Ohio State football linebackers coach James Laurinaitis is laying the gauntlet down. The assistant is ready to challenge any young person to play him in the new EA College Football 25 video game.

“I don’t plan on getting a system. I don’t know what PlayStation we’re on now,” Laurinaitis said, per 97.1 the Fan radio. “We could be on – are we on five? That sounds great. I’m sure they have one in the Woody. I’m almost positive they have one in the Woody. They’ll get the game there and then I’ll have to teach these young kids a lesson.”

Laurinaitis says he is excited for the release of the latest edition of the game, due out in July. The Ohio State football linebackers coach said that he had mastered the last editions of the series, when they were released more than a decade ago. Laurinaitis also played at Ohio State as a linebacker, from 2005-2008.

EA College Football 25

The EA College Football 25 game is the talk of the sports gaming world this spring. The trailer has more than 2 million YouTube views, and features state-of-the-art gaming technology and graphics. Watching the trailer, it seems the game player will be fully immersed in the college football experience. It's been several years since gamers last saw EA release a college football edition, which adds to the hype.

Ohio State football has several other reasons to be excited for the latest edition of the series. The program is among the schools getting the most money from the game's release. That is due to how the school has fared in the Associated Press poll over the last decade. Schools that did the best in the poll, like Ohio State and Alabama, are getting nearly $100,000 each. The schools that did the most poorly in the poll are getting the least amount of money. College football programs have been separated into four tiers, with the first tier programs getting the most money.

Laurinaitis is not the only person ready to play the game with Ohio State football as their team. Basketball superstar LeBron James also expressed his desire to play the game with the Buckeyes, so there's going to be some competition over who will get to build a gaming dynasty with the program first. James never played college football, so Laurinaitis does have the edge on him there.

“I was insane at the game, I just want to put that out there,” Laurinaitis added.

Laurinaitis not only played the game, he was also a character on it. As an Ohio State football player, the former Buckeyes linebacker was included in older versions of the EA College Football series. Laurinaitis had a 99 rating, the highest possible in the game, per Sports Illustrated. In the 2009 edition, only Laurinaitis and former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow posted a 99 rating.

EA College Football 25 is scheduled for a July 19 release. Get your popcorn ready.