In EA Sports College Football 26, quarterbacks have options. There is the lob pass, the touch pass, and the bullet pass.
The bullet pass is the decisive one: hold down the button, zip the football through a narrow window, and get it into the receiver’s hands before the defense has time to react.
When Ed LeFurge III, Delaware’s Assistant Athletic Director for Communications and Creative Services, was asked whether the Blue Hens had really received a $12 million royalty payment from the video game, he delivered a bullet-pass response.
“No, it is not correct. We did not make $12 million,” LeFurge said. “I think it would probably be safe to say that no school in the country broke the seven-figure threshold when it comes to payout for the video game. I can’t say that with 100% confidence.”
The rumor started with a May 9 post from the Twitter/X account @joeflaccoburner, a Delaware fan and parody account styled as a not-so-serious insider. The post claimed Delaware finished sixth out of 136 FBS programs in EA Sports College Football 26 team usage, earning more than $12 million in royalty payments that would be directed toward stadium upgrades and NIL.
In replies, the account later acknowledged that the information was made up.
But the internet did what the internet does.
The claim traveled from X to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, Reddit, and other corners of the social media multiverse. The majority of the accounts repeated it as fact. Others packaged it into dramatic videos describing how a newly minted FBS football program had turned a video game challenge into a $12 million recruiting and facilities weapon. Versions of the false claim continued to circulate weeks after the original post – some with over a million views. It’s been reported EA would only give out $5 million in royalties in the dynasty program.
The fake version of the story had all the ingredients to spread: a surprising number, an underdog program, and just enough truth underneath it to sound believable.
The truth is that Delaware had one of the most creative video game marketing campaigns in college athletics.
When the Blue Hens entered Conference USA and transitioned to FBS football, Delaware was added to EA Sports College Football 26 as one of two new programs in the game. To capitalize on the moment, the athletic department launched its Delaware Dynasty Challenge in July 2025.
Fans were invited to build a dynasty with the Blue Hens, win a College Football Playoff national championship, and submit a video of the trophy celebration, a screenshot of the final season, or playoff results and a reaction video. The grand prize included a VIP gameday experience at Delaware Stadium, on-field and club access, and a Blue Hens coaches gear prize pack.
The challenge worked.
According to LeFurge, Delaware received submissions from 44 states and three international locations. The eventual winner was flown in from Iowa, received a gear package, and spent a game on the sidelines. More importantly, the campaign created a national entry point for fans who may not have previously followed Delaware football.
The numbers back that up. LeFurge said Delaware ranked 53rd nationally in games played, led Conference USA, finished as the second-highest non-Power Four program and ranked ahead of 17 Power Four schools. Gamers played 5.2 million games as the Blue Hens.
“That is a massive number,” LeFurge said. “A lot of people were excited about Delaware making the jump to FBS. It made a lot of sense for folks who wanted to build a program from the ground up and win a national championship. What better way to do that than with a program like Delaware, which has a storied history and was jumping to the FBS level in its first year of competition?”
Jordan Skolnick, Delaware’s Director of Athletics and Campus Recreation, said the promotion’s success may have helped make the false claim seem believable in the first place.
“I think one of the reasons the misinformation gained traction is because the Delaware Dynasty promotion was so successful,” Skolnick said. “That is a tremendous credit to our team, but also to our existing fans and the new fans who connected with Delaware through the promotion. As we continue to come into our own during this transition to FBS, it has been exciting to see the level of engagement surrounding our program.”
Delaware did confirm that another EA College Football 2027 promotion is in the works and will be announced in the coming weeks.
The fictional $12 million number was also attached to a real change in the video game’s licensing model. Schools can receive royalties based on how frequently they are used in the game. That reality helped the false claim spread further, even though the number itself was nowhere near accurate.
There is a real success story here, however.
“While it’s unfortunate that misinformation was spread, this has been an incredible success story for the Fightin’ Blue Hens and we are excited to make this an annual opportunity,” LeFurge said. “The EA College Football 27 version of our Dynasty Challenge is coming soon and we are really excited to see fans across the world continue to rep the 302!”
Delaware recognized that its arrival in the video game created a new way to introduce the Blue Hens to fans across the country. The department built a smart campaign. Millions of games were played. New fans engaged with the program. One winner traveled from Iowa to experience a gameday in Newark.
That story should be worth sharing on its own.
But when a parody post gets repackaged as a legitimate news story and begins spreading across social media platforms, to borrow a phrase from longtime College GameDay analyst Lee Corso: Not so fast, my friend.
The original post traveled quickly. The correction probably deserves a bullet pass, too.
