College Football 25 custom routes and stems explained

Hot routes and custom stems are additional tools for College Football 25 offenses to shred defenses, and players are missing out if they don’t take advantage of either feature.

Even though there are 134 schools in College Football 25 with different offensive schemes, players quickly discovered the best offensive playbooks. But as players adapt on defense and learn how to make stops against overpowered offensive schemes, the onus falls back upon the offense to further adjust.

That’s where custom routes and stems come in, as both features serve as a way to throw off opponents and create openings on the field that wouldn’t have been there before.

How to use custom routes College Football 25

Using a hot route in College Football 25 requires players to choose the individual receiver for whom they want to run a different route and then choose a new play for them.

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

How to use a custom stem in College Football 25

Custom stems change how deep the receiver runs their route. You can either have them come shorter or run deeper based on how the defense is aligned.

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

When should you use custom routes and stems?

Either option is helpful when you figure out your opponent’s defensive formation and tendencies. Changing where a receiver goes with a hot route exploits weaknesses in a defense by targeting unguarded areas or forces defenders to try and defend more than one player at once.

Meanwhile, custom stems accomplish the same goal by forcing the defense to respond to the receiver attacking a different spot on the field.

For example, if a cornerback is playing press coverage on a receiver and there isn’t safety help over the top. Players can hot route that reciever to do a fade and run by the corner for an easy touchdown over the top.

Using hot routes and custom stems is difficult to master, as it requires you to dissect defensive formations. But when mastered, both tools will go a long way in improving your offensive potential.

For more on offense, check out our guides on the best passing settings.