College Football 26 - Dynasty & Team Builder Deep Dive
Welcome Back to the Campus Huddle, your home for news and information about EA SPORTS™ College Football 26!
We know you have been awaiting more information about the fan favorite Dynasty Mode and that time is now here! Before we get started with the Campus Huddle, let's hear from Kirk Herbstreit for a video deep dive on Dynasty Mode.
BUILDING ON THE FOUNDATION
When we set out to design College Football 25, we had a multi-year vision for what we wanted Dynasty Mode to become. That journey began by laying the foundation under three core pillars: Build Your Coach, Build Your Program, and Deliver the World of College Football.
- Build Your Coach: This encompasses the decisions you make on your coaching journey to the top of the college football world. Whether that’s starting as a coordinator at a small school and making a name for yourself before getting that first head coaching job, or starting as a head coach at your dream school. Every decision you make on your journey matters.
- Build Your Program: As the old saying goes, “to win in College Football it’s not the X’s and the O’s, it’s the Jimmy’s and the Joe’s”. Recruiting is the lifeblood of College Football and having a consistent winner means you need a roster that is built to reload rather than rebuild. That all starts on the high school recruiting trail, but in modern College Football roster retention and utilizing the Transfer Portal are instrumental in your ability to field a championship team.
- Deliver the World of College Football: The College Football landscape continues to evolve. In College Football 26, we’ve pushed to reflect the ever-changing reality of the sport, from custom conferences and scheduling to protected opponents and playoff structure. Whether you’re staying true to tradition or reshaping the map, the world of college football is yours to define.
College Football 26 represents Year 2 of that vision — a year focused on building on the foundation we set and adding meaningful depth to each pillar. It’s about evolving Dynasty while staying true to what makes it special and delivering on the feedback we’ve heard from our incredibly passionate community.
Just like last year, we spent countless hours talking with community members, college football experts, and coaches. We also spent a ton of time watching Dynasty live streams, program rebuilds, Wishlist videos, and of course reading thousands of message board posts and tweets. A large part of our research was focused not just on what is discussed, but how the mode is actually played and experienced by our community.
Because as we said last year and still strongly believe today — our team has one singular motto: “Satisfy the Core Community” because “This is THEIR Game”.
BUILD YOUR COACH
At the heart of Dynasty Mode is your coach. Every decision, every upgrade, and every hire helps define your journey to the top of the college football world and the legacy you leave behind.
Last year, we talked at length about what we learned from studying coaches in depth. No coach is great at everything, and there’s no single path to becoming a great coach. That belief continues to shape our approach in College Football 26, and remains central to everything we’ve built. This year, we’ve focused on deepening that experience, introducing more meaningful decision points and further emphasizing that every decision matters.
CREATE YOUR COACH
When starting your Dynasty, just like last year you’ll choose between creating your own coach or stepping into the role of an existing one. This year, existing coaches are now authentic real-life head coaches and coordinators, with more than 300 authentic coaches. Each one comes equipped with their authentic playbook, scheme, play calling tendencies, historical career stats, and archetypes and abilities that reflect their coaching skillset.
Throughout your Dynasty, you will have the opportunity to compete against these authentic coaches in-game and on the recruiting trail. As described in the Gameplay Deep Dive, when you play them on Saturday’s, you can expect their playcalling and tendencies to match their real world counterpart, adding a new layer of immersion. Of course, you’ll also have the opportunity to poach them and bring them onto your staff in the Coaching Carousel.
If you choose to build your own coach, we’ve added new ways to customize your appearance. New gear options let you show off your drip and deck your coach out in everything from a hoodie and joggers to a quarter zip and jeans. If you’re really feeling nicey, you can grace the sidelines with a sleeveless shirt and shorts that lets everyone know you mean business.
We’ve also introduced coach demeanor and stance customization. Is your coach cool, calm, and collected? Or are they the high-energy, emotionally charged leader that fires up the sideline? Your choice will influence how your coach stands and acts throughout the game giving your coaching persona even more personality on the field.
COACH PROGRESSION
From the beginning, our design intent for our RPG archetype based abilities and progression system has been that no coach can be great at everything. How you build your coach and manage your staff matters. Your coordinators either complement your strengths or shore up your deficiencies. This intent still holds true in College Football 26 and we have continued to expand upon it.
Last year, we saw players hitting the level cap too early — maxing out progression well before the later years of their Dynasty, which was not what we intended. While we still believe you cannot be great at everything, your coaching journey should evolve over time, with new decisions and challenges emerging each season.
In College Football 26, the maximum coach level has been increased from 50 to 100. Additionally, we’ve completely rebalanced the amount of XP each goal earns to better reflect its frequency and difficulty. We’ve also introduced a new level progression curve designed to provide early momentum while creating a much longer tail of growth. You’ll still see meaningful development in the early years, but reaching the top now requires sustained success across the full arc of your coaching career.
To read the entire College Football 26 - Dynasty and Team Builder Deep Dive blog, please click on the link below.
