College Football 25 custom routes and stems explained

Hot routes and custom stems are valuable assets for College Football 25 offenses to dismantle defenses, and players would be remiss not to utilize these features.

Despite the fact that College Football 25 consists of 134 schools with varying offensive strategies, players were able to quickly identify the most effective offensive playbooks. However, as players on defense adapt and develop tactics to counter overpowering offensive schemes, the responsibility to make further adjustments falls back on the offense.

Custom routes and stems play an important role in creating opportunities on the field by confusing opponents and opening up new possibilities.

How to use custom routes College Football 25

In order to execute a hot route in College Football 25, players must select a specific receiver to run a different route and then choose a new play for them.

Before snapping the ball on offense, press triangle on PlayStation or Y on Xbox
Then, press which receiver icon you want to use a custom route
Flick the left or right stick depending on which route you want them to run

Using a Custom Stem in College Football 25

Custom stems modify the depth at which the receiver runs their route. Depending on the defensive alignment, the receiver can either shorten or lengthen their route.

Before snapping the ball on offense, press triangle on PlayStation or Y on Xbox
Then, press which receiver icon you want to use a custom stem
Hold L1 on PlayStation or LB on Xbox and flick either up for a deeper route or down for a shallower route

When to Use Custom Routes and Stems

Both choices are beneficial in determining your opponent’s defensive formation and tendencies. Adjusting a receiver’s route with a hot route exposes weak spots in the defense by focusing on uncovered areas or requiring defenders to cover multiple players at once.

At the same time, custom stems achieve the same objective by compelling the defense to react to the receiver targeting a different area of the field.

As an illustration, when a cornerback is in press coverage on a receiver without any safety support over the top, the player can choose to hot route the receiver to run a fade and easily score a touchdown by outrunning the corner.

Mastering hot routes and custom stems can be challenging, as it involves breaking down defensive formations. However, once these skills are perfected, they can greatly enhance your offensive abilities.