Saquon Barkley is on the cover of Madden NFL 26 and the plan is for this 16-year-old from Philly to be in the game next year

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that Gladden is expected to appear in the 2027 version of the game.

Robert Gladden has his summer planned out: land a job, save some money, buy Madden, and then get ready to find himself next year in the video game.

Eagles running back Saquon Barkley will be on the cover of Madden NFL 26, and EA plans to include Gladden, a 16-year-old from Overbrook, in the game next year after he took a trip last month to EA Sports in Orlando. Gladden was selected from a group of mentees from Philly’s KB Foundation to have his face scanned by the game developers for Madden NFL 27. The sophomore from Boys’ Latin High School is in the game.

“As soon as I find myself, I’m going to yell my brother’s name and call him in to show him myself,” Gladden said.

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Gladden joined the KB Foundation after Zach Paris, a college adviser at Boys’ Latin, connected him with the group. The foundation has taken Gladden on college visits, introduced him to movers and shakers in the city, provided mentorship, and now helped him become a sideline character in Madden.

The KB Foundation flew 28 Philly students to Orlando last month to visit the University of Central Florida and EA Sports to show them how creating video games can become a career. They learned what the designers studied in college, played basketball in motion capture suits, and toured the offices that make the video games they play.

Gladden even became a graphic. He was told his face will appear in Madden on a nonplayable character such as a referee or assistant coach.

The KB Foundation, which was created in 2017 by motivational speaker Kirk Berry, is “focused on impacting the lives of today’s youth by creating fun educational learning experiences.” It serves 250 students from Philly and lower Montgomery County.

KB hosts a summer camp for seventh and eighth graders, lunch-and-learns to introduce students to business leaders, and a program that sends ninth graders to Africa. The students work with mentors, who include TV broadcasters, firefighters, and even Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.

“Our tagline is ‘Exposure is life’,” said Justin Fishman, KB’s vice president of operations and programming. “We go to all types of places and see all types of things in order for the kids to find purpose by being exposed to things.”

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The foundation offered the trip to Orlando to 30 students, thinking that about half would show interest. All but two signed on. It was a go. They flew to Orlando, stayed in a downtown hotel, toured UCF, visited classrooms, and saw the athletic facilities.

They then went to Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy, UCF’s graduate program for video game design. They saw how video games were made, tested games made by FIEA students, and saw a presentation about the different careers in the gaming industry.

“That night, we were at the pool at the hotel, and the boys got to hang out and listen to music and be boys,” Fishman said. “I was sitting there like, ‘If you’re not on a sports team, as a young man, you don’t get this anymore. You don’t get to just go away with a group of guys and just bond.’ Especially Philadelphia, across neighborhoods and across schools. That was a cool moment to see the kids smiling and not worried about anything.”

The next day was a surprise: a visit to EA Sports. They met with the people who designed Madden, learned how they got their job, and then brainstormed ideas about how they could improve the game.

“It was a big deal,” Gladden said. “I was really excited to be there. We were all surprised.”

They asked the students to guess a number and whoever came closest got to be scanned. Gladden won. He sat in a chair surrounded by hundreds of cameras, which took photos of his face from every angle. It took just a few minutes, he said, but it would take two hours to render his face into the game. The first person he called was his mother.

“I didn’t really understand,” said Gladden’s mother, Deidre.

But then Fishman sent her photos and videos. It made sense now. Her son, who plays football at Boys’ Latin, made it to Madden.

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“I was like, ‘Oh my God. My baby is going to be a sideline character in Madden,'” Deidre Gladden said. “It’s a really cool opportunity. I’m really grateful for all the experiences KB has given my son.”

Gladden is in a coding class at Boys’ Latin and created a video game similar to Pong. He enjoys trying to make games and this trip made him see how he can turn that passion into a career.

EA Sports ended the trip by offering everyone a free game. Gladden picked NCAA Football over Madden because his younger brother likes the college version. Gladden could have picked the game he’ll be in one day but instead thought of his brother. That’s who he is, his mother said. He’ll earn a copy of Madden this summer. Next summer, he could find himself on the screen.

“He’s very motivated,” Deidre Gladden said. “If he wants to do something, he’s going to figure it out and try to do it.”