For Breece Hall, it’s the fourth and final year of his rookie deal. The year that separates rotational backs from long-term stars. After a lukewarm 2024 campaign, 876 rushing yards, five TDs, and just enough flashes to remind you of his upside. Hall enters this season with every carry under a microscope. Timing, production, and durability will dictate whether he gets paid like an offensive cornerstone or gets shuffled into the league’s increasingly disposable RB market.

However, he took everyone by surprise with a single tweet. Five words. That’s all Breece Hall needed to break the internet, for a moment. Not as the New York Jets’ dynamic running back, but as a gamer who just couldn’t wait until July 10. His tweet, “Man can somebody get me a CFB code😭” wasn’t cryptic. It was a full-on signal flare that even NFL stars, gritty, focused, in-season machines, turn into restless fans when a long-awaited football video game drops.

That game? EA Sports College Football 25. Launching July 10 after over a decade of absence, the return of the beloved NCAA franchise is fueling a fever dream for fans and, clearly, players too. The Jets don’t report for full training camp until later this month. So what do elite athletes do in that football void? They chase the next best thing. For Hall, that means hunting for an early-access code, like a college freshman desperate for Wi-Fi.

But this isn’t just nostalgia. For Hall and hundreds of NFL stars who came up during the NCAA Football era, this game is part of their identity. He played under the lights at Jack Trice Stadium. So now, when EA’s reboot drops with real names, real likenesses, and his alma mater in the mix, it’s personal. It’s not just entertainment. It’s a throwback to the journey.

Breece Hall might struggle to get playing time

The truth is, Breece Hall has already shown what his ceiling looks like. In 2023, just a year removed from ACL surgery, he dropped 994 total yards in 16 starts. If that version of Breece shows up this season and stays on the field, the rotation talk fades, the contract talks heat up, and trade rumors vanish. Until then? Every touch is a tryout. Every snap is currency.

Locked On Jets host John B didn’t sugarcoat it. “We know Breece Hall is going to be the lead back for the Jets this year.” But being RB1 isn’t the same as being untouchable. The Jets are trying to manage his touches, especially early, to preserve him for the cold-weather push.

That’s why Jets coaches are shifting toward a three-man rotation in 2025. More bodies, fewer hits. But less spotlight for Breece. “It helps keep him fresh for October, November, December,” John B added, “and it also gives you a look at these other guys.” It’s a smart football move, but a tricky business reality.

Then there’s the trade chatter. During a stretch of offseason silence, social media did what it does, speculate. Hall’s name got floated. And he noticed. But the moment that mattered most didn’t happen online, it happened on a phone call. New head coach Aaron Glenn called Hall directly, “Breece, you think I want to trade you? I don’t want to trade you. I want you to be here. You’re going to be here. You’re our running back.”

It was personal. It was real. And it was rare. For a player whose job status had quietly started to feel transactional, that one-on-one conversation grounded him. The message from Glenn? We’re not moving on. We’re building around you. But he needs to prove his value in the field now. For Breece Hall, the stakes are that simple.