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USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Who are top five Texas A&M freshmen in EA Sports College Football 26?
EA Sports College Football 26 honored the skills of many talented Texas A&M freshmen who could become future stars while developing under head coach Mike Elko over the next four years. It is not always that easy, however. This new era of college football, featuring the ever-growing transfer portal, has led to many first-year players quickly finding their next destinations. For now, the Aggies have a solid freshman foundation with some earning top overalls on Texas A&M's roster in this year's video game, and for good reason. Not to mention, Elko and company have roped in the No. 4 recruiting class for 2026, according to On3 Sports' 2026 Industry Ranking Football Team Recruiting Rankings. The class features one five-star and 19 four-star recruits, with many other prospects yet to lock in their commitments. If this cycle continues under Elko, the Aggies could be primed to have one of the top freshmen rosters in next year's game as well. While college football fans and the Maroon and White faithful continue to enjoy CFB 26, here are the top five freshmen on Texas A&M's roster that everyone should know about when playing the video game: Lamont Rogers, OL (80 overall) Rated a five-star recruit by 247Sports and a four-star prospect by Rivals and ESPN, offensive lineman Lamont Rogers earned the top overall of all freshmen on the Aggies' roster in College Football 26. Rogers was ranked at No. 20 in ESPN's Top 300, while also earning a 2024 Navy All-American Bowl selection. His athleticism, length and dominant performances helped lead Horn High School to an appearance in the UIL 6A DI playoffs during his sophomore year. Standing at 6-foot-6 and 330 pounds, Rogers' size and underrated quickness are massive attributes that he will bring to the Texas A&M starting lineup in the future. His ability to play both basketball and soccer, while also showcasing his talent on the gridiron, molded him into one of the top overall athletes in his class. Kiotti Armstrong, TE (79 overall) With quarterback Marcel Reed entering his redshirt sophomore year in Bryan-College Station, Texas, adding favorable targets will help position the Aggies' offense for success in 2025. While former Alabama tight end Amari Niblack will likely see the majority of the snaps this year, consensus four-star Kiotti Armstrong will be able to learn and develop in his first year at Texas A&M. The Jasper, Texas, native hauled in 36 catches for 683 yards and seven touchdowns, while also earning a selection for the 2024 Navy All-American Bowl. Ranked No. 160 in ESPN's Top 300, Armstrong has well-earned his 79 overall in this year's college football video game. With his talent as a receiver and a blocker, his rating could increase heading into next season. Dealyn Evans, DL (79 overall) While he only saw the field in the Aggies' victories over McNeese and New Mexico State, defensive lineman Dealyn Evans has shed the redshirt and enters his freshman season in the Maroon and White in 2025. Nominated as last year's Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year, Evans came to Texas A&M as one of the top-ranked recruits in the country. The 2024 Under Armour All-American Bowl selection recorded 58 tackles, 8.0 tackles-for-loss, and 4.0 sacks during his senior campaign. Evans is a former multi-sport athlete who has all the intangibles to become an elite defensive star for the Aggies. His 79 overall rating does not justify the carnage he can create against opposing offenses. Deondrae "Tiger" Riden Jr., RB (77 overall) Texas A&M's 2025 running back room features some of the top athletes in the country. Ranked as the No. 5 unit by Athlon Sports, experienced backs like Le'Veon Moss, Rueben Owens, Amari Daniels, and EJ Smith will lead the way for the Aggies this season. However, the future is bright with Deondrae "Tiger" Riden Jr. biding his time in one of the deepest rooms in college football. The former DeSoto High School running back rushed for 1,880 yards on 234 carries and 27 touchdowns in his senior season. He owns DeSoto's career rushing record with 4,250-plus yards and nearly 60 scores. Rivals listed Riden Jr. as the No. 15 running back in the class and a four-star recruit by all major recruiting outlets. He is listed as a 77 overall in EA Sports College Football 26, but he could quickly rise in the rankings with his speed and breakaway ability, especially in a room filled with veteran leadership in College Station. Ashton Funk, OL (76 overall) Texas A&M's 6-foot-7, 305-pounder from Katy saw some snaps in 2024, including time on the field against USC in the Las Vegas Bowl, but he will have the opportunity to grow and improve even more entering his freshman season with the Aggies. The four-star overall prospect was a standout player at Tompkins High School, becoming the 2023 Houston TD Club Offensive Player of the Year Finalist. Ranked No. 274 in ESPN's Top 300, Funk earned multiple UIL District 19-6A honors. While earning the majority of his snaps at left tackle at Tompkins, the four-star prospect displayed a knack for dominating defensive talent. Funk earned a 76 rating in this year's video game, but his size and strength could propel him into the group of 80 overalls next year with development under Elko and offensive line coach Adam Cushing. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Dylan on X: @dylanmflippo.
USA Today
14-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Georgia DL Elijah Griffin named among top rated freshmen in College Football 26
College Football 26 released on July 10, and Georgia has one of the highest rated freshmen in the game. Former five-star defensive lineman Elijah Griffin has an 82 overall rating, tying him for the fourth-highest rated freshman in the game. Griffin was a five-star defensive lineman who went to Savannah Christian Prep in Savannah, Georgia. The 6-foot-4, 310-pound defensive lineman was named the Georgia Class AAA Defensive Lineman of the Year in 2023 and was named to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Super 11 Team in 2024. He was the No. 1 defensive lineman and No. 3 overall recruit in the class of 2025. He is the fourth-highest recruit in Georgia's history, only behind Nolan Smith, Ellis Robinson IV, and Justin Fields. He has also earned comparisons to NFL All-Pro Jalen Carter. Griffin is tied with Clemson defensive lineman Amare Adams at an 82 and behind 83 overall running backs Harlem Barry (LSU) and Gideon Davidson (Clemson), and 84-overall Oregon wide receiver Dakorien Moore. Overall, Georgia has an 88 team rating, which is sixth-highest in the nation. The Bulldogs the nation's fourth-best defense (92 rating) and the 13th-best offense (82 rating). Highest Rated Rising Freshmen in CFB 26:
Tom's Guide
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
College Football 26 is the rare annual sports game that justifies coming back for another run at the championship
Platforms: PS5 (reviewed), Xbox Series X/SPrice: $69Date: July 10, 2025Genre: Sports After over a decade of silence, EA finally brought a college football game back last year in the form of College Football 25. With that return, the franchise reentered the realm of iterative yearly sports titles. CFB 25 was a welcome and excellent revival, but it wasn't without its flaws, including a lackluster Road to Glory mode and a lack of a tutorial mode. With College Football 26, EA Orlando brings a number of welcome changes including the inclusion of real life coaches, a revamped Road to Glory mode and somehow even deeper recruiting in Dynasty. I said last year that EA delivered by 'producing one of the best pigskin games in years,' and CFB 26 just adds more on top of what was already an excellent football game. There are some flaws including seemingly long loading times in Ultimate, a strange insistence on not including a dedicated tutorial to teach both new and returning players about changes in gameplay, and some age-old CPU AI frustrations that just won't go away (looking at you no-look interceptions). Despite those imbroglios, CFB 26 is worth a punt. Read my full College Football 26 review to find if you should step back on the field. College Football 26 is the second game in the revival of the franchise. After a solid debut, CFB 26 follows that up with some more welcome additions. Compared to other sports in the United States one of the things that separates college football is the pageantry. While there was some good presentation and fidelity in CFB 25, this year's iteration loaded up with 88 new marching band songs, nearly 40 new mascots and various 'true-to-life' stadium setups and gameday traditions. An example would be the inclusion of Virginia Tech's entrance to Metallica's 'Enter Sandman' which is always awesome both in real life and now digitally. That being said, one flaw in CFB 25 was that you couldn't skip those introductions especially if you're running through a number of games in quick succession. CFB 26 actually lets you get right to the game if you don't want to watch the umpteenth run on the field, especially for teams that don't really have an interesting one. Still, I've found that schools with bigger introductions (VTech, for instance) remain unskipable. As for gameplay, on one level, if you've played a football game, or CFB 25, this year's edition should feel similar. There are a number of changes but the biggest ones you'll notice right away are formation subs and dynamic subs. Previously, to sub out players you needed to pause the game and go into your depth chart. Now you can use the D-pad to make individual substitutions without hitting the pause button. Doing so pops up a little screen with status and ratings for your players at different positions. There's also an auto-sub slider in the menus to swap players when certain wear-and-tear levels are hit. It makes playing more fluid and responsive to what's happening on the field. Overall, games feels smoother with tackling and catching seeing the biggest improvements. Yes, there are still weird blocking fails or random no-look interceptions but that's par for the course at this point. You can get more granular with additions like getting only your linebackers to show blitz over the entire secondary. There's a lot and EA has broken it down in their thesis-length blogs but they're worth a read to see all of the minute changes. My favorite quality of life is the return of a Trophy Room where you can easily see all of the awards you've won across the various modes. I didn't know I missed it until it came back, but I'm happy to have it all the same. There are five modes of play in College Football 2026. The simplest is Play Now, where you pick a team and battle it out against another team on the field. This can either be against a CPU or a head-to-head with a friend. Below, I'll take a look at the other four modes, with the meatiest one being Dynasty, the college football classic. I did not like Road to Glory last year, it was bare bones and very boring, not quite what you want as you try to lead your player to football glory. The revamped version for CFB 26 is way better where you can start in high school and complete "moments" against other high school teams to get colleges to notice you. There's a lot going on, from managing the schools you want to attend to performing in games. Once recruited, there are far more options to improve and practice especially as a backup. In CFB 25, that part felt very limiting, but now there are different mini-games to compete in. Managing the various meters like grades, training and brand feels like more of a choice with actual consequences for choosing school work over leadership. My one complaint is that some things, like play calling, are too much in the player's hands. For more immersion, I wouldn't mind a return to a system where the coach gives you more leeway as you earn trust and playing time, especially in progressing from a 2-star to the elite levels. It might take some time to get on the field but once you're there, it should be interesting to see how long the leash really is. If you've played an EA sports game you've seen an ultimate team mode with its player cards, and ways for EA to squeeze a few more bucks out of you via microtransactions. This year's version includes a new Solos mode for those who prefer offline play. My biggest problem here is that this section is also where you sort of find a tutorial mode for the game. Yes, there is a new 'training' tab in the main menu where you can play challenges like 'Pocket passer' to kind of learn how to play, but it doesn't show you what buttons to press or how to make certain moves. As an example, there is a mid-play feature where if you're scrambling as a QB you can press L2 and flick the right stick to direct the closest receiver either closer, away, vertically, or horizontally to open up a pass. You might not know about this unless you engage with the Freshmen-level Solos section where these kinds of tips pop up as you play the game. It is insane that EA Orlando refuses to institute any kind of tutorial mode for both new and returning players to teach some of the nuances of all of the controls you can use in the game. It's also mind-boggling that what has been made is hidden in a section of a mode that not everyone will even touch. In the end, Ultimate Team is not my preferred mode of play, but what is there seems to work well enough, though I noticed a slower loading time in Ultimate Team. That may be related to the servers, but it felt long enough to be annoying. Road to the Playoff is a simple player-vs-player competition where 12 wins in your "league" will get you into a playoff to vie for a chance at a national championship. The only real update here appears to be moving from 10 wins to 12 wins. There's also a stat page you can review of your opponent including wins/losses and offensive tendencies. If EA had made only minor updates to Dynasty mode, I wouldn't have been surprised or really unhappy. But with CFB 26 there are enough new features to make the popular mode feel different. The most noticeable is the inclusion of real-life coaches including their career stats, tendencies and playbooks. It adds more immersion to the game, and in some cases you can bring them to your team (especially offensive and defensive coordinators). The Build a Coach section has new ways to customize your coach's appearance, a nice update after last year's surprisingly barebones attempt that was clearly waiting for an expansion of options. Beyond just new clothing styles there's also stance and demeanor options where you can set if your coach is cool on the sideline or a headset-throwing hothead. There's been more work on the coaching archetypes with new ways to progress and different, more achievable challenges to unlock perks and XP boosts. As a head coach, there are now traits for your OCs and DCs that can help you retain coaching talent or find the next guy to bring you success. On the recruiting front, which was plenty deep in CFB 25, the noticeable change is in the transfer portal which is more active due to altered dealbreakers that can be worked around instead of bluntly locking down players like before. But it also means that a dealbreaker for a player on your team might change from season to season, making it harder or easier to retain them. There's a lot more, and again, it makes recruiting more interesting with more to track but also sensible adjustments that I believe make recruiting feel like more than just making the number go up. College Football 2026 is the next step in the evolution of EA's college football revival, and doesn't just feel like a mere iterative upgrade. The tools and features that arrived between Dynasty, Road to Glory and regular gameplay feel substantive. It's not a perfect game with minor flaws in gameplay that will annoy some, and the absurd lack of a true tutorial or learning mode continues to baffle. Those things don't detract from an overall excellent experience that is an improvement over last year's iteration. With iterative sports titles, it's not guaranteed that year to year will be worth the cost, but in its sophomore year, College Football 2026 is worth the squeeze.
Axios
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
EA's juggernaut "College Football 26" is back
College football is back, digitally at least, with the release of "College Football 26." Why it matters: Last year's game, "CFB 25," rebooted a franchise abandoned roughly a decade ago and still broke multiple sales records, drawing millions of players within its first week. The big picture: "College Football 25" was one of the major ways college athletes benefitted from new rules relates to name, image and likeness, which were adopted by the NCAA in 2021 — leading to the resurrection of EA's college football game. The game gave hundreds of college athletes exposure to millions of gamers, streamers and social media users — as well as celebrities. "CFB 25" was no sleeper from a monetary perspective. Early reports during the game's launch suggested it made $500 million within its first month. And EA said in October 2024 that it generated more than $2 billion in revenue in the prior quarter, mostly on the back of "CFB." 'College Football 26' release time, features It's a no-brainer for EA to bring back the "CFB" franchise. This year's game was first available for early access on Monday, July 7, and launched worldwide Thursday. The Alabama Crimson Tide are ranked No. 1 in the game. What's inside:"CFB 26" smoothed out its gameplay to make it more palatable for its fanbase, and added a slew of in-stadium songs, mascots and celebrations to immerse fans in the world of college football. Developers also added dynamic weather, meaning you'll find some classic fall games in the afternoon glow. And, true to real-life, gamers playing as college athletes can accept NIL deals, giving them increased stats and traits. That's not a shocker since NIL has been a major factor with the video game in the real world. 'CFB 26' and NIL "CFB 26" doubles down on EA's support of college athletes, who are benefitting from deals based around their name, image and likeness. NIL deals — sometimes worth six or seven figures for recognizable college stars — not only help schools recruit players, but they also impact how college athletes view going pro. Arch Manning, the nephew of NFL legend Peyton Manning who features prominently in "CFB 26," is among the highest-paid college athletes from NIL deals. Other top paid gridiron stars include Carson Beck of University of Miami and Jeremiah Smith of The Ohio State University. By the numbers: For last year's game, real-life college players were paid $600 and given a free copy of the game for their NIL use. This year, that number has skyrocketed to $1,500. What they're saying: Scott O'Gallagher, design director for the game, told Sportsbook Review that EA is always watching NIL changes when building their game so it can stay as realistic as possible. "I don't know where it's going to go," he said. "These things are constantly changing. We want to stay ahead, but I can tell you we're looking at making changes, and then a rule changes." Case in point: On July 1, a settlement between the NCAA and college athletes went into effect, allowing colleges to compensate athletes directly, according to ESPN. Previously, players made money from third parties or boosters. Now, it can come from athletic departments directly. Flashback: EA's previous "NCAA Football" series was scrapped in 2013 after former college players sued EA over their right to make money (the case was settled out of court). A Supreme Court ruling in 2020 paved the way for NIL usage and the eventual launch of "CFB 25." EA looks to college basketball next What's next: The success of the "CFB" franchise has led both EA and Take-Two's 2K Games (which previously published games about college sports) to consider a college basketball video game.
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The College Football 26 'hat fake' is perfect video game trolling
Full disclosure: I am not a College Football 26 player. I do love seeing the franchise back in the rotation, and by all accounts, it's a fun game. But when I saw the highlights of one thing in its "Road to Glory Mode" that had me stopping in my tracks. If you're a high school recruit in the game and you're deciding who to play for, there's the now-traditional ceremony in which you get three hats to choose from. You can actually "hat fake" in the game! Just like we've seen with big-name recruits! Like, with a push of a button, you can put on a hat, then toss it aside for another hat. It's the best. We need more of this in other games. What better way to troll than in fake life in a video game? Watch how it works and tell me you're not going to do this like every day: This is the Hat Selection Ceremony in College Football 26 Road to Glory! 🧢Once you narrow the schools that offered you a scholarship down to 3, then you have a tough decision to can Commit, Remove Hat or Fake Pick.@EASPORTSCollege #CFB26… — QJB (@QJBeat) July 3, 2025 Seriously, this is amazing. Here's another video of it. Thank you, EA Sports. This article originally appeared on For The Win: College Football 26 'hat fake' in Road to Glory is just wild
