4 best defensive playbooks in College Football 25

D-FENCE.

Washington State players entering the field for a game.
Screenshot by Dot Esports

Picking the right plays is vital in College Football 25, and those available for selection depend on your playbook. If you want to dominate the offense, you’ll need our pick of the best defensive playbooks.

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The best defensive playbooks in College Football 25 are effective against all types of offense, regardless of whether they prioritize the running game or passing, putting you in the prime position to secure the W.

Without further ado, here’s our breakdown of the top five defensive playbooks you should select in College Football 25.

Best College Football 25 defensive playbooks

A screen showing defensive playbooks in College Football 25.
Make the right pick. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Multiple

The best asset for any defensive playbook in College Football 25 is versatility—Multiple offers that in abundance, with a range of formations, a variety of blitzes, and plenty of approaches to help you thwart any offense.

The Multiple playbook includes 4-3 and 3-4 formations, giving you set-ups for almost any situation, alongside a 5-2 formation that can crush any run game. If that’s not enough, it also provides access to plenty of deep coverage defensive plays.

Blitz-wise, the Multiple playbook has it all with staples players will know well from the Madden franchise, including overload, Mid, and LB Blitz 0.

4-2-5

Offenses can be difficult to predict in College Football 25, and the 4-2-5 playbook has you covered with options for preventing both the running game and any aerial threats—boasting four linemen, two linebackers, and five defensive backs.

With four linemen, you can rush the offense in pretty much every play to put pressure on the quarterback or tackle a running back for a loss, but there’s always the option to blitz with additional players if you really want to crank it up.

As for the aerial game, five defensive backs should make it difficult for any offense to find ample room to work with in the passing game, and if the offense makes a completion, there is always a player nearby to make a tackle.

3-3-5 Tite

A defense lining up in a play from the 3-3-5 Tite defensive playbook.
Blitz coming. Screenshot by Dot Esports

The defensive playbook of choice for the likes of the Florida Gators and Georgia Bulldogs, the 3-3-5 Tite playbook in College Football 25 provides plenty of options for any situation you find yourself in defensively.

Madden players will be familiar with the 3-3-5 defensive formation, which has excelled in recent years, and the situation is no different in College Football 25, with three defensive linemen, two outside linebackers, another one in the middle, and five defensive backs.

The 3-3-5 defensive formation is particularly strong in breaking down the offense’s running game, and the 3-3-5 Penny formation is a gem as it’s exclusive to this playbook.

3-2-6

For those wanting a playbook with more unique formations alongside the established greats like the Nickel 3-3 Odd, look no further than the 3-2-6 playbook—granting you an abundance of strong formations to choose from.
This playbook is strong with blitz plays from the Nickel formation but also shines at coverage, with plenty of man and zone options that are effective at stomping out the aerial game of your opponent.
Those wanting to blitz regularly should look no further than the 3-2-6 formation, which is second to none in that regard.

Author
Image of Josh Challies
Josh Challies
Staff Writer. Professional writer since 2014. Pokemon, Marvel, Star Wars and overall geek. Previously wrote for Yahoo Sport, Stats Perform and online news publications.