver Josiah Martin (Class of 2024) and junior cornerback Anthony Benford II (Class of 2023). Ryan High School and Argyle High School follow with seven alumni each. Ryan is represented by Army senior left tackle Henry Appleton and Western Kentucky junior running back Kalib Hicks, both rated at 78. Argyle is led by Wilson and Van Poppel, along with Boise State junior defensive tackle Michael Madrie, rated at 75.
