EA College Football 25 Development Traits: Best traits, how they work, and how to unlock

Development Traits are an important factor to consider when recruiting players in EA College Football 25. This guide has everything you need to know about Development Traits in NCAA 25 including the best traits, how they work, and how to unlock them.

What are Development Traits in NCAA 25?

A Development Trait in NCAA 25 is a player’s characteristic that determines how quickly that player progresses in the offseason for Dynasty Mode. If a player has a Development Trait on the lower tier, then their progression in the offseason will be worse compared to the more valuable Development Traits. The next section discusses each Development Trait and provides their description.

All Development Traits in NCAA 25

There are four Development Traits in College Football 25 Dynasty Mode. The bullet point list below covers all four Development Traits and their descriptions provided by the EA College Football Dynasty Deep Dive.

• Normal: These players are most common, and progress at a standard rate. Expect them to steadily grow over their career.
• Impact: The type of player that can really change a team. They’ll progress faster than normal, with a higher upside.
• Star: A potential Sunday player. There are very few of these to go around and they’ll establish themselves early as fast learners.
• Elite: The best of the best. These players will make a statement the moment they get on campus and have the potential to be an all-time great.

Best Development Traits in NCAA 25

As you can see from the list of Development Traits in the previous section, the two best traits are Star and Elite. Star is a solid trait for a player to have as it means that the player is a quick learner and is able to adapt to the quick nature of college football. These players’ attributes and physical abilities progress very fast in the offseason, especially if you have solid Coach Abilities to go along with the Development Trait.

The absolute best Development Trait in NCAA 25 is Elite, and although it’s very rare, having this attached to a player means that they are more than likely to be one of the best on the team. Rookie players with the Elite trait will outshine veteran players and have their attributes and physical abilities progress exponentially quickly during the offseason.

How to unlock Development Traits in NCAA 25

Development Traits aren’t necessarily unlocked, rather they are revealed during National Signing Day. When scouting a player in NCAA 25, you will notice a question mark under the Development Trait of their recruiting card and there is no way to tell immediately how well they will progress during the offseason. Once you reach National Signing Day, the Development Trait will reveal itself and you’ll know whether he has the Normal, Impact, Star, or Elite trait.

There is, however, a way to unlock and reveal the Development Trait earlier than National Signing Day. The Mind Reader Coach Ability will reveal the Development Trait when you spend time with the player during their official visit. The Mind Reader ability can be unlocked through the Strategist Archetype, which becomes available after doing the following:

• Win four bowl games.
• Spend 25 points on the Tactician Archetype.
• Spend 25 points on the Recruiter Archetype.

I highly recommend completing the prerequisites above to unlock the Strategist Archetype for the Mind Reader Coach Ability. You’ll increase your chances of recruiting top talent and creating a stronger team overall.