Mac Smith didn’t expect to see himself in the game — literally. But this summer, when EA Sports released its long-awaited College Football 26, there he was: No. 53 on the Alabama offensive line.

“It’s pretty surreal. I grew up playing NCAA Football with my friends, and now to actually play as myself for the first time was amazing,” Smith said. “It’s definitely one of those moments you dream about as a kid.”

The Mountain Brook native is one of more than 11,000 college athletes featured in the game’s historic return after a 10-year hiatus — and among thousands compensated for their inclusion under new name, image and likeness (NIL) rules. For Smith, a former walk-on who once begged his dad just to keep playing youth football, the moment is more than nostalgia. It’s a sign of how far he’s c

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