Campus Huddle: Welcome to College Football 26
Hey College Football fans, welcome back to the Campus Huddle, your home for news on EA SPORTS™ College Football 26! Before we get started, the entire team wants to start off by saying thank you. Thank you to everyone who enjoyed College Football 25 and turned it into a cultural experience felt around the world (we looked at all of your PTO excuse forms…). Today, we have a brief overview of the coming game modes, presentation features, gameplay updates, and more. Look for more information to be revealed this summer in our Campus Huddle deep dives as we move toward a worldwide launch on July 10th. Now, let's get started with our reveal trailer! We’re excited just thinking about what’s to come later this summer! In EA SPORTS™ College Football 26, the playbook will be in your hands. Take your career starting from being an aspiring high school recruit to winning the Heisman Award, or coach your team to the College Football Playoff National Championship. With new plays, schools, players and upgraded abilities, there are more ways than ever to Bring Glory Home. True College Football Gameplay Our vision for what it means to experience college football continues to be our wide open, fast paced gameplay that’s anchored by a swath of foundational football features like stunts and twists, custom zones, and improved blocking and coverage logic. Utilize Dynamic Substitutions for easier fatigue management on the field, with additional upgrades coming to the Wear and Tear system. We’ve overhauled Archetypes to encompass the unique skill sets you see every Saturday. With over 2,800 new plays and unique schemes like Rice's Modern Option and Penn State's Gadget Heavy, thousands of players and over 300 real-world coaches with true-to-life schemes, this is our most authentic college football experience yet. Stay tuned for our Gameplay Deep Dive to learn more. Over 300 Real World Coaches Suit up for Dan Lanning. Compete against Kirby Smart. Recruit as or against James Franklin. Go toe-to-toe with current coaches who bring distinctive playstyles to the field. Strategize like they would with their unique playbooks for a more authentic coaching experience. Wear & Tear Everywhere The advanced Wear & Tear system delivers more realism and is now fully customizable to fit your play style. Manage fatigue strategically and save your favorite playmakers for key moments with Dynamic Substitutions that allow you to rotate players in and out on the fly, no pause screen needed. Foundational Football Advancements College Football 26 Foundational Football gameplay starts with improved coverage to give you confidence in shutting down your opponent and improved blocking to reward players left-stick skills between the tackles. Feel the changes to our upgraded Physics Based Tackling System with new tackle types and enhancements to the hit stick. Experience greater control on both sides of the ball with the ability to call different stunts and twists to optimize your pass rush, a new Custom Zones feature to really dial-in your coverage at the line of scrimmage, and several new abilities that we can't wait to talk about more in our Gameplay Deep Dive later this summer! Home Field Advantage 2.0 Experience enhanced Stadium Pulse effects, including a more intense camera shake, new heads-up display visuals, and clock distortion that simulates the high pressure of playing as a visitor in hostile territory. Rivalry games, the College Football Playoff, and other high-stakes matchups are now even more affected by Stadium Pulse. When you're on the road, use your Confidence & Composure to help counteract the rattling environment. More Like Saturday We want you to immerse yourself in unforgettable game day atmospheres with more electrifying sights, sounds, and traditions than ever before. Feel the energy of new situations and stadium-specific music, fight songs, and dynamic commentary. Experience a new presentation that reflects the importance of each game in the context of your season. Saddle up in Stillwater, hoist The Golden Egg, and raise the sword as the King of Turnovers at Coastal Carolina. We want to surround you with authentic, unrivaled school spirit so you always feel right at home. Next Level Gameday Feel the stadium shake as you discover more of your school’s unique pageantry, traditions and sounds. With new PA tracks, including Metallica’s “Enter Sandman”, 160 new school-specific chants, new mascots, and band music. We know how much people loved drumlines from the menu last year… we are going to change it up for College Football 26. We’re bringing new Marching Band covers of popular songs to our menus for players to enjoy. As well as Fight Songs from schools around the country. Learn more about this in our Presentation Deep Dive Campus Huddle Article coming later this summer! Broadcast & Commentary Experience new and dynamic commentary tailored by Kirk Herbstreit, Chris Fowler, Jesse Palmer, David Pollack, Desmond Howard, and Rece Davis as you make history on the field. Battling back after a tough loss? Back-to-back 400-yard performances? Their expertise and insight adapt to your team’s progress in Dynasty and your player’s rise in Road to Glory. Show off Your Championship We heard your feedback and thanks to you, Trophy Room is back! Now is your chance to show off to your friends… and rivals, how successful you really are. There will be multiple ways for you to earn different kinds of Trophies: Coach and manage your program in Dynasty. Focus on your journey as a college football legend in Road to Glory Dominate online in the Road to the College Football Playoffs Compete in classic rivalry games in Play Now. Game Modes Dynasty How you create your Dynasty will now be more important than ever if you want to cement your legacy as one of the best coaches. Assemble an elite staff, upgrade your coaching abilities and then lay it all out on the field. Navigate the now expanded and more unpredictable transfer portal featuring thousands of players each year. Personnel management has never been more important, with new location-based visits having the potential to give your program an advantage in recruiting. Land critical talent for your team by managing new Dynamic Deal Breakers and Traits while trying to retain your favorite playmakers and cement your program’s legacy. Cross-Play is here! College Football 26 Online Dynasty now supports Cross-Play across Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5. You will now be able to run a 32 person Online Dynasty with friends regardless of platform. Within the Members tab, you’ll be able to see each user's system. To use cross-play, you’ll need an internet connection, the latest game updates, a valid EA Account, and a platform account on your chosen platform. Cross-play is enabled by default in Online Dynasties but can be turned off at any time by the Commissioner in League Settings. For more info, check out the [Cross-Play FAQ for full details]. One last note before we see you at the Dynasty Deep Dive…. We’re happy to announce that Formation Subs and a Protected Opponents setting are coming! Road To Glory It’s time for you to begin your ultimate student-athlete journey as part of the Recruiting Class of 2025. Choose from 10 new archetypes and rise from high school recruit to Heisman glory, with every decision shaping how your career will look. Build your highlight tape to earn an offer from your dream school and make that decision in the famous Hat Ceremony. Rise in class rankings and secure scholarships before other recruits. Along with a new tier of abilities available to reach for your athlete, earn Coach Trust, build team chemistry, and navigate the competitive recruiting process. Commit early if you've found the perfect fit for you or decommit if a better opportunity comes your way. Your journey to become a superstar in Madden NFL 26 is yours to define, because as soon as you’re ready, your Road To Glory student-athlete can begin their journey to Madden NFL 26 Superstar mode. Show off your skill, then show up for the big night and see which NFL team calls your name. College Football Ultimate Team Build your dream roster with Legends from the past and current college stars. Lead your Ultimate Team to greatness by taking on the competition in H2H matchups and themed challenges meant to put your skills to the test. Road To The College Football Playoff Be the team to beat in the College Football Playoff and make the most of your Home Field Advantage. Climb the ranks, take down opponents online, and dominate in a new progression system. Fill your personal Trophy Room with gold and capture the National Championship to bring glory to your school. Team Builder Don't worry CFB 25 fans, you'll be able to import your custom teams from last year seamlessly, ensuring your favorite created teams can be brought over. With new features in Team Builder, you can refine your team’s details and explore enhanced roster editing options, allowing for greater control over your identity and legacy. Stay tuned for the Dynasty Deep Dive to learn more about these features and how they’ll elevate your gaming experience! *Team Builder content can be used in offline Play Now and private Dynasty modes. Internet connection & EA account required. Applicable platform account may be required. Age restrictions may apply. We can’t wait to tell you more about your journey in EA SPORTS™ College Football 26, stay tuned for future Campus Huddle Deep Dives about gameplay, your favorite modes, and features later this summer. -- EA SPORTS™ College Football 26 Team College Football 26 launches worldwide on July 10, 2025. Pre-order the Deluxe Edition** or the EA SPORTS™ MVP Bundle† and play 3 days early. Conditions and restrictions apply. See disclaimers for details. Stay in the conversation by following us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and EA Forums. [Source]College Football 26 & Madden NFL 26 MVP Bundle Now Available for Pre-Order
Happy Draft day, football fans! We're thrilled to share the reveal trailer for the EA SPORTS Madden NFL 26 & College Football 26 MVP Bundle with you here! Check out the trailer below, and hop on board the hype train with us. Live the entire football journey, from high school recruit to NFL legend with EA SPORTS Madden NFL 26 and College Football 26. Click here for more info on how to pre-order the MVP Bundle now! Stay tuned for more exciting details on both Madden NFL 26 and College Football 26. We can't wait to show you what we've been cooking up.College Football 26 - Dynasty & Team Builder Deep Dive
Hey football fans, We've got some highlights from the Dynasty & Team Builder Deep Dive to share with you! Be sure to check out the full Dynasty & Team Builder Deep Dive for full details. 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, playcalling 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. 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. COACH ARCHETYPES While progression is the engine of your coaching journey, archetypes are the blueprint for how your coach grows and where your strengths lie. In College Football 26, we’ve made a number of updates to how archetypes are unlocked, balanced, and expanded — all with the goal of making each coaching path more strategic and distinct. To start, the three base archetypes — Recruiter, Motivator, and Tactician — now require a minimum coach level to unlock. This change encourages more focused investment early in your career, making that initial archetype choice even more meaningful. It’s no longer a quick jump between archetypes — instead, your coach will grow into their identity over time. This helps reinforce the rock-paper-scissors relationship not just between archetypes, but also between you and your coordinators. Choosing a staff that complements — or counters — your strengths is more important than ever. COACH CAROUSEL We introduced the foundation of the carousel last year, and in College Football 26, we’ve added more polish, feedback, and quality-of-life improvements to make it easier to track movement and make smarter staff decisions. You’ll now receive notifications when your coordinators accept or decline job offers, as well as alerts when one is poached for a new opportunity. Whether they’re leaving for a promotion or jumping ship unexpectedly, you’ll stay informed and ready to react. FILLING OUT YOUR TROPHY ROOM Every great Dynasty leaves behind a legacy — now you have a place to showcase it. The Trophy Room is your central hub for tracking the championships, rivalries, and awards you collect throughout your journey. Whether you're chasing your first conference title or building a Heisman factory, the Trophy Room keeps a running history of your program’s most meaningful moments. As you play through Dynasty, every time you win a rivalry game, bowl game, conference championship, national championship, or earn an individual award, you will receive a notification and the trophy will be added to your Trophy Room. You can access it anytime from the Dynasty Hub, or from the main menu and your global profile. Each Dynasty you create has its own dedicated Trophy Room tied to your coach, tracking every trophy you've earned. For team-based achievements, you’ll see the season year, team, opponent, and final score of the game. For individual awards, you’ll see the player who won, the team they were on, and the year they took home the hardware. You can also select any trophy to view more detailed information — including the trophy’s history and significance in college football. In total, there are more than 160 rivalry, bowl, and individual award trophies to collect. Whether you’re flexing your fifth Heisman, third natty, or just looking back on the legends that defined your Dynasty, the Trophy Room is built to celebrate your legacy. Every Dynasty has its greats — those unforgettable players who become stories we tell for years. Now, their names and moments live on, immortalized forever in your Trophy Room. And it’s not just limited to Dynasty. The Trophy Room is global across all modes, including Road to Glory, Play Now, and Road to the College Football Playoff — so no matter how you play, your accomplishments are remembered. BUILD YOUR PROGRAM Talent acquisition and roster management remain at the forefront of College Football. How you approach building and keeping your roster has never been more important. The transfer portal continues to grow and evolve, becoming an even bigger force in shaping programs across the country. Whether you're reloading through high school recruiting or retooling through the portal, your success depends on how well you execute your strategy and continue to evolve with players ever changing expectations. In College Football 26, we still have the same core goals in mind — making recruiting feel personal, differentiating players and regions, and making the portal even more authentically unpredictable. From the way prospects evaluate schools to how expectations evolve over time, building your program now means more than just landing talent — it’s about understanding it, developing it, and keeping it. THE TRANSFER PORTAL Some schools see a mass exodus. Others stay almost completely untouched. That’s the unpredictability of the modern transfer portal. In College Football 26, we’ve pushed to fully capture the essence and chaos that defines this era of roster movement. College Football 25 laid the groundwork, but this year, we wanted the portal to feel authentically unpredictable, forcing tough decisions around team retention, roster construction, and win-now urgency. Now, you can expect to see a consistent pool of around 2,000 players entering the portal. As a part of this rebalance, we have also changed how we assign star ratings to transfer prospects. In College Football 25, players were assigned their star rating based on their OVR. Now, star rating is more heavily influenced by a player's position and class year. For example, an 85 OVR freshman quarterback will be scored higher than an 85 OVR senior guard. TRANSFER PORTAL CUSTOMIZATION With Dynamic Dealbreakers, the addition of the Conference Prestige dealbreaker, and improved Playing Time logic, the College Football 26 Transfer Portal is more reactive and unpredictable. While this brings the chaos of modern college football to life, we also want you to have the tools to customize that experience and make it your own. Whether you want a wild, modern-era portal or a throwback to the days when transferring was far less common, you now have full control over how the portal behaves in your Dynasty. New settings include: Max Transfers Per Team: Adjust how many players can transfer from a single team (0–30). Setting this to 0 disables the portal entirely for a more traditional experience. Transfer Probability (User Teams): Scale how likely players on user-controlled teams are to transfer if their dealbreaker is violated. Transfer Probability (CPU Teams): Do the same for CPU teams, allowing you to align or differentiate how the AI handles player retention. MY SCHOOL At the foundation of every program is one question: What is your identity? The My School grades define who your program is and what its strengths and weaknesses are across 14 core categories. It’s one of the clearest separators between powerhouse programs and those still trying to find their footing. In addition to the Playing Time improvements we outlined earlier — which now consider actual snaps played — we’ve made several key updates across the My School system to deepen realism and improve differentiation between programs. First, we’ve rebalanced the grade curve across all 14 categories. Fewer teams now sit in the A or B range, meaning most schools will fall somewhere between D and C — creating more visible separation between the haves and have-nots, and making meaningful improvement something you’ll need to earn over time. One of the biggest changes this year comes in Pro Potential. Previously, this grade estimated a program’s ability to produce NFL talent based on the current roster. Now, Pro Potential is based on a school’s historical draft results over the past four seasons, and it’s tracked by position. This means you can now clearly see which schools are consistently sending talent to the next level — and who truly deserves the title of Wide Receiver U. PLAYER PROGRESSION Player development is at the core of building a successful program. While talent acquisition is without question the most important thing in College Football, inability to develop your players will keep them from reaching their full potential and prevent you from realizing your dreams of winning a National Championship. In College Football 26, we’ve rebalanced and expanded how progression works to create more player differentiation, realism, and separation between programs. Living in the Iron paradise At times in College Football 25 players would go long stretches without any progression, only to suddenly take a big leap when they finally leveled up a skill group. In College Football 26 we have increased the number of skill group levels from 10 to 20, allowing for more gradual and natural progression. A player’s Development Trait also plays a bigger role in offseason progression. While there’s still variability in how much a player develops during the offseason, players with Impact, Star, and Elite development traits now have a higher minimum amount they will progress. This increases the likelihood that players with a better development trait will progress more than players with a normal trait. Every year we see freshmen arrive on campus and undergo significant physical changes during their first season. Now, when your players hit the Iron Paradise and put in the #work during the offseason you will also see physical changes to their body. Players will now gain weight during offseason progression. The amount they gain is influenced by their player position and year in school. This simulates the real world difference in physical maturity between a freshman and senior. Lastly, your school’s Athletic Facilities grade in My School now increases the amount of progression your players receive. No different than the real world where the schools with the best sports performance and nutrition programs seemingly perform at a higher level than the rest. The higher your Athletic Facilities grade is, the bigger your player progression boost will be. Athletic Facilities are just another factor that contributes to long-term program building and highlights the divide between powerhouse programs and those still finding their footing. Physical Abilities As Scott described in the Gameplay Deep Dive, we’ve introduced new physical and mental abilities this year. In addition to the new physical abilities, we’ve also modified the requirements to unlock physical ability tiers. Previously, all physical abilities required a single attribute level to unlock each tier, for example 95 Toughness to unlock Platinum Workhorse. Now, some abilities like Shifty require two attribute ratings to upgrade them. For example, Platinum Shifty now requires both 97 Change of Direction and 96 Acceleration for a Wide Receiver. These added thresholds make top-tier abilities even rarer — further increasing player differentiation. We’ve also completely overhauled our archetype system, introducing new player types and physical ability combinations that better reflect the diversity of players across college football. More on that later. From Impact Player to Star Player performance during the season now plays a huge role in their long-term potential. If a player absolutely cooks during the season, they can now upgrade their Development Trait during offseason progression. Performance is determined by their season stat line relative to their position. Upgrading a Development Trait is not guaranteed, and the better a player's current trait is, the harder it becomes to move up. For example, moving from Normal to Impact is more likely than jumping from Star to Elite. You can increase the odds of players upgrading their development trait by purchasing the Gainz Getter ability within the CEO archetype. If a player does upgrade their development trait, you’ll receive a notification and it will also be highlighted in the Training Results screen. Training Results Speaking of Training Results, this screen has undergone a major overhaul to give you better visibility into the growth and progression of each player during the offseason. For each player, you can now see exactly how much each attribute increased. Additionally, the player module on the right hand side displays their weight gain, any abilities that upgraded, and if their development trait upgraded. Manual Progression If you’re looking for more direct control over how your players develop, you can enable manual progression in league settings. Manual progression is an individual team setting, so it does not require all members of an Online Dynasty to have the same setting. If you choose to enable manual progression, your players will earn skill points like normal, however they will never automatically spend them to progress their attributes and abilities. You can see how many skill points each player has accumulated in the player module anywhere a player is shown in a spreadsheet or within their Player Card. To manually progress a player, just access their Player Card. Within the Player Card, you can spend their skill points to purchase ratings and physical abilities. If you only want to manually progress specific players, you can do so — and then automatically progress the rest of your roster by holding Triangle on the roster screen. This will automatically progress all players who have skill points remaining using the standard autoprogression logic. Manual progression can offer a significant advantage in shaping player growth, so when it's turned on, it comes with a default 25% progression nerf to help maintain balance. This nerf is fully customizable by the Dynasty Commissioner. It can be turned off completely or increased to 100% to fully prevent users from auto progressing players. POSITION CHANGES Position changes are a key part of building and evolving a roster in Dynasty Mode, but transitioning to a new role isn’t always seamless. When a player moves to a new role they must learn a new position and skillset — one that may not directly translate from their previous experience. While they can certainly grow into the role over time, that development doesn’t happen overnight. To better reflect, now when a player changes positions, they will only retain abilities that are shared between their previous archetype and the new one. Their skill group caps are also adjusted based on how closely the new position relates to their original one. For example, shifting a running back to wide receiver results in a smaller drop in development ceiling than moving that same player to offensive tackle. The farther apart the positions are in terms of required traits and responsibilities, the steeper the learning curve – which naturally limits their potential and current abilities. As you evaluate changing a player's position, the player module on the right side of the screen will display a preview of which abilities the player would retain at the selected position. The player’s development trait will stay the same, ensuring a consistent growth rate as they adapt to their new role. MANAGING WEAR AND TEAR Much like a boxer, a football player’s body can only take so many hits before it starts to break down. It’s not just about whether a player is injured — it’s about how their body responds to the physical demands of the season. Every hit adds up and as our friend OG says “not all hits are created equal”. Some players are able to endure the wear and tear over the long term, while others wear down under the weight of repeated impacts. Season and Career Health In College Football 26 every player now has season and career health pools that determine how much wear and tear damage they can recover in a single season and over the course of their career. Each time a player recovers wear and tear damage, it draws from these pools. Once the season health pool is depleted, that player can no longer recover wear and tear damage until the offseason when they will fully recover. We saw the effects of season health play out in last year’s National Championship game. Entering the matchup, Notre Dame’s quarterback had logged a career-high 167 rushing attempts on the season — 53 of those coming in just the last three games. On the opening drive, he led an 18-play, 75-yard touchdown march, carrying the ball nine more times. That drive alone added a significant amount of wear and tear, and when combined with the workload he’d taken on all season, it was clear his body had started to break down. From that point forward, his performance dipped noticeably — and he wasn’t the same player for the rest of the game. How Does Season Health Change Season to Season? At the end of each season, the pool replenishes, however, the size of the pool is determined by how full it was at the end of the season. For example, a player who finishes the season with their health pool nearly empty will begin the next year with a significantly smaller season health pool. This reflects the physical wear they carried over the course of the season. Conversely, a player who finished the year with a pool that is almost full will begin the next year with an almost identical health pool size. You will be able to see the impacts of a player's season health on their career health bar over the course of the season. In effect, you are now having to manage a player’s “career clock”. How heavily a player is used from year to year will significantly impact their longevity, adding a new layer of decision making and wear and tear management week to week and season to season. Where Can I See It? You can view a player’s season health anywhere that wear and tear is displayed. This year we have also updated the player module to include a wear and tear sub panel that can be accessed with the RS. This allows you to quickly view a player's wear and tear health at a glance. Auto Subs Strategy Auto Subs now incorporate wear and tear strategies by position, giving you control over how players are rotated in and out during games based on accumulated wear and tear damage. There are four sub strategies that you can choose from: Keep Fresh: Prioritize rotating players out early to limit accumulated wear and tear damage Normal: Balanced approach that will keep a steady rotation Grind It Out: Players will stay on the field even when they have incurred significant Wear and Tear damage Custom: Create a custom sub in and out wear and tear strategy using sliders Custom Settings As detailed in the Gameplay Deep Dive, we’ve also added a suite of wear and tear sliders that give you full control over how wear and tear behaves across Dynasty and gameplay. These settings let you fine-tune how much wear and tear is applied based on tackle type (such as normal tackles versus hit sticks), how much is recovered during the game (including per play, at quarter breaks, or halftime), and how much players recover during week advances in Dynasty. DELIVERING THE WORLD OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL College football is constantly changing, and Dynasty Mode needs to evolve with it. This year, we’ve added Missouri State and Delaware, expanding to 136 teams you can start your Dynasty with. While we will always look to stay current in the ever changing world of college football, we are also focused on expanding the depth of Dynasty Mode — building a more complete and immersive world through better access to stats, deeper historical tracking, storylines, and ongoing quality of life improvements that make reduce friction in your Dynasty experience. A PART OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL HISTORY One of the most powerful parts of Dynasty mode is looking back — reliving the moments, debating the greats, and remembering the champions that shaped your Dynasties of the past. Whether it’s your boss telling you about his sweet two star recruit that won the three Heismans and a national championship at a small school or arguments with friends over whose team was truly the best, those memories are what make Dynasty mode special. In College Football 26, we’re introducing College Football History, which is accessible from the Stats & Records tab of the Dynasty Hub. This is your hub for the legacy of the sport and your Dynasty — from Yale winning the very first National Championship in 1869 to every moment you create across your 30-year Dynasty. College Football History features: National Champions going back to 1869, including split National Champions Conference Champions dating back to 1896, including historical conferences no longer in existence For each national and conference champion you will be able to see the year they won the championship, their top 25 ranking, season record, and the name of the coach that won the championship. If this was a championship game, you will also be able to see the losing team, their top 25 rank, season record, and the score of the game. 21 Individual player and coach award winners, for example historical Heisman Trophy and Bear Bryant Coach of the Year Winners Within the College Football History you are able to filter the spreadsheet by team and conference. This gives you the ability to see every Heisman winner from Alabama, every SEC team that has reached the national championship game, or simply view every conference champion from the Big Ten or the Pac-12. When viewing conference championships, you will be able to see historical conferences and the evolution of conferences. For example, when you are looking at the Pac-12 conference champions, you will see the conference evolve from PCC, to AAWU, to Pac-8, to Pac-10, and eventually the Pac-12 Conference. As your Dynasty unfolds, this history grows with you. Every national champion, conference champion, winning coach, and award winner is etched into the record books for all 30 seasons. Speaking of awards, in College Football 26 we’ve added 14 authentic awards, including the Maxwell Award and the Walter Camp Award. Additionally, we’ve also rebalanced how defensive stats – in particular tackles, tackles for loss, and sacks – are evaluated in our awards logic. In addition to College Football History, you can now view all of a players awards and accolades from their player card. Within the player card, go to the more tab and then stats. Once you are within the stats screen filter to Awards. This will show all of their individual awards like Heisman Trophies, conference championships, national championship, All-American and All-Conference selections, how many times they have been national and conference player of the week, and their transfer history. NEW POSITIONS AND ARCHETYPES In College Football 26, we’ve overhauled positions and archetypes across the game to bring them in line with the way modern college football is played. Positions have been updated to reflect current-day schemes and terminology. We’ve made key positional updates to reflect how teams align in today’s game. Defensive Ends are now Edge Rushers, and Outside Linebackers are labeled as SAM or WILL, with MIKE replacing Middle Linebacker. These roles better reflect real-world defensive structures and responsibilities. We’ve also introduced support for smarter formation-based movement, so players adjust their alignment based on your defensive front. Additional depth chart updates include Long Snapper (LS), Gadget (GAD) for trick-play specialists, and Nose Tackle, specifically used in 3-4 fronts. We also took a hard look at every archetype in College Football 25 and found that many didn’t fully capture how college players move, play, and contribute. Some players fell between styles, while others had skill sets unique enough to deserve their own identity — for example, a gadget wide receiver. To address this, we’ve expanded to 59 total archetypes, each with its own unique combination of physical abilities. In addition to adding new archetypes, we also reworked our existing ones to better represent the full range of play styles and roles within each position group. Some positions, like Wide Receiver, now feature seven unique archetypes — each designed to capture a distinct play style. Here’s a breakdown of what makes each one unique: Speedster: A pure burner who takes the top off the defense. Not a technician, but lethal in open space. Route Artist: Precise, smooth, and always open. Wins with footwork and timing. Physical Route Runner: Big-bodied and technical, but not fast. Great for contested third downs. Elusive Route Runner: Shifty before and after the catch. Combines smooth routes with elite YAC ability. Gritty Possession: Tough, reliable, and physical. Ideal for option offenses and run blocking on the perimeter. Gadget Receiver: A do-it-all player who might take snaps at QB or RB. Built for trick plays and misdirection. Contested Specialist: Dominates tight coverage. High-points the ball and wins in jump-ball scenarios. These archetypes not only shape how a player performs, but also determine which physical abilities they have access to, creating meaningful gameplay and recruiting variation. Whether you want to recruit a possession guy who seals the edge or a true deep threat to stretch the field, there’s an archetype to match. FORMATION SUBS One of the things that makes college football so dynamic is the variety of formations and alignments across different programs. Each week, college coaches find creative ways to use personnel, designing packages that create mismatches and exploit opponent team weaknesses. Formation Subs bring that same flexibility allowing you to assign specific players to specific formations. This is a great way to take advantage of the new positions archetypes. Within Formation Subs you will be allowed to set up 50 formation subs per team. Subs will persist season to season unless the player leaves the team or you change teams. If you switch playbooks, any formations shared between the old and new playbook will retain their assigned subs. CUSTOM CONFERENCES & PROTECTED OPPONENTS Scheduling in college football has become more complex than ever — and in College Football 26, we’ve revisited how Custom Conferences work to ensure that your scheduling choices hold up across multi-year Dynasties. As part of this reassessment, we identified that some custom conference combinations were mathematically impossible to support within the scheduling system. To maintain long-term schedule integrity, those edge cases have been removed from the custom conference matrix. As a part of Custom Conferences, you can now set Protected Opponents — giving you the ability to lock in annual matchups regardless of divisional alignment. Want to ensure Michigan plays Ohio State every year, no matter how your Big Ten realignment shakes out? Now you can. Most conference configurations can support one or two protected opponents per team, depending on the number of teams in the conference, whether divisions are enabled or disabled, and the number of conference games played each season. Some conference configurations and setups will not be able to support Protected Opponents due to scheduling being mathematically impossible. To use Protected Opponents, open the Conference Rules screen by pressing Square/X on the conference you want to customize. Here, you can enable or disable Protected Opponents along with other key conference settings. From that screen, press Triangle/Y to access the Protected Opponents screen, where you can view current protected matchups and assign or edit them for each team. If you don’t feel like manually setting all of the protected opponents in a conference, you can press R3 to regenerate all of the protected opponents in the conference. Whether you’re building a new super-conference from scratch or preserving the rivalries that define college football, Protected Opponents give you the tools to keep the most meaningful games on the schedule every year. SCHEDULING UPDATES All known future season games, including kickoff games, have been added through 2040, ensuring that teams follow their actual schedules year over year. This includes updates to annual games like Florida vs. Georgia, which will no longer be played in Jacksonville for the 2026 and 2027 seasons. We’ve also updated conference rotations for both the MAC and Conference USA to reflect their latest real-world alignment and expansion. COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF The world of college football is ever changing and in College Football 26 we are excited that you will have the opportunity to experience the new playoff format in Dynasty before you experience it in real life. This offseason, the College Football Playoff has changed its format so that now the top four teams in the CFP rankings receive first round byes. Previously, the byes were awarded to the four highest ranked conference champions. QUALITY OF LIFE We’ve added a number of improvements that make it easy to navigate, manage and access key information within your Dynasty. Quick Access to Player Info: Anytime a player appears in a spreadsheet, you can now press Triangle/(Y) to open their Player Card or R3/RS to view their stats and award history. Player Stats and Attributes Everywhere: Now anywhere a player appears in a spreadsheet you will be able to see their season stats on the player module. This makes it easy to compare award candidates on the award watchlists. The second new panel is player attributes, which shows six attributes that are key to the player’s position. Development Traits in the Player Module: In addition to the two new player module panels, you can now view a player’s Dev Trait in the Abilities sub-panel. Note, the development trait will only be viewable for players on your team. Quick Access to Team Schedules: Within the Conference Standings and Top 25 Polls screens, you can now Press Triangle/(Y) on a team view their full schedule and quickly compare resumes. Members Tab: In Dynasty Hub we have added a new tab called Members. The Members tab lets you see every user in your Online Dynasty or every coach character in your Offline Dynasty. For each team it shows their username, team, top 25 rank, current week matchup and result, platform, online status, and whether they’re ready to advance. As a Commissioner, the Members tab is now where you will make all of your Commissioner actions like:: Adding or removing users Toggling Auto Pilot Promoting or demoting other commissioners Transferring Dynasty ownership to another user Inviting new users to join the Dynasty CROSSPLAY College Football 26 Online Dynasty now supports cross-play across Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5. You can run a 32 person Online Dynasty with friends regardless of platform. Within the Members tab, you’ll be able to see each user's system. To use cross-play, you’ll need an internet connection, the latest game updates, and a valid EA Account. Cross-play is enabled by default in Online Dynasties but can be turned off at any time by the Commissioner in League Settings. For more info, check out the [Cross-Play FAQ for full details]. PREORDER BONUS To give players a head start on building their program, all preorders of College Football 26 will receive a bonus of 100 Coach Points* when you start a Dynasty. This bonus applies to every Dynasty you start, and is in addition to the 1,000 Coach Points you can earn over time through progression — giving you an early edge when shaping your coaching identity. We also know that not every league wants to start with these bonuses, so Commissioners will have the option to enable or disable preorder bonuses within league settings. IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS It’s the little things that bring everything together — subtle touches that elevate the experience. Here are a few little things that we have added this year: Dynamic Time of Day: As Christian described in the Presentation Deep Dive College Football 26 introduces Dynamic Time of Day. Within Dynasty mode, the calendar date will impact the sun positioning and lighting. Now, a 5:00pm game in September will be brighter with a higher sun when compared to a 5:00pm game in November at the same stadium. Super Sim Tempo Adjustements: Teams who run up tempo style of play will now have an increased number of snaps during their game better reflecting their style of play. Broken Records Feedback: When a player on your team breaks a single game, season, or career record, you will now receive a full screen takeover celebrating the achievement. Coach Stats: Within the Coach Stats screen you can now see offensive and defensive coordinator stats. Force Win Update: When forcing a win or loss it now says the name of the team you are forcing a win for so you no longer have to guess which team is home or away. Combined Opponent Record: When viewing a team’s schedule, you can now see their combined opponent record giving you a quick snapshot of their strength of schedule. Advance Week Confirmation: A confirmation popup will now appear when you go to advance to the next week, helping prevent accidental clicks that could cost you a national championship. Sim to Points: When advancing the week you can now sim to any week in the season rather than only specific weeks. Redshirt Updates: Players can now play in postseason games without them counting against their redshirt eligibility. Additionally, now when you redshirt a player, it will not reset the entire depth chart. Instead, it will only alter the positions that player was in the depth chart for. Scouting Ability Info: If you’d like to know more about what an ability is when scouting a player, you can highlight the ability on the right side panel and it will display a tooltip informing you what that ability does. Increased Spreadsheet Row Count: We’ve increased the number of rows you can see in multiple spreadsheet screens. The Prospect List and Transfer Portal spreadsheets now display 600 rows instead of 300. The player season and career stats screens now display 700 rows of stats giving you better insight into the nations best players. TEAM BUILDER When we launched Team Builder last year, we were blown away by the creativity and passion from the community. It was incredible to watch players not only build their own teams, but also help others bring their fantasy creations to life with templates and other assets. We loved seeing everything you put together and we can’t wait to see what you build next. Just like Dynasty Mode, Team Builder is part of a multi-year vision for us — one where we continue to expand and deepen the experience over time. Last year was about laying the foundation. We launched Team Builder as a Beta and now we are removing that tag. Our team has been hard at work polishing and improving the overall site performance. Team Builder now has a completely new look and the site is 2X faster. Overall render performance is greatly improved, so Team Builder will now work on a wider array of devices and lower end machines. In addition to performance updates, College Football 26 was about building on the foundation we built with even tighter integration into Dynasty and more customization. In College Football 25, you were limited to 10 custom images per team. In College Football 26, you now have an upload limit of 5 MB per team. This means you can upload as many custom images and textures as you want until you hit the 5 MB limit, increasing your creative power. IMPORT TEAMS FROM COLLEGE FOOTBALL 25 We know how much time and creativity you poured into your Team Builder teams last year and we wanted to ensure you could bring your College Football 25 creations directly into College Football 26 without having to start over from scratch. With College Football 26, you can import your teams directly from College Football 25. From the Team Builder, press the Import button in the top-right corner, which will open a dropdown asking you which title you would like to import from. After selecting College Football 25, you’ll see a list of every team you created in CFB25. Pick the team you want to bring forward, and you’ll be taken to the Edit Team page. Here, we’ll flag any assets or details that couldn’t carry over from last year’s game — and give you the chance to make adjustments before you republish. Make sure you take a few moments to fill out the new Team Builder features we’ve added this year. If you do not make any changes, your team will receive the default values for those features. Once your team’s ready for primetime, hit Submit, and your creation will be live and available for download in College Football 26. DEFINING YOUR PROGRAM In Dynasty, all teams have a set of My School grades that define who they are as a program. Are they great at academics? Are they a traditional powerhouse? Within the Program tab, you’ll now be able to choose your starting grades by selecting from a list of unique templates, each representing a different school identity. Whether you’re a Powerhouse, a Pro Factory, or a Cupcake trying to establish yourself, there's a foundation that fits your vision. Once you pick a template, you’ll see your projected Team Prestige and My School grades. Some of these grades will show up as exact values, while others appear as ranges — and that’s by design. Several elements of your team setup can influence how these grades shake out. For example, your Stadium Atmosphere grade will adjust based on the size of the stadium you select, and your Championship Contender grade depends on which team you replace in Dynasty Mode — since you’ll inherit their preseason ranking. Other attributes like Coach Stability, Coach Prestige, and Conference Prestige won’t come from your template at all. Instead, they’ll reflect your coach setup when you start your Dynasty and where you choose to place your team in Custom Conferences. ENHANCED ROSTER EDITING Roster editing now lives in its own dedicated tab, and it has been enhanced with deeper customization designed to give you more control over each player on your team. One of the biggest feedback points we heard from the community was that it was difficult to assess how good or bad a player and team were when you were editing the roster. In College Football 26, you will be able to see your team’s Overall, Offensive and Defensive ratings at all times at the top of the website. These will update in real time as you make changes. When viewing an individual player, you will be able to see their Overall Rating (OVR), so you always know the impact of each edit. Bio & Appearance When editing a player, there are now two editing tabs: Bio and Skill Ratings & Abilities. In the Bio tab, you can modify a player’s general information and appearance. Within the Bio tab we have added several new editable fields: First and last name Previous Redshirt (i.e., has the player already used their redshirt year) High school star rating Dealbreaker As we talked about in our Dynasty discussion, all players now have Dynamic Dealbreakers, so the Dealbreaker threshold will be determined when you import the team into Dynasty mode based on the player’s final OVR Skill Ratings & Abilities Within the Skill Ratings & Abilities tab, you will be able to have more control how good (or bad) each player is. This year we have added the following editing capabilities: Player Archetype: This determines which five physical abilities are available for that player. Development Trait: Choose how fast a player develops over time. Player Potential: Players can now have a potential of Low, Medium, or High. This will set the player’s skill group caps, which determine a player's ceiling or how high they can progress a given attribute. The cap is scaled based on potential and class year. A freshman with high potential will have more room to grow than a junior with high potential, just like in real life. Physical Abilities: Once you set your player archetype, you will be able to determine what tier each physical ability is (None, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum). Each tier has a required attribute rating in order to qualify for it. The required attributes will be visible when you are selecting the tier and if the player doesn’t meet that requirement, you’ll get a prompt asking if you want to automatically adjust their rating to match the ability tier. Mental Abilities: Which mental abilities are available is determined by the player’s position. You will be able to choose from a dropdown which mental abilities they have (if any) and what tier each ability is (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum). Remember, mental abilities cannot be upgraded, so choose wisely. RIVALRIES Rivalries are a core piece of college football and now you have complete control of your Team Builder team’s rivalries. Within the Program tab, you can now create up to five rivalries for your Team Builder team. For each rivalry, fill out historical information: Rival team Rivalry name The first year it was played All-time series record Who won the last matchup The score of the last game This information will carry with you into Dynasty Mode. If you want to set up a Team Builder rivalry, simply set that team’s rival to an existing team, then replace that team with your Team Builder school. TOUGHEST PLACES TO PLAY The crowd. The noise. The overwhelmingly hostile atmosphere. See which teams you don't want to face on their home turf in our Top 25 Toughest Places to Play. Tiger Stadium | LSU Beaver Stadium | Penn State Ohio Stadium | Ohio State Sanford Stadium | Georgia Bryant-Denny Stadium | Alabama Memorial Stadium | Clemson Ben Hill Griffin Stadium | Florida Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium | Oklahoma Autzen Stadium | Oregon Michigan Stadium | Michigan Kyle Field | Texas A&M Neyland Stadium | Tennessee Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium | Texas Doak S. Campbell Stadium | Florida State Camp Randall Stadium | Wisconsin Williams-Brice Stadium | South Carolina Jordan-Hare Stadium | Auburn Husky Stadium | Washington Kinnick Stadium | Iowa Rice-Eccles Stadium | Utah Notre Dame Stadium | Notre Dame Carter-Finley Stadium | NC State Boone Pickens Stadium | Oklahoma State Spartan Stadium | Michigan State Davis Wade Stadium | Mississippi State POST-GAME SPEECH If you’ve made it this far — thank you. This blog isn’t just a feature list or a changelog. It’s a reflection of the care, passion, and purpose that this team brings to Dynasty mode every single day. We’re continuing to build on the foundation we laid last year, always with one goal at the center: “Satisfy the Core Community” because “This is THEIR Game”. That mindset has never wavered. The team has fully rallied behind it, and what we’ve built together in College Football 26 is something we’re incredibly proud of. But this is just Year Two of a multi-year journey and we’re incredibly excited about where we are going. To the community: don’t lose your passion and excitement. That energy is the fuel that drives us. Your support, your feedback, and your love for this game are the reason we’re here, and we never take that for granted. With that being said, we will see you again soon for the next deep dive on Road To Glory and Superstar! [Source] --- College Football 26 launches worldwide on July 10, 2025. Pre-order the Deluxe Edition** or the EA SPORTS™ MVP Bundle* and play 3 days early. Stay in the conversation by following us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and the EA Forums. *Conditions & restrictions apply. See ea.com/games/ea-sports-college-football/college-football-26/game-disclaimers for details. **Conditions & restrictions apply. See https://www.ea.com/games/madden-nfl/madden-nfl-26/game-disclaimers for details.College Football 26 Gameplay Deep Dive
Hey there College Football Fans, welcome back to the Campus Huddle! Your source for all news and updates straight from the developers of EA SPORTS™ College Football 26. We know some of you got a hands on look at an early version of College Football 26 through the Closed Beta but we have so much more to share with you! We’re excited to bring you the first Deep Dive of the season, Gameplay is here! Before we get started with the Campus Huddle, let's take a look at the official Gameplay Deep Dive video hosted by Kirk Herbstreit! The full Gameplay Deep Dive is massive, so be sure to go check out the Campus Huddle! We've grabbed some highlights to share with you below: Pre Game This year, our gameplay motto is what we called the 4-minute offense. Why? Because after putting points on the board last year, we wanted to come right back out, take control, and march down the field again and put the game away. That means staying true to the foundational vision, continuing to solve football problems with football solutions, and executing on what matters most. Similar to last year, our gameplay is built around three core pillars that keep the drive alive: ALL 22+ Continued emphasis on player control and player differentiation with the “+” speaking about everything that surrounds those four lines. Play Your Way More customization and tools for players to make them feel like their favorite signal callers, while building on team differentiation and offering 136+ ways to play. Stories of Saturday, we’re adding more soul and personality between the whistles — building on the emotional foundation of '25 to make every moment feel like a memory in the making. GET EM’ OUT! DYNAMIC SUBS – NO MORE PAUSING, JUST PLAYING For as long as football games have existed, making substitutions meant pausing the game, diving into menus, and breaking the flow of the action. With the addition of Wear and Tear and Confidence and Composure, you told us you wanted more options when it came to moving players in and out. We listened. Introducing Dynamic Subs, a new feature that brings real-time roster management directly onto the field. Now, strategic substitutions can happen seamlessly—without ever leaving the action. SUB CONTROL It couldn’t be easier. During pre-play, simply press Up on the D-pad to instantly access who is on the field. Then cycle players in and out by tapping Left or Right on the D-pad. Just like traditional depth chart subs, once you make a change, it sticks—ensuring your lineup decisions remain strategic, deliberate, and impactful. Whether you're matching personnel against specific formations or responding to player fatigue, this feature keeps you locked into the rhythm and flow of the game. WEAR AND TEAR EVERYWHERE! WEAR AND TEAR – MORE DEPTH, MORE CONTROL We were thrilled by your response to the Wear and Tear system last year. Introducing a completely new, physics-based damage mechanic is always a bit nerve-wracking, but your enthusiasm showed we hit the mark. Wear and Tear was never meant to be just another injury system—it was designed as a gameplay balance mechanic, bringing real strategic depth and meaningful roster decisions. The foundation was set, now we continue to build on it. CLEANUP ON AISLE 26 Before expanding on the system, our first priority was to address some of the tough to reproduce bugs while continuing to improve balance. We went after complicated issues, like players awkwardly stacking on each other without the play ending properly—this was a major fix. Then we carefully reviewed and adjusted every ability in the game, ensuring accurate balancing around how each ability impacted Wear and Tear during hits and tackles. SUB YOUR WAY Another key improvement—and something the community clearly asked for—was making it easier and more strategic to manage players based on their Wear and Tear. We saw the different coaching philosophies in how you played. Some of you keep your stars on the field no matter what, pain be damned. Others rotate constantly, prioritizing freshness and long-term durability. Both approaches are valid, and now, the system fully supports how you want to coach. To accommodate these diverse styles, we introduced fully customizable Wear and Tear Auto-Sub settings and sliders, bringing unprecedented depth to player management. Here’s how deep the options go: Default: Standard CPU substitution logic. Keep Fresh: Inspired by real-world rotation strategies, like Michigan’s frequent running back substitutions. Grind It Out: For teams that want to keep their best players on the field as long as possible. Players push through being banged up and only sub out when absolutely necessary. Custom: Players sub based on the lowest health of specific body parts, giving you precise control. Each position can now have tailored substitution strategies based on Wear and Tear, accessible directly from the main or Coaching Adjustment menu. You have full control over when a player subs in or out, ensuring every decision is aligned with your game plan. WEATHER THE STORM, WIN THE GAME Through conversations with real-world coaches and players, one recurring theme emerged clearly: weather significantly impacts player wear and tear. Reflecting this real-world insight, we've integrated weather-based modifiers into the Wear and Tear system. VISUALIZING THE DAMAGE If your quarterback’s health dips below 60%, you'll clearly see it reflected in his pre-snap demeanor. Depending on whether he's dealing with upper- or lower-body damage, he might roll his shoulder, shake out his arm, or gingerly kick out a sore leg as he approaches the line of scrimmage. This subtle but impactful touch provides an immediate visual cue to the QB’s condition, making Wear and Tear feel a bit more alive and connected to your in-game decisions and play than before. MORE THAN JUST A RATING Last year, your Toughness rating determined how much damage a player took to a specific body part after contact. This year, we’ve taken that a step further. Now, Toughness also affects recovery—dictating how quickly each body part heals over time. That means the same rating that helps a player absorb hits also plays a direct role in how fast they bounce back. It’s a deeper, more realistic reflection of what toughness truly means in college football. THE HEISMAN TIER TAKING ELITE TALENT TO THE NEXT LEVEL Last year’s introduction of abilities laid a strong foundation for capturing the explosive, dynamic essence of college football. This year, we’re building on that foundation—rebalancing existing abilities, introducing new ones, significantly expanding player archetypes, and delivering authentic moments that reflect the true drama of Saturdays. EXPANDED ARCHETYPES Archetypes have been expanded in College Football 26 with 10 brand-new additions, each crafted to reflect the unique and electrifying skill sets seen every Saturday. These archetypes are intentionally diverse—no two share the same ability loadouts. You’ll hear more about them in the upcoming Campus Huddle Dynasty Deep Dive. THE "OUT OF BODY" EXPERIENCE One of our core objectives this year was capturing what we call the "Out of Body" experience—those jaw-dropping moments when an elite player single-handedly changes the course of a game. To achieve this, we've completely redefined how abilities scale when a player gets hot. Momentum matters more than ever. When a player starts to cook, their physical abilities receive substantial boosts. If the player already holds a Platinum-tier ability, it automatically upgrades to the new Heisman tier, featuring enhanced effects and powerful new functionality directly inspired by player feedback. You'll know exactly when it happens—a green flash around the player's icon signals a tier-up. Conversely, if a player's performance drops, you'll see a red downward arrow indicating they've dropped a tier. NEW OFFENSIVE & DEFENSIVE ABILITIES Battering Ram: Inspired by legendary contact-seeking power backs, the Battering Ram ability is a brand-new addition exclusive to our Contact-Seeking archetype. As it tiers up, ball carriers inflict increasing levels of Wear and Tear on defenders—provided they finish runs falling forward. At the Heisman tier, it delivers maximum punishment, making defenders pay for every collision. Hammer: We've revamped the Hammer ability specifically for "Thumping" Linebackers and "Box Specialist" Safeties, inspired by iconic hard hitters like Ray Lewis at Miami. Each tier of the Hammer ability now directly ties into our Physics-Based Tackling mechanic, rewarding timing and skill. Reach the Heisman tier, and you'll gain an increased chance of forcing fumbles on perfectly executed Hit Sticks, creating opportunities for game-defining plays. THE COST OF GREATNESS - ABILITIES & WEAR AND TEAR INTEGRATION This year, we've also deepened the strategic connection between the ability system and the Wear and Tear mechanic. Every physical ability now categorizes into either upper or lower body. As a player's Wear and Tear accumulates throughout the season, they can lose up to two tiers on the corresponding ability. While significant drops are rare, this introduces a crucial layer of strategic roster management, challenging coaches to balance aggressive play and player preservation. Collectively, these improvements transform the ability system in College Football 26 into a deeper, more strategic, and thrilling gameplay experience—one that captures the unique skills, emotions, and drama that define elite collegiate athletes. 136 WAYS OF SATURDAY Let’s get right to it! College Football 26 is delivering the single biggest playbook expansion in EA SPORTS history— 2,800+ brand-new plays and 45+ new formations, all tuned to reflect the chaos, creativity, and pageantry that define Saturday football. Whether you're a fan of tempo-and-space or ground-and-pound, there's something in here that speaks directly to the heart of college football. With the arrival of 300 real head coaches for the first time in the series, we knew this year had to be more than just a content drop—it had to be a true evolution. So we got to work: studying game tape, talking to coaches, attending clinics, and—above all—listening to the fans. The result is a massive leap forward in authenticity, depth, and team identity. Because when we say “every team is someone’s favorite team,” we mean it—and this year, they play like it. More Plays. More Identity. More You. Playbooks are bigger and deeper than ever. We’ve increased total capacity by over a third—most offenses now feature 25+ formations and 400+ plays, giving you more tools to scheme, adapt, and dominate. Whether you’re building around tempo, power, or versatility, there’s now a wider foundation to craft a gameplan that actually feels like your favorite team. Greater Playbook Individuality: You’ll immediately notice the difference between Air Force’s Flexbone DNA and USC’s spread-out vertical attack. These aren’t just roster-based differences—they’re true philosophical fingerprints. After months of deep dives and expert insight, every single one of our 136 playbooks has been handcrafted to reflect real-life playcalling and personnel packages. From Miami’s modern Air Raid to Iowa State’s Power Spread, every team has a unique feel—and every user has a real jumping-off point to build or customize their identity. Signature Looks from the Real 2024 Season We’ve gone beyond just new plays. We’ve added authentic packages and bizarre formations that defined Saturdays last fall—and made them playable in CFB 26. Here are a few highlights: Penn State Shotgun Gate Stretch the edge, freeze linebackers, and create backside cutback lanes. It’s misdirection in motion—and it mirrors how Penn State weaponized horizontal flow all season long. Penn State Swinging Gate Variants Yes, it’s finally here. Run screens, Jet Touch Passes, or misdirection fakes from the same funky gate look. This set even includes dual-QB packages, Wildcat looks, and OL slot alignments. Ole Miss Wildcat Deuce Wing Snap it directly to your defensive tackle? Absolutely. The Rebels did it over 20 times last season—and now you can too. Power HB, Gadget, or TE can also sub in to keep defenders guessing. Rice Pistol Wingback The Option lives in Houston. This formation group blends flexbone motion with pistol spread tempo. It includes 11 total Wingback sets—a dream for users who love mixing triple option with quick game. Western Kentucky Power I Hulk Big-boy football. Two defensive linemen lead-blocking. Fullbacks leaking on play-action. If you want to go downhill, this set rewards you with short-yardage dominance and surprise deep shots. ECU Trips Off Over Wk An unbalanced formation with layers. Use the off-ball TE as a motion blocker or RPO threat. Teams like ECU and Kansas ran it very differently—and you’ll feel those styles reflected in each team’s playbook. Duke Wide Y Off Trips Stack A new evolution of the Veer & Shoot built off 11 new Wide formations, including stack looks that stretch defenses sideline to sideline while delivering vertical options and quick RPOs underneath. Used heavily by Duke, this group gives you horizontal stress with vertical teeth. These aren’t just new plays—they’re a living, breathing tribute to everything that makes college football so electric: innovation, identity, and the pure joy of doing something a little wild just to see if it works. Your team plays like your team in College Football 26. Precision, Vision, and Strategy - Quarterback Play Field Vision: Height Finally Matters In our quest to make pocket passers as valuable as they are in real life, we introduced real-world challenges to level the playing field. This is where Field Vision comes into play. No, there’s no Vision Cone on the field. :) Through conversations with coordinators across the country, one theme kept coming up: the importance of moving the quarterback’s launch point and how interior pressure can impair vision. We took that to heart. Field Vision accounts for your quarterback’s height, the size of offensive and defensive linemen, and their proximity to the pocket. Smaller quarterbacks under center—especially on quick drops or throws between the numbers—will experience realistic visibility limitations. That’s why many real-life QBs favor shotgun or pistol looks. In College Football 26, when shorter QBs are surrounded by taller linemen, receiver icons may fade to reflect obstructed sightlines. You can still attempt those throws—but expect an accuracy penalty, mirroring the real-world challenges these players face. Enhanced QB Progression System Recognizing that lower-rated quarterbacks were previously more successful than we would like, we've expanded the gap between elite and lower-tier quarterbacks to mirror real-life disparities more accurately. High-awareness quarterbacks will quickly and efficiently cycle through multiple receiving options, reflecting the decisive reads and rapid decision-making of the nation's elite signal-callers. Conversely, lower-rated quarterbacks struggle more significantly, realistically managing fewer progressions and demonstrating slower decision-making, closely resembling the performance of inexperienced true freshmen or developing quarterbacks seen on Saturdays. Recognize the Heat! Last year, we saw a heavy reliance on double mug and cover-zero blitzes to overwhelm AI quarterbacks—making this a critical area for improvement. In College Football 26, we've introduced an upgraded Hot Read system and made significant enhancements to quarterback progression logic, double move recognition, and overall blitz response. Quarterbacks with higher awareness now identify multiple hot read options immediately after the snap, mirroring how elite QBs diagnose and counter aggressive pressure in real life. These upgrades reduce the once-dominant effectiveness of double A-gap blitzes and create more balanced, strategic gameplay. The result? A season where quarterback matchups feel smarter, more dynamic, and as exciting as what you see every Saturday. College Football 26’s advanced quarterback AI delivers a new level of authenticity under pressure. DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS Last year’s gameplay was explosive and wide-open—just the way college football should feel. That freedom and responsiveness on offense is something we’re committed to maintaining. The features above focused largely on enhancing the offensive experience—speed, creativity, and big plays. But you also told us defense needed more depth, presence, and options. So this year, we’ve doubled down on defensive control and responsiveness, giving you more tools to disrupt and dictate the game. Championships are won in the trenches—so let’s take a closer look at what’s new on the other side of the ball. WE’RE TALKIN PHYSICS BOYS! "You're changing tackling from last year?" Yes—trust your boy and stay with me now. :) Improving and polishing the innovative technology we first introduced in EA SPORTS™ Madden NFL 25 was essential to delivering the authentic, organic football experience College Football deserves. We took a hard look at what we shipped in College Football 25. While it was solid, it didn’t quite capture the visceral impact, variety, or player differentiation that real football demands. So in College Football 26, we’ve elevated Physics-Based Tackling (PBT) to bring more control, more realism, and more satisfying outcomes to every hit. Now, tacklers with better ratings won’t just win more often—they’ll win more distinctively. We've layered in timing-based elements that allow stronger defenders to finish plays with authority while making weaker tacklers more vulnerable to being dragged or broken through. You’ll see more variety in tackle outcomes—glancing blows, squared-up stops, forward-falling momentum—all driven by weight, speed, angle, and user input. Even with the visual fidelity PBT brings, this wasn’t just about looks. It was about feeling. And with College Football 26, you’ll feel every hit, fight through every finish, and experience a tackling system that rewards skill, ratings, and real football logic. STUNTS AND TWISTS ARE HERE! For years, players have asked for more depth, authenticity, and control in the pass rush game—and in College Football 26, it's finally here: stunts and twists are now fully in the game. Whether you're dialing up a T-E stunt, an interior twist, or something more exotic, you're no longer limited to basic four-man rushes. Now you can disrupt protection schemes, create confusion in blocking assignments, and pressure the quarterback like never before. How does it work? Glad you asked! Calling stunts is simple and intuitive: At the Play Call Screen: Hold the corresponding button on any play to open a new sub-menu showing all available stunts and twists for that call—custom-tailor your pressure before you even break the huddle. You can also call one from the preplay menu. In the Preplay Menu: Press D-pad left, then R1 (or RB) to access available stunt options for your current play. There are 12 unique stunt types available, each designed to replicate real-life tactics used by top defensive coordinators. These aren’t just cosmetic—they change the timing, angles, and matchup logic at the line of scrimmage. Why It Matters Stunts and twists completely redefine how you attack protections. You're no longer relying solely on individual wins from your front four. Now, you're running designed pressure to: Force O-line communication errors Set up mismatches and late-looping rushers Disrupt rhythm and pocket integrity Bring true strategy to the trenches It’s a feature the community has wanted for years—and in College Football 26, it finally delivers. This is pass rush chess, not checkers. TRENCH WORK The game of Football is won at the line of scrimmage. And in College Football 26, that battle just got a whole lot more real. We’ve rebuilt the core of offensive and defensive line interactions with one goal in mind: make the trenches feel like the trenches. That means leverage matters. Size matters. Technique, play calls, and matchups matter. Every snap is a puzzle between blockers and defenders—and this year, you have more control, more realism, and more strategy. Block Steering: Take Control of Leverage New to College Football 26, Block Steering is a foundational trench feature that gives both users and AI the ability to physically influence the direction of a block once an engagement has started. Just like you’d see from the best defensive linemen who don’t need finesse moves to wreck a game—Block Steering captures the subtle war of leverage and momentum. Sometimes it’s not about winning clean. It’s about squeezing the gap, clogging the lane, and turning a six-yard run into a stalemate at the line. Here's how it works: Once engaged, press RT + LS (right trigger plus left stick) to begin steering. You can steer an interaction in any direction based on player strength, weight, ratings (like Block Shedding, Run Block, and Impact Blocking), and—most importantly—momentum. This works for both sides of the ball, whether you’re a nose tackle trying to dent the A-gap or a pulling guard trying to drive a defender out of the way. There are 700+ new animations in this system alone. Every push, turn, and battle looks and feels different depending on who’s involved. Gap Integrity, Reborn: This also unlocks smarter play from AI linemen. Defensive players will now maintain their assigned gaps based on play call and alignment, significantly limiting crashing or stunting blindly. Gap integrity matters in today’s game, and it finally matters in College Football 26. Smarter Blocking Mechanics This year’s blocking logic has been reengineered from the ground up, and that includes both run and pass protection. Improved Targeting System We've improved our targeting system across all core blocking schemes. That means blockers now understand who they’re supposed to hit—and how they’re supposed to hit them—based on the structure of the play. Schemes that now block with drastically improved clarity and accuracy include: Power Counter Trap Wham Duo All Veer variants Midline concepts This new logic reduces freelancing and missed assignments while magnifying mismatches. If you’ve got a pulling guard squaring up against a lighter safety, that’s a win. If your center is climbing to a 250-pound linebacker with poor leverage, you’re in trouble. Impact Blocks and Collision Wins: The core engagement system has also been overhauled to better reflect outcomes based on weight class, ratings, and momentum differential. It’s not just about being targeted—it’s about how you arrive. Pass Protection: Read, Slide, React We’ve focused heavily on giving users more clarity, control, and responsiveness in the pass protection phase. Highlights include: Smarter Targeting Selection: Your offensive line will now make more intuitive decisions about who to block—and when to block them—based on immediate threats and overloads. Un-Targeting Defenders: You now have the ability to unassign a target. See a free defender you want to leave unblocked for a screen? You can now intentionally avoid targeting certain players. This gives advanced users the level of control they’ve been asking for. Simplified Slide Protection: Slide mechanics are now easier and more intuitive. Want to slide left? Just tap Slide Left + Right Stick Left. Want a full slide? Double flick the RS. The system responds cleanly and consistently, giving you time to focus on reads, not guesswork. Playmaker Flip for Protection: You can now flip your pass protection the same way you flip a play pre-snap—just like in real football. Quick flips now account for backside blitzers and rotating coverages, allowing users to adjust protection schemes on the fly. Built for Matchups Modern college football is all about creating mismatches. And this year, that dynamic shines brighter than ever in the trenches. With enhanced logic around engage wins/losses, dynamic double teams, and block disengage decisions, linemen now make decisions based on ratings, angle, play concept, and leverage—not just proximity. You’ll feel the difference when your All-American LT stonewalls a bull rush or when your undersized DL gets washed out by a down block. The trench battle is now a living, breathing part of every play—and not just an animation happening beneath the surface. What It All Means The trenches in College Football 26 aren’t just cosmetic. They’re gameplay-altering. Every offensive scheme starts with how your line functions. Every defensive strategy depends on how your front holds up. And now, with Block Steering, smarter protection logic, and authentic scheme targeting, you can win the game up front—just like in real college football. Whether you're calling counter with a pulling guard or trying to two-gap out of a 4-2-5, everything in the trenches just got more real, more dynamic, and more fun. CUSTOM ZONE Last year, we introduced Custom Stems, giving you the ability to adjust the depth and angle of your offensive routes exactly how you want them. But offense can’t have all the fun—so this year, we’re introducing Custom Zones. How many times have you been in a game thinking, “If I could just drop that seam flat a little deeper...” or “I wish my deep zone would sit shallower to take away that dig...”? In College Football 26, now you can fine-tune your defensive zones just like you did with route stems, allowing you to strategically counter and neutralize any offense. With Custom Zone, you have the ability to fine-tune individual zone drop depth on the fly. How does it work? You’re asking great questions today. Simply select the zone defender you want to adjust, press A (Xbox) or X (PlayStation®), then tap L1 to bring up the zone depth adjustment. From there, you can move that defender’s zone drop up or back to fit exactly what the offense is throwing at you. This on the fly upgrade that puts more control in your hands. Whether you're trying to match verticals more effectively, clog up intermediate windows, or bait quarterbacks into making bad decisions, Custom Zone gives you the flexibility to fine-tune your coverage and adapt on the fly. This gives you quicker, more precise control over your defensive adjustments, allowing you to get to the exact look you want without cycling through coaching adjustment pre-play menus. It’s a feature that’s been highly discussed within the community— and now it’s in your hands. CLAMPED We made it a priority this year to take defensive back play in College Football 26 even closer to the action you watch every Saturday. That means smarter coverage reactions, more meaningful leverage battles, deeper risk-versus-reward mechanics, and the excitement—and challenge—of authentic one-on-one matchups. ROUTE COMMIT – CALL YOUR SHOT I played Travis Hunter at last year’s media event playing College Football 25. He shaded inside on me pre-snap—and got beat. He turned to me and said, “I know it’s a low chance to get beat with the shade, but I’m selling out here.” That moment stuck with us. Shading is about positioning. Selling out is about commitment. And that mindset helped inspire what became Route Commit. One of the biggest new additions to coverage gameplay this year, Route Commit lets an individual, or your entire secondary aggressively jump routes based on your read of the offense. In pre-play, press R1 (Defensive Keys), then Left or Right on the left stick, and your entire coverage unit will aggressively break toward either inside- or outside-breaking routes. Guess right? Lockdown—or strapped, as the kids say. Your defenders will jump the cut faster, stay tighter through breaks, and squeeze passing windows shut. Guess wrong? It’s costly! Defenders will react slower, take exaggerated false steps, and give up separation that turns short gains into explosive plays. Route Commit adds a new layer of defensive strategy—now you're not just covering, you're declaring intent. Like Run or Pass Commit, but for coverage, you're telling your opponent, “I know what’s coming—and I’m selling out to stop it.” It rewards film study, disguises, and guts. And when you guess right? There’s no better feeling on defense. REACT LIKE THAT With Route Commit leading the charge, we knew man coverage needed to feel tighter, more authentic, and more rewarding for players who pride themselves on shutting down the perimeter. This year, the man-to-man game is much more varied. Elite corners like Leonard Moore will mirror receivers closely, breaking with quicker timing that feels earned—not scripted. Facing top-tier receivers like Jeremiah Smith or Ryan Williams? You'll still feel pressure, but the battle is fair. Winning means your leverage, timing, and positioning were all perfect. Losing means the receiver earned every inch of that separation. This improvement in man coverage means you can confidently call man, shade inside, use Route Commit, and feel you’re playing real football—not rolling dice. LEVERAGE GAME We’ve completely reworked leverage and how it affects route outcomes. Now, when you align with inside or outside shade, it directly impacts your defender’s ability to cover. If you hold inside leverage and the WR runs a dig, you'll stay tight and compete aggressively. Lose leverage? You’re still in the play—but you'll feel the urgency to close the gap. Previously, DBs sometimes gave up unrealistic separation. That’s gone. Positioning now feels powerful, rewarding pre-snap reads, strategic alignments, and adding depth to your matchups. Every snap is now more tactical, every coverage call more intentional. This is how real college defenses thrive—assignment-driven football where angles and positioning rule the day. SHADE WITH PURPOSE Shading coverage matters more than ever, pairing directly with Route Commit and leverage to create a complete defensive toolkit. Shade Over the Top? You’ll gain cushion to protect deep—but you’ll also see sharper cuts separate underneath. Shade Underneath? You’ll clamp down hard on short routes—but risk being burned vertically or by double moves. Every pre-snap shade now carries weight, setting a tone before the ball is even snapped. For players who study film and dial in on tendencies, this is a game-changer. NO EYES, NO PICKS Last year, some of the full-speed, contested, over-the-shoulder interceptions felt a little too much—like defenders were turning into center fielders. I started calling them the Willie Mays interceptions. This year, we improved that. When a DB doesn’t have eyes on the ball, he won’t make those unrealistic, blind leaps anymore. No more backward, acrobatic picks without vision. Instead, defenders react late—fighting through the receiver’s hands, trying to knock the ball loose rather than warping into perfect catch animations. It’s all about context now. When a DB is in trail position, hips turned and running at full speed, you should feel more inclined to take a shot deep. You no longer have to wait until your receiver is three steps clear from breaking the jam. The game now rewards smart, confident throws that recognize defensive leverage. But when a DB does track the ball properly? You’ll see that rewarded. Interceptions feel earned, not gifted. It’s a fair fight. An aspect we are always seeking to improve. Playing the ball finally feels fair, rewarding, and true to real football. One-on-one matchups matter again. The passing game is back to feeling like a genuine, competitive battle—just the way it should be. SWAT OR PICK – CHOOSE WISELY Swatting the ball returns to prominence this year. Now you must decide: go for the highlight-reel interception or make the fundamentally sound play and swat? Swats take defenders to the highest point, giving you a better chance to disrupt catches in tight windows. Picks are still possible—but only if you're in-phase, looking at the quarterback, and perfectly positioned. Defensive decision-making just became more critical. Quarterbacks will find jump balls are true 50/50 throws again—not automatic turnovers. TO THE CRIB We heard you loud and clear. Too many wide-open interceptions fell incomplete last year. That wasn't right, especially after you made a perfect read and had your defender exactly where he needed to be. This year, we’ve improved that dramatically. Those “no-doubt” INTs will stick. DBs will finish plays as they should. Every interception should feel deserved, whether you perfectly baited the quarterback, jumped a route, or made a perfectly timed break. DEFENSIVE PLAYBOOK UPDATES In EA SPORTS™ College Football 26, we've updated the defensive playbooks to better reflect the strategic dynamics of the college game. This blog post explores not only the new playbook content—new formations and plays—but also highlights key foundational enhancements to defensive gameplay that improve how certain plays and schemes are executed. In this section, we're introducing several new formations and plays, alongside improvements to pass coverage logic, defensive alignment, and run fit responsibilities—all designed to provide a more authentic and engaging defensive experience. DEFENSIVE GUYS GET PAID TOO! Each of these coverages is built to provide layered support against key receivers, using a safety to play the outer half of the bracket while the underneath defender covers the inside leverage. These plays give users more control when scheming against specific personnel matchups, particularly in spread and tight end-heavy formations. Enhanced Run Fit Logic – Playing Real, Fast, and Sound One of the most fundamental parts of any great college defense is run fit discipline — and in College Football 26, we’ve overhauled how defenders align, trigger, and execute in the run game. Whether you’re facing a downhill Power team, a zone-based spread, or a modern RPO-heavy attack, our new Run Fit System makes sure defenders show up where they’re supposed to — and do it with urgency. This year, run fits are more consistent and clearly defined, reducing the guessing game that often left players asking, “Wait, why is my linebacker outside?” The gaps are clearer. The assignments are cleaner. And the logic behind who fits where now holds up from the first quarter through the fourth. Linebackers & Safeties In previous years, second-level defenders sometimes played on their heels — waiting for the ball to declare, catching blocks, or hanging back too long. That’s no longer the case. Linebackers and safeties now fit more aggressively downhill, triggering earlier and attacking their assigned gap with the kind of physicality you expect in real college football. You’ll feel the difference when you shoot a B-gap and stonewall a run before it hits the line. You’ll see it when a safety keys run from a two-high shell and knifes in to make a stop. This isn’t about playing reckless — it’s about playing with intent. RPO Integrity RPOs are a huge part of the modern college game, and our defensive system is now structured to handle them with built-in rules that mimic real defensive football. Most run fits in College Football 26 are designed to be RPO sound, meaning defenders have clearer jobs based on alignment and route action. A & B gap defenders (usually interior linemen and linebackers) are now coached to play the run first. C, D, and E defenders (corners, overhangs, and safeties aligned outside) will read their key: if the receiver they’re responsible for goes out on a route, they play pass; if he blocks, they trigger into their run fit. This logic keeps the defense from overcommitting and opens the door for smarter, more football-faithful reactions against reads, peeks, and tags. A Smarter, Sharper Run Defense Defending the run has always been about assignment, aggression, and discipline. This year, we’ve taken major steps to bring all three to life in a way that’s not just more authentic — it’s more effective. Whether you’re stacking the box to shut down a Heisman candidate or trying to survive a 12-play option drive, your defenders now have the tools, logic, and mindset to win their one-eleven. This is what real football defense looks like. Fast. Sound. And built to hold up — no matter what the offense throws your way. COACH EM UP! Coach Setting – Safety Adjustments One of the most exciting additions to College Football 26 this year is the new Coach Setting for Safety Adjustments, giving players full control over how their safeties align — both in depth, width, and position. This feature is all about pre-snap identity. Whether you're building a defense that plays downhill or one that prioritizes keeping a lid on explosive plays, this system lets you coach with intention. Around college football, we see tremendous variance in safety depth — and it’s not just philosophy. Some teams bring their safeties closer to tighten up run fits. Others sit them deep to neutralize elite vertical threats. That spectrum of strategic flexibility now exists in-game. This setting is available through the pre-game Coach Settings menu, and can be layered in combination with other defensive tools. There are three key dimensions of control: Safety Depth Close – Brings safeties into the box or near it; great for run fits or tighter red zone looks Default – Standard balance for most formations Deep – Aligns safeties deeper than normal; ideal for defending deep speed Prevent – Sits them way back; used in end-of-half/game situations to avoid giving up the big one Safety Width Default – Neutral alignment relative to formation Spread – Positions safeties wider than usual; useful against sideline threats Wide – Further exaggerates outside leverage to protect against deep out routes or verticals Pinch – Brings safeties tighter to the middle. Midpoint Shift This is all about repositioning your safeties off the defensive midpoint: Left / Right – Adjust based on field alignment Strong / Weak – Shift according to offensive strength (TE side) Field / Boundary – Adjust relative to the wide/narrow side of the field You can combine all three layers of control to match the exact identity you're trying to build. Want your safeties close and pinched against a downhill run team, but shifted weak to bait play-action? You can do that. Need to get them deep and spread against a vertical Air Raid look? Covered. This is the type of setting that may fly under the radar at first glance — but for players who love building a real identity on defense, it’s a game-changer. It's one of our favorite additions this year, and just another example of how College Football 26 continues pushing toward authentic football control, from top to bottom. New RPO Coaching Adjustment – Control the Rules To take this a step further, College Football 26 introduces a new RPO-specific coaching adjustment, allowing you to fine-tune how your AI defenders handle zone read, peek, and traditional RPO concepts. Want your overhangs to be more aggressive against the run, even if it means giving up a quick slant? You can dial that up. Prefer they sit back and protect against the pass-first? That’s an option too. It’s about giving you the same philosophical control real coaches have on Saturdays — and trusting you to use it. As you can see, there’s a lot more you can now do within the coach adjustments menu. And finally, you can easily reset these adjustments back to their default settings with one click by simply pressing L3. SHOW BLITZ – LINEBACKERS ONLY In the past, choosing to “Show Blitz” meant your entire defense came crowding the line—safeties, corners, everyone. It looked aggressive, sure—but it also gave everything away. Not anymore. In College Football 26, you can now show blitz with just your linebackers, giving you far more control over how your defense looks pre-snap. Want to threaten pressure without committing your safeties? Want to crowd the box to bait a check or force a protection slide? Now you can. This isn’t just a gameplay improvement—it’s real football. In actual defensive gameplans, linebackers regularly step up to show pressure, then drop back into coverage or rotate into a different fit post-snap. This new control brings that same level of disguise and intent to your defensive tools. Tactically, it’s a huge win. Disguise coverage Influence run fits Fake pressure The chess match at the line just got a nice upgrade. REAL TIME COACHING 2.0 Real-Time Coaching (RTC) – Year 2 Evolution After laying the foundation last year, Real-Time Coaching takes a massive leap forward in College Football 25, improving how CPU-controlled teams adjust and compete. RTC is no longer just a feature — it’s the engine behind smarter, more strategic, and more human-like coaching behavior on both sides of the ball. A huge part of this leap comes from major improvements to our internal toolset, which allowed us to implement over three times as many real-time adjustments as last year. That’s not just more logic — it's smarter, faster, and far more varied logic. Coaches now respond with a wider range of strategies, personality-driven behavior, and situational awareness, making every team feel more distinct and more dynamic. Delayed Shifts, Formation IQ, and Real Adjustments One of the most noticeable upgrades is the introduction of delayed shifts. Defensive coordinators will no longer show their hand immediately. You'll see safeties rotate late, defensive fronts shift post-audible to counter new threats. This simulates real-life defensive disguises, forcing users to read and react, not just pre-snap guesses. Beyond disguise, defenses are now significantly smarter about formation strength and run type. Whether you're grinding power, trap, duo, or using pistol to stretch the edge, RTC recognizes not just that you’re running — but how and from where. More than last year, teams will adjust their number count in the box, adjust front alignment, and bring pressure based on these keys. And for those leaning on a dominant runner or targeting one side repeatedly, expect to see safeties creeping down, linebackers flowing quicker, and fronts shifting to seal cutback lanes. This is no longer just “defending the run”—it's run recognition and response. Passing Defense: The 9-Box and Concept Tracking New in College Football 26 is the 9-Box — a spatial backend intelligence system that tracks where your passing and game is attacking. Using this, defensive AI now understands not just where you’re throwing, but also what you’re throwing. This fuels pass concept recognition — meaning the CPU knows if you’re leaning on Flood, Mesh, or Smash, and will start dialing up counters. This also powers a new layer in Coach Suggestions, where concept counters are intelligently surfaced. If Flood is killing a defense, look for a call that directly attacks the route combo, not just a generic zone shell. The goal? Give players access to the same in-game adjustments a real coordinator would consider. The Next Step in Strategic Football This is still just year two of Real-Time Coaching — but already, it’s reshaping how CPU opponents think, adapt, and challenge the player. From delayed pre-snap shifts to formation-specific run fits, threat recognition, and targeted countermeasures, RTC is evolving into the foundation of authentic, adaptive college football gameplay. And we get it — you’re talented players. Will you find some way to attack it? No doubt! But this is a major step forward. Year two marks a significant investment not only in AI sophistication but in delivering a CPU experience that pushes back, adapts, and holds up to the depth and skill of today’s user. This is about making every snap matter — whether you're playing against a rival, grinding through dynasty, or just testing yourself against the game. And it’s only going to keep growing. IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS Switch Stick visual change The pre play movement from Madden 25 comes to college football along with new enhancements. Pursuit has been tuned. You will still see players with low pursuit ratings unable to properly judge speed and take CPU QB’s getting out of fake earlier in Play Action In the passing game, we have extended our bullseye accuracy system from last year. In CFB26, you will see a much wider range of slightly inaccurate and inaccurate passes. Expect to see a lot more bat-down attempts from pass rushers. Linemen who gain leverage but can't reach the quarterback will actively try to knock the ball down, enhancing realism and defensive gameplay. Double Move Improvements - Just as savvy offenses use double moves to exploit aggressive, all-out blitz schemes in critical game moments, College Football 26 now enables quarterbacks to execute these routes more effectively. This improvement mirrors real-world scenarios where offensive coordinators strategically capitalize on overly aggressive or inexperienced defenders. HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE – LOUDER, TOUGHER, AND MORE PERSONAL We saw the viral clips. We heard the screams. And we felt the energy right alongside you. Last year’s launch of Home Field Advantage made an instant impact—on gameplay, and all over social media. We heard your feedback loud and clear, and we loved how many of you embraced the challenge of playing on the road, feeling the nerves when stepping into the toughest stadiums in the country. But this year? We’re turning that pressure up a notch. Because when you walk into hostile environments like Death Valley at night, or step into a rivalry game with your season hanging in the balance, it’s not just about volume anymore—it’s about survival. SAME NAME. NEW ENERGY. We kept the name, brought up the intensity of the Stadium Pulse Meter, but everything about Home Field Advantage in College Football 26 has evolved. It hits harder. It stretches deeper. It feels more alive. And if you’re walking into the wrong stadium at the wrong time? Be prepared for an experience that can break your spirit or forge legends—welcome to College Football 26. NIGHT GAMES & RIVALRIES In College Football 26, nighttime and rivalry modifiers add an extra edge to schools ranked among the toughest places to play. Now, when you're on the road under the lights, it's a different kind of chaos. Away quarterbacks will struggle managing the clock—just like we've seen visiting QBs in The Swamp lose their composure in crucial moments. Kicking becomes dramatically tougher, especially with the game on the line. And in rivalry matchups? Expect more false starts, more broken communication, and more composure breakdowns as the crowd pushes every moment to the breaking point. That means places like LSU at night, The Swamp during Florida-Bama, or at Autzen during a Civil War showdown aren’t just hard—they’re hostile. WHERE YOU LINE UP MATTERS Hot route disruptions now come with added context and depth. They scale based on your receiver's distance from the quarterback, meaning wide receivers lined up furthest away are impacted the most by crowd noise. The deeper your route concept, the higher the risk of miscommunication and confusion. Pre-snap adjustments feel situational—exactly as they do on Saturdays. You’ll think twice before checking at the line, and you’ll work harder to maintain composure. SILENCING THE CROWD We’ve also added a new mechanic to give the away team a fighting chance: momentum-based crowd silence. Now, when the visiting team pulls off a big play—specifically, a gain of 20+ yards resulting in a first down—you’ll temporarily quiet the stadium and pause Home Field Advantage effects. It’s your chance to silence the chaos, seize momentum, and flip the game—if you can execute. THE KICKING GAUNTLET We didn’t forget the kickers. This year, we’ve completely overhauled the pressure-kicking experience in hostile environments—especially during night games and intense rivalry battles. When the crowd is at its peak: The accuracy meter becomes completely transparent The ball fades out as your kicker lines up The power meter fills white, reducing your visual feedback The result? Kicking becomes a true pressure-cooker moment where the difference between hero and villain comes down to your thumbs. Make it, and you'll celebrate in stunned silence. Miss it, and you'll never hear the end of it. Good luck—you’re going to need it. SWAG OUT Additionally, based on your interactions with myself on X, I asked about your favorite celebrations last year, and we've kept most of them. Alongside adding new celebrations and replacing some others, we're also introducing the ability to walk or jog around after an interception or touchdown, giving you even more ways to enjoy swag out your big moments. BACK TO THE FIELD YOU GO! And just like that, we've reached the end of another deep dive. The commitment, creativity, and relentless attention to detail our team poured into EA SPORTS College Football 26 makes me incredibly proud and honored to be part of this journey. From the very first snap, you'll feel the passion behind every improvement we've made—each driven by a single goal: to authentically capture the energy, intensity, authenticity, and excitement of college football. Our gameplay motto this year was simple and clear: “Finish the Drive.” Just like executing a perfect 4-Minute Offense, every decision, every adjustment, and every effort was about closing strong and delivering for you, the football gaming community. Throughout development, we've read and absorbed countless tweets, forum posts, and community wishlists. We know we haven't gotten to everything yet, but the proverbial Trojan Sword remains firmly planted at midfield, signifying our ongoing dedication and determination to keep pushing forward. It's been another incredible ride, and we can't wait for you to experience it. We’ll be back with more on Presentation, Dynasty, and additional modes later this summer. Until then… WinnersWin, and I’m out! — Scott O’Gallagher and the entire dev team [Source] ---- College Football 26 launches worldwide on July 10, 2025. Pre-order the Deluxe Edition** or the EA SPORTS™ MVP Bundle* and play 3 days early. Conditions and restrictions apply. See disclaimers for details. Stay in the conversation by following us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and the EA Forums. **Conditions & restrictions apply. See ea.com/games/ea-sports-college-football/college-football-26/game-disclaimers for details. *Conditions & restrictions apply. See https://www.ea.com/games/madden-nfl/madden-nfl-26/game-disclaimers for details.College Football 26 Presentation Deep Dive
Hey there College Football fans, welcome back to the Campus Huddle! Your home for all news and updates straight from the development team! Today, we are going to go through a deep dive about changes to the presentation of EA Sports College Football 26 and how they will impact your experience. Lets get right into it with Design Director Christian Brandt. Hello fellow gaming enthusiasts, football fanatics, and my fellow Penn State Fans! Design Director Christian Brandt here, and as a passionate developer working on EA Sports College Football 26, I'm thrilled to share the exciting features and immersive experiences we're bringing to you. But first I want to say thank you for everything, your passion, and feedback is why we do what we do and we would not have made it this far without YOU. In this article, we’re going to take you behind the scenes of how we built College Football 26, highlighting the key areas where we’ve raised the bar this year: Lighting, Pageantry, Mascots, Audio, Player Authenticity, Coaches, Student Crowds, and more. These elements are what fuel college football and we’ve worked tirelessly to bring them to life in new ways that feel authentic, innovative, and FUN to play! College Football Presentation is all about recreating the Sights and Sounds across each of the 136 different schools. As we like to say, every team is somebody's favorite team and we take that to heart. Our goal is to provide the most authentic experiences at each and every school. We took Presentation to the Next Level this year with newly added traditions, pageantry, and Epic runouts to make you feel just like at home when you step out onto the field for the first time in College Football 26. We even have different types of runouts across the game like in Road to Glory, you will actually be in the runout and can use the right stick to look around the stadium to see everything around you! Dynamic Time of Day: A Game-Changer In game lighting is a key part of making a visually stunning game. We’ve made major improvements in this area for College Football 26. Our improved lighting system boosts the realism of every scene, from the pregame warmups to the postgame celebrations. One of the most requested features last year was dynamic time of day. Now as you are playing the game you will notice a change in lighting from quarter to quarter. You could start a late afternoon game then it will now be dark before the finish. Regional Time of Day A 6 PM kickoff in Chestnut Hill will look different from a 6 PM kickoff in Austin, reflecting each location's unique lighting. Seasonal Time of Day Games in November will get darker sooner than those in September, adding a realism tied to the time of year. For example, a game that starts at 3:30pm in Happy Valley in September will still have the sun up at 5pm but a game in November, the sun will be down as the game is ending. By blending a dynamic time of day with our improved lighting engine, we’ve created a game that looks and feels alive, no matter when or where you play. These features ensure that every game feels distinct, whether it’s a sunny afternoon matchup or a primetime game under the lights. Pageantry and Mascots: Celebrating Tradition College football is rich in tradition, and we’ve worked hard to capture the pageantry that makes the sport special. It’s a huge differentiator from Sunday’s. From the marching bands to the mascots, every detail is crafted to celebrate each program's unique spirit. Our team’s attention to detail shines through in every aspect of the game. From how a mascot interacts with the crowd to the soundtrack of the marching bands, we’ve gone the extra mile to ensure that College Football 26 feels like a true celebration of the sport. One of the most exciting additions to College Football 26 is the evolution of pregame runouts and pageantry. These celebrate the unique traditions and energy of each school. College football is not just about the game—it’s also about the moments leading up to kickoff, the rituals that unite fans, and the electric atmosphere that makes every matchup special. New Runouts: Tailoring the Pregame Experience This year, we’ve upgraded runouts, introducing a tiered system that adapts to the game's context and reflects each program's individuality. Whether it’s a primetime game, a rivalry steeped in history, or a quick matchup in your Road to College Football grind, our new runout system ensures that every game is tailored to the moment. Let’s dive into the details of how we’ve brought these iconic pregame experiences to life. Here is how they break down. Epic Runouts: Primetime Pageantry Reserved for special night games across iconic locations, Epic Runouts aim to create the best primetime experience. These sequences include light and drone shows, drawing from many real-world references. The focus is to immerse players in the thrilling atmosphere of a major matchup with the lights dimmed, phone outs, and Cocky at center stage hyping up the crowd at South Carolina University where the stakes are high and the energy level hits an all time high! Bringing Pageantry to Life: The Role of Light and Drone Shows One standout feature of College Football 26 is the use of light and drone shows in the pregame experience. These visual displays are inspired by reality and tailored to each team, adding authenticity and excitement to the game. Light Shows: Teams with light shows include Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Nebraska, South Carolina, Tennessee, NC State, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Texas State, UCF, Boston College, Notre Dame, Rutgers, and UCLA. Each light show is tailored to reflect the school’s traditions and stadium vibe. For example: Alabama: The stadium lights up in red, creating a bold visual that matches the Crimson Tide’s strength. Tennessee: The "light-up T" shines brightly, capturing the spirit of the Volunteers. North Carolina: Spotlights move across the field, adding drama to the Tar Heels’ entrance. Drone Shows: Drone shows elevate the spectacle, merging technology with school pride. These aerial displays create intricate shapes and patterns that celebrate the team’s identity. For example, Clemson’s drones will form a tiger paw in the sky, while Ohio State’s drones create the recognizable Block O and Brutus the Buckeye. By including light and drone shows in the runout system, we’ve crafted a pregame experience that feels larger than life, setting the stage for unforgettable matchups. Teams with drone shows include Arizona State, Cal, Florida, LSU, Texas, Ohio State, Clemson, and Nebraska. These shows display intricate aerial patterns that blend advanced technology with school pride. For example: Texas: The drones create the famous Longhorn logo in the sky, making a stunning visual statement before the game. LSU: The drones illuminate the night with purple and gold designs, honoring the Tigers’ rich heritage. Overall, the Epic Runouts focus on the spectacle of College Football, providing a cinematic experience that captures the excitement of each school's atmosphere under the lights. Traditional “Standard” Runouts: Tradition and Atmosphere are what we all know and love, and team runouts build on the foundation of last year's sequences, incorporating more traditions and new mascots. These sequences celebrate each program's unique rituals, bringing the spectacle of college football to life. Highlights include: Ohio and Utah: Motorcycles lead the runout, adding power and excitement to the entrance. South Carolina: The iconic Cockaboose arrives, celebrating the Gamecocks’ unique tradition. Oklahoma’s Sooner Schooner: The cherished wagon rides onto the field, representing the spirit of the Sooners. To build these new traditions, we were back at it in the Motion Capture studio. We build all of the props to authentically recreate each team's special moments. Here is an example of Oklahoma State’s runout with the gate. First we start with a group of 7 football players placed behind our custom build gate that replicated the size of the real Oklahoma State entrance gate. We then proceeded to have the players run out just like they would on a Saturday with blasting music to keep the energy levels up. We do the takes over and over to make sure we have enough player animations to create a full team, such as the first line of players along the gate, then the second row of players, third row of players, etc… until we have that full team look. Check out the end result with the lighting, uniforms, and smoke effects added! Quick Runouts: Streamlined for Speed These sequences are shorter versions of the Standard Runouts, offering a quick experience without losing the essence of college football. Quick Runouts are the default for Road to CFP, catering to ranked players who prefer efficiency, but they also can appear in Dynasty Mode for unranked CPU opponents at home. Road to Glory Runouts: A Personal Perspective Road to Glory Runouts are specifically designed for the RTG experience, offering a more personal view where you are actually in the runout from tunnel to running across the field. Unlike other runouts, the RTG runout sequence uses a player-controlled camera that gives you the perspective of your athlete. Use the right stick to look around in the tunnel and up at the fireworks blasting off along the top of the press box as you hear 80 to 100k fans screaming for you! This change highlights the individual journey of your Road to Glory character, making the pregame experience feel personal and unique. Whether you’re stepping onto the field for your first college game or leading your team into a championship, RTG Runouts show the personal stakes and emotions of your journey. Band Formations Also keep an eye out for iconic pre-game band formations across teams such as Illinois, Appalachian State, Minnesota, Penn State PSU, Louisiana Lafayette, and many many more! Mascots and Traditions: Breathing Life into College Football’s Unique Spirit One of the most cherished aspects of college football is the vibrant mix of traditions and mascots that make each program special. From costumed characters that represent school pride to touchdown and turnover celebrations that excite the crowd, these elements are essential to the sport. For College Football 26, we prioritized expanding and improving these features to bring even more authenticity and personality to the game. We heard your feedback from last year, and this year, we’re excited to introduce new mascots and touchdowns/turnover traditions that celebrate each program's uniqueness to immerse players in the lively culture of college football. New Mascots: Expanding the Roster of Costumed Icons Mascots are more than just characters in costumes; they symbolize school pride, rallying fans and players alike. In College Football 26, we’ve broadened our lineup of mascots, adding many new characters that represent programs nationwide. Each mascot has been thoughtfully designed to reflect the spirit of their school, ensuring they feel real and authentic. Here’s a look at the new mascots joining the game this year: Utah: Swoop brings the energy of Salt Lake City to the field, exemplifying the grit and determination of the program. Iowa: Herky the Hawk joins the team, showcasing Hawk pride with his iconic look and spirited antics. Arkansas: Big Red, the Razorbacks’ beloved mascot, charges onto the field, symbolizing the fierce and passionate fanbase of Arkansas. Duke: The Blue Devil makes his debut, adding a touch of mischief and tradition to the game. Kansas and Kansas State: The intense rivalry between both schools and their mascots Big Jay and Willie the Wildcat join the mix, celebrating the Sunflower State’s football heritage. Mississippi State: Bully the Bulldog takes the field, proud to represent Starkville's in all it’s glory! Boise State: Buster Bronco gallops into the game, embodying the excitement and energy of the Broncos. Boston College: Baldwin the Eagle soars into the game, reflecting the strength and tradition of the Eagles. Louisville: Louie the Cardinal joins the cast, bringing the fiery spirit of Louisville to life. Pittsburgh: Roc the Panther makes his debut, representing the pride of the Steel City. SMU: Peruna, the Mustang mascot, marches onto the field, showcasing the speed and strength of the program. Army and Navy: The mascots from both service academies—Army Mules and Navy’s Bill The Goat—join the game, celebrating the storied rivalry of these historic programs. NC State: Mrs. Wuf adds her playful energy to the game, representing the Wolfpack with pride. Ohio: Rufus the Bobcat joins the roster, capturing the spirit of Ohio University. East Carolina: PeeDee the Pirate debuts, bringing a swashbuckling touch to the game. South Florida: Rocky the Bull charges into the game, embodying the strength and determination of the Bulls. Northwestern: Willie the Wildcat joins the team, representing pride from Evanston. Washington State and Oregon State: Both schools’ mascots Butch T. Cougar and Benny Beaver united as the Pac-12 make their debut, spotlighting the traditions of the Pacific Northwest. Rutgers: The Scarlet Knight makes his way into the game, showcasing the history and pride of Rutgers football. Kentucky: Scratch the Wildcat joins the roster, sharing the energy of the Bluegrass State. Missouri: Truman the Tiger makes his debut, representing the pride of Mizzou. Air Force: “The Bird” soars into the game, celebrating the service and excellence of the Air Force Academy. Arizona: Wilbur and Wilma Wildcat join the lineup, showcasing the spirit of the Wildcats. Baylor: Bruiser the Bear makes his debut, symbolizing the strength and tradition of Baylor football. Cincinnati: Lucille joins the roster, reflecting the pride of the Queen City. Houston: Shasta the Cougar charges into the game, showcasing the energy and tradition of Houston football. Iowa State: Cy the Cardinal makes his debut, showcasing the Cyclones’ spirit. Texas Tech: The Masked Rider and Raider Red join the game, representing the unique traditions of Texas Tech. Akron: Zippy the Kangaroo hops into the game, adding a playful twist to the roster. Bowling Green: Freddie makes their debut, representing Bowling Green’s pride. Wyoming: Pistol Pete joins the lineup, embodying the rugged spirit of the Cowboys. Colorado State: CAM the Ram charges onto the field, representing the pride and tradition of the Rams. Coastal Carolina: Chauncey the Chanticleer makes his debut, bringing the energy of the Chanticleers to life. Pop-Tarts Bowl: Yes, even the Pop-Tarts Bowl has its own mascot, adding a whimsical charm to the game. With this expanded roster, College Football 26 celebrates the diversity and individuality of college football programs across the nation. Each mascot adds unique flair, making every matchup feel special and authentic. We are working to include even more mascots post launch! Stay tuned to future Title Update Campus Huddles to learn more. Touchdown and Turnover Traditions: Celebrating the Big Moments Along with the new mascots, we’ve introduced various touchdown and turnover traditions that showcase each program’s culture. These celebrations are a unique part of college football, capturing the excitement and pride of impactful plays. Here are some standout additions: Texas and Arizona Turnover Swords: Both teams have introduced turnover swords, adding distinct flair to their celebrations. Look out for those footballs stacking up in Arizona!!! The Akron Turnover Tire is placed around a player after an interception or fumble recovery. Georgia's Savage pads! TCU Frog Horn: The Horned Frogs celebrate touchdowns with the Frog Horn, a beloved tradition among fans and players. Oklahoma State Paddles: The fans celebrate with their symbolic paddles, showing their passion in Stillwater. Liberty Player Handsign: Liberty players signal with a unique hand sign after big plays, showcasing the program’s pride and unity. Nebraska Balloons: After a touchdown, Nebraska fans release balloons into the sky, creating a cherished visual celebration. Plus many more!!! These traditions contribute personality and excitement to the game, making every touchdown and turnover feel like a celebration of school pride. Whether it’s the celebratory sound of the Frog Horn, the sight of Nebraska’s balloons, or the slap of Oklahoma State’s paddles, these moments represent the heart of college football. We have other traditions we are looking into as well, some including food. Rivalries! Another area we concentrated on was adding in more rivalry game trophies, a big differentiator for College Football. Go out there and compete for the Battle of the Bones and try to collect them all for your Trophy Room! Make sure to check out the Dynasty Deep Dive Campus Huddle tomorrow to learn more about trophy room! Continuing Unfinished Business: Building on Last Year’s Foundation Last year, we tackled one of the biggest challenges in the franchise's history: creating over 12,000 player likenesses without traditional scanning methods. The opt-in process for player likenesses started in February, just five months before launch, which allowed us to use machine learning to generate heads quickly. While this method had its challenges, players and fans responded positively, showing our art team's dedication and creativity. They worked hard to deliver a game that felt genuine and realistic for each player. This year, we built on that success by refining our pipelines and improving the detail of both returning and new players. We also expanded this pipeline to include coaches and secondary characters, ensuring that the faces in College Football 26 feels real and significant. Player Authenticity: A New Standard One main focus area this year was on improving player authenticity. In College Football 25, we established a strong base of player likeness variations. For College Football 26, we improved the fidelity for all player heads with the newly upgraded machine learning based pipeline. Expanded Player Body Types College athletes come in many sizes, and we wanted to showcase that diversity. This year, we introduced a "Lean" body type to better represent the physiques of many college athletes, including quarterbacks, defensive backs, and wide receivers. This brings our total body types to five, giving fans a new level of authenticity in how their favorite players and recruits appear on the field. For instance, Aidan Chiles is a quarterback who stands at 6'3" and weighs 217 pounds. The “Lean” body type captures the athleticism and youthfulness of players like him, making the game feel true to life. Jersey Deformation and Wrinkle Simulation This new feature adds a dynamic layer to the gameplay, especially alongside our physics-based tackling system. We used machine learning to train thousands of player animations for realistic jersey deformation, improving the visual fidelity of every play. These updates ensure that every player, from the star quarterback to the underappreciated special teams player, looks and feels like they belong on the field. Uniforms: A Fresh Look for Every Team Uniforms are key to college football's identity, showcasing the pride and uniqueness of each program. In College Football 26, we’ve made significant progress in expanding and updating uniform options, ensuring that every team—in every mode—looks their best on the field. High School Team Uniforms This year, we introduced a mix of classic and modern styles for high school teams. These designs will be unique to each HS. So whether you prefer traditional designs or modern looks, these uniforms capture the essence of high school football. Players can also import custom teams from Teambuilder for even more personalization. Updates for Uniforms now and future Uniforms are not locked in College Football 26. Throughout the year, our team continues to review uniforms to keep teams current with real-world changes. For example, Delaware's and Missouri State's assets are brand new and included along with other updates to many teams, this includes over 25 new helmets options and other items not included in College Football 25, ensuring better accuracy and representation with more updates planned. We will provide you updates in future Title Update Campus Huddle Articles. Fixes and Improvements We’ve also addressed multiple community feedback notes, such as fixing the color shift on Arizona’s maroon helmet and the nameplate clipping into the stripes on LSU and others to ensure every detail is polished and accurate. Head Coaches Are Now in the Game! For the first time, we have now added real coaches into the game totaling over 300 coach likenesses in College Football 26. This includes Head Coaches and a large amount of real offensive and defensive coordinators across the teams. The Student Crowd and Secondary Characters: Breathing Life into the Stadium College football is as much about the atmosphere as the game itself. The excitement of the crowd, the energy of the student section, and passion across the whole crowd all add to the magic of game day. In College Football 26, we made major strides in this area: 1,700+ New Heads for Secondary Characters We created a wide variety of new heads to ensure the crowd feels as lively and diverse as the players on the field. Strand Hair with Simulation This new hair technology adds realism to characters, from cheerleaders to student sections when we zoom in with the camera. Student “Hero” Crowd and Cheerleaders These characters have been upgraded to match the detail of our players, ensuring that every aspect of the game feels connected and immersive. And yes, we heard the memes about last year. That one superfan who seemed to appear in every game? He's now watching from home, replaced by a more varied and authentic crowd. Now, let's take a look at all of the new audio changes you can expect this year, take it away Torsten! Audio/Commentary Hey Everyone! My name is Torsten Staley, and I am the Audio Producer for EA Sports College Football ‘26. The response to College Football '25 blew us away, and we hope to build on that experience with what we have in store for you in CFB '26, especially regarding Audio. As a former member of the Oregon Marching Band, audio is as much a part of the game day experience for me as the tailgates, unique school traditions, and the thrill of beating your rival. Commentary Let’s start with Commentary - we’re excited to bring back our two commentary teams from College Football ‘25 for College Football ‘26. Combined, our teams have spent 200 additional hours in the booth and recorded 15,000 new lines to build on their initial CFB ‘25 content. This year, they have added even more content around Rivalry Games (Battle of the Bones, Wagon Wheel, Battle for I-10, I’m looking at you), the College Football Playoff, and callouts/recaps on significant results from the 2024 College Football season. Everything from Texas’ early visit to Michigan last year, to the 8 OT classic between Georgia and Georgia Tech, capping it off with each of the 2024 College Football Playoff Games - in case anyone was looking for payback… We’ve also added Banter around Coaches and Players from last year. Having real coaches as part of College Football ‘26 is something that our commentary teams thoroughly enjoyed exploring for the first time. As for the players, some of the players we’ll be mentioning have returned this upcoming season to help lead the way in a push toward the playoffs, and some teams we’ll discuss will be looking for answers in replacing the production of players who have left. Finally, we want to add to your story throughout the season, whether in Dynasty or RTG, and hearing how your season is progressing through commentary is an important part of that. Creating talking points about post-season results from the previous year, National Ranking check-ins, reliance on the transfer portal, your recruiting results, and how you as a player are progressing through an individual game will help make the season feel even more alive. Music Beyond putting our commentary together, one of my favorite things about working on College Football ‘26 is the wide variety of music that we get to play with. The musical soundscape of a College Football game is one of the reasons it stands out and in order to make this game more and more like the games you go to, and watch from home on Saturdays, we broke these varieties into a few different buckets PA Music Fan favorites from last year have returned in Sandstorm, Zombie Nation, Tsunami, and of course…Mo Bamba. But this year, we’ve added to those iconic stadium songs with Shipping up to Boston, Mr. Brightside, Seven Nation Army, and…Enter Sandman, and more! Fans of schools who use some of these songs for iconic moments every Saturday (Virginia Tech, Michigan), we hope you enjoy being able to re-create those iconic moments at home with your friends and family. Marching Bands No college gameday experience is complete without a Marching Band, and for College Football ‘26, we’ve amplified how often and where you’ll hear from some of the amazing musicians we worked with to create this soundscape. First off, the Press Start screen is going to sound a bit different from last year and from past EA Sports games - that’s because we worked with the Auburn University Marching Band, under the leadership of Marching Band Director Dr. Corey Spurlin, to record a version of our theme for College Football ‘26. Auburn University was selected because they were the 2023 Metallica Marching Band contest winner. We couldn’t have found a more amazing and talented group of musicians to work with on this, and we can’t wait to find the next Band to feature in EA Sports College Football. Additionally, we’re excited to launch this year with 88 new pieces of Marching Band music to enhance the stadium experience for our players. We scoured message boards, Reddit threads, and even tuned in to some passionate streamers, looking for iconic songs players were seeking after launch last year from across our 136 schools, and for misses that we had in CFB ‘25. And for those fans from Arizona, Kansas, and Clemson…we got you… …Oh - and SMU - ya’ll are crazy with those different Fight Song variations... …And Houston, we’ll always be TALKKKIN BOUT THE COUUGGAAARRRSSS!!! Finally, let's talk about Menus and everyone's favorite topic, our Drumline. As part of the 88 new pieces of music, we have 20 new drumline tracks to feature in-game and as part of our menus. Now, we know some of you enjoyed having Drumline in your ears as you went after that 5 star Defensive End in Dynasty last year, and some of you didn’t….this year, we’re proud to report that we’re going to be pairing our Drumline with 15 new fight songs from schools around the country AND 16 Pop Song covers by our EA Sports College Football Marching Band. We recorded these 16 stadium-rattling interpretations of songs from pop, rock, country, hip-hop and beyond, including “Blinding Lights”, “I Had Some Help”, “B.O.B.”, “Swag Surfin”, “Get By”, “Focus”, “DNA”, “Vegas” and more to add to your experience in game!!! Chants/Crowd One of the big focal points of the audio experience this year was to push our crowd chants even more from where they were in CFB ‘25. So, we recorded an additional 160 Chants to feature in our game and across all modes. Yes, even in High School for Road To Glory, there will be chants for the teams there. We focused on amplifying Fight Songs and Rousers, to bring the music and crowd together, and from adding M-A-R-Y-L-A-N-D to the end of the Maryland Victory Song to B-G-S-U as part of Bowling Green’s Ay Ziggy (both new songs btw), these have been a blast to put together. Oh, and remember how we got Mr. Brightside and Enter Sandman…ya, we have the chants/singing to go along with those iconic songs too. If you think Mo Bamba at Penn State was loud last year, wait until you drop into the White Out this year with the whole stadium singing along to get one of those iconic first play delay of game penalties on the opponent! Finally, let’s talk about crowd noise - no college game is complete without a fired-up crowd. Over the past year, we have been able to amplify and build out that crowd experience to make places like Tiger Stadium at LSU and Autzen Stadium at Oregon stand out. Our continued partnership with ESPN in this area has been fantastic in building these environments, and College Football ‘26 will have the added recordings from over 40 games from the 2024 season as part of our crowd banks to further rattle the girders as you play around the country, seeing what each environment has to offer. Audio is a cornerstone of the Presentation experience in College Football ‘26, and we can’t wait for you to get your hands on the sticks and crank up the volume to experience these venues and gameday environments we all love! All New In-Game Broadcast Graphics Presentation is not just all the visuals and sounds, but also the flow of the game and all the awesome broadcast banners and PIP information panel in the playcall screen. We have refreshed the game with a new style and all new broadcast banners throughout the game from the first time you enter the field to between quarters and halftime stat updates. Entering the field you can trigger a large variety of different information from game to game such as comparing top players between the team, a lineup view of defensive lineup, a crew of top talented running backs, comparing the QB’s against each other, or featuring the teams top impact players of the game. Final Thoughts As we reflect on the journey to College Football 26, we’re incredibly proud of what our game team has accomplished. From the authenticity of the players and coaches to the energy of the crowd and the beauty of the stadiums, every element of the game has been crafted with care and passion. Thank you for joining us on this journey. We can’t wait for you to experience College Football 26 and see, hear, and experience the results of our hard work. Whether you’re a hardcore fan or a casual player, we hope this year’s game captures the magic of college football in a way that feels fresh, exciting, and true to the sport we all love. Make sure you tune in tomorrow for the Dynasty Deep Dive Campus Huddle and Video! We Are! [Source] --- Feel free to reach out to us on our social platforms with questions and feedback about EA SPORTS College Football 26. Let's make this season the most exciting yet! College Football 26 launches worldwide on July 10, 2025. Pre-order the Deluxe Edition** or the EA SPORTS™ MVP Bundle* and play 3 days early. Stay in the conversation by following us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and the EA Forums. *Conditions & restrictions apply. See ea.com/games/ea-sports-college-football/college-football-26/game-disclaimers for details. **Conditions & restrictions apply. See https://www.ea.com/games/madden-nfl/madden-nfl-26/game-disclaimers for details.College Football 26 - Road to Glory Deep Dive
Welcome Back to the Campus Huddle, your home for news and information about EA SPORTS™ College Football 26 straight from the developer team! We know you have been waiting for more information about Road to Glory and we have a lot to share with you today. Before we get started with the Campus Huddle, let's hear from Kirk Herbstreit for a video deep dive on Road to Glory and Superstar! Now, once again, let’s hear from Chad Walker, Producer, and Ben Haumiller, Principal Game Designer, for College Football 26. Let’s get started! BUILDING ON THE FOUNDATION In College Football 25, we laid the foundation for our multi-year vision of what Road to Glory could become. We wanted the mode to be fast to fun, highly replayable, and grounded in the kinds of meaningful decisions that define a college athlete’s journey. From the start, our goal was to create an experience without right or wrong answers — one where every choice was rooted in meaningful decisions that shaped your path and legacy. It was incredible to see the community response and how much fun players had with characters like Audrey, getting blocked after sending a bold text, and creating memes from those unexpected moments. But in listening to our players, a few clear themes emerged. First, players wanted a more meaningful recruiting experience — more agency in deciding where they go to school, and more control over the moments that lead there. Second, while Coach Trust was a strong foundation for getting on the field, players wanted more tension, more rewards, and more to chase once they earned the starting job. And third, players wanted a better way to track their achievements and celebrate everything they’d earned across their career. With College Football 26, we’ve built directly on that feedback as part of our multi-year vision — expanding Road to Glory in ways that deepen the recruiting process, increase the importance of every decision, and reward players for how they grow over time. Every moment still matters. But now, there are even more ways to shape your future. CREATION Your journey in Road to Glory begins with your first meaningful decision — choosing your initial star rating. This choice defines your starting path and character creation, setting the tone for your attributes, abilities, and the early expectations around you. Regardless of the path you choose, you’ll face challenges along the way — and how you respond to them will shape everything that follows. There are four distinct starting points: Elite (5-star), Blue Chip (4-star), Contributor (3-star), and Underdog (2-star). Each offers a unique experience, from carrying the weight of national expectations to battling for recognition from the ground up. Your selected star rating sets your starting attributes and determines whether you begin with an ability tied to your archetype. Elite 5-star prospects start with one gold and one silver ability. Blue Chip 4-star prospects begin with one silver ability. Contributor and Underdog players won’t start with any abilities — they’ll have to earn them by proving they belong. The ability you start with is determined by your archetype. A Pocket Passer quarterback begins with Step Up and Dot, while a Pure Runner starts with Magician and Workhorse. But that early edge isn’t guaranteed to last. Just because you start as a 5-star doesn’t mean you can’t finish as a 2-star — and just because you start as a 2-star doesn’t mean you can’t climb all the way to 5-star status. Maintaining a top rating will require near-perfection throughout your high school journey. After selecting your starting star rating, your next major decision is choosing your position and archetype — a choice that defines how you play and how schools view your potential. In College Football 26, you can play as a Quarterback, Halfback, Wide Receiver, MIKE Linebacker, or Cornerback. Each position now features new, uniquely designed archetypes that reflect the diverse styles and skill sets seen across the college football landscape. This year, we’ve overhauled the entire archetype system to better mirror the real traits that make each player type distinct — from physical tools to mental makeup. For example, Halfback now includes six archetypes. You might be an East/West Playmaker, a shiftier back who can create space and generate big-play moments, or an Elusive Bruiser, who combines agility in the open field with downhill physicality. Each archetype comes with its own starting attributes, skill group caps, and a curated set of physical abilities tailored to your style of play. These choices don’t just shape how you play — they directly affect your recruiting path. Certain schools may be more or less interested in your archetype depending on how well you fit their scheme. A service academy like Army or Navy, for example, may be hesitant to pursue a Pocket Passer because it doesn’t align with their offensive system. That doesn’t mean you can’t earn their interest — it just means you’ll have to work harder to change minds. After selecting your archetype, it’s time to customize your player — from the school you represent to how you look and move on the field. This is where your identity takes shape. Start by choosing where you’re from. This decision isn’t just cosmetic — it directly influences recruiting. Local and in-state schools will show stronger interest, looking to lock down top regional talent. That doesn’t mean you can’t go out-of-state, but it will take more to earn those offers early. Next, set your high school name and mascot. There are six preset mascots to choose from, each with their own uniforms, colors, and logo. But if you’re looking for more control — or you want to represent your actual high school — you can take advantage of full Team Builder integration. To use Team Builder: Head to the Team Builder website when College Football 26 is live worldwide and create your school. Design your uniforms, set your stadium, and build your roster — keeping in mind that this is still high school football. If you stack your team with all 90 OVR players, don’t expect much competition from the other side. Once you’ve finalized your design, upload your team to the Download Center under Create & Share from the game’s main menu. When starting Road to Glory, choose Import High School Team Builder. From there, select your downloaded team. You’ll be given the option to import your custom roster. If you choose not to, a generic high school roster will be applied to your team. However, your custom stadium will always be used. Whether you go with a preset mascot or a fully custom creation, your high school becomes the backdrop to your early journey — shaping your season, your story, and your first shot at college attention. Once your school is set, it’s time to focus on your appearance and style. Choose from body types, including the newly added Lean frame that reflects long, wiry athletes. Equip your player with that on-field drip, then fine-tune how they move on game day. This year, we’ve expanded our styles and stances system with deeper customization options. Choose from over 40 throw styles, and select how your player runs, carries the ball, and lines up pre-snap. Whether you’re clapping to call for the snap in shotgun or crouching textbook-tight under center, these animations bring your player’s personality to life. With your player fully created, your high school selected, and your style locked in, it’s time to begin your journey and take the field. From here, every rep matters — and every performance shapes the next chapter of your Road to Glory. Your decisions in creation set the tone. But your legacy is built with every rep after that. HIGH SCHOOL Your Road to Glory officially begins with your first media moment — an interview with local reporter Alice Zimmer, who’s covering your rise as a high school prospect. Alice kicks off your recruiting story by asking a critical question: what motivates you when choosing a college? Whether it’s academics, championships, playing time, or something else entirely, your answers help define the kind of programs that will be most interested in you. Schools will evaluate your fit based on how well your motivations align with their My School grades, which will start to determine which programs are most likely to pursue you early in your journey. Once the interview ends, it’s time to begin your high school season, where your goal is to Build Your Tape. Your tape is a direct reflection of your abilities and proficiency of your position. The better your tape, the more schools will be interested in you. But attention isn’t enough. To earn a scholarship offer, your tape score must meet or exceed the standard for that program. Before we dive into how you build your tape, it’s important to understand how to set your recruiting board — and manage the top schools that are watching your every move. MANAGING YOUR TOP SCHOOLS Recruiting is competitive, and how you manage your top schools can make or break your path to a scholarship. Each school sets a scholarship threshold, and to earn an offer, your Assessed Tape Score must meet or exceed it. Your Assessed Tape Score will vary from school to school. It is a representation of how that school views your film and how well your skillset aligns with what they’re looking for at your position. A school’s scholarship threshold isn’t static. It’s shaped by multiple factors, including: Team Prestige Scheme Fit Your Motivations Proximity to campus Team Needs Your answers in scenarios and other off-field decisions To make informed decisions, you can view each school’s full evaluation of you from the Overview tab on your recruiting board. Here, you’ll find your Assessed Tape Score, Projected Role, Current Depth Chart, and Head Coach boosts and tendencies — everything you need to understand how that school sees you and where you might fit. You’ll be competing for offers against other recruits as a part of a 4,100 player recruiting class, where schools are targeting other players at your position. From the Recruiting Class tab, you can see which prospects a school is actively pursuing. If another player commits at your position, your Assessed Tape Score might no longer be enough — making an offer harder to earn or even pulling it off the table entirely. You can manage your board at any time from the My Recruitment action in the High School hub. You’re allowed up to 10 schools on your list, and you can add, remove, or swap them out based on your evolving recruiting picture. When browsing new schools to add or swapping one out, you’ll be able to view each program’s full assessment of your Tape Score to see where you stand before making a decision. You can also reorder your board anytime by holding R2/RT to keep your priorities in check. And while you focus on your journey, the world of college football continues to evolve around you. Seniors graduate, new recruits commit, coaches change jobs, and players enter the Transfer Portal — all of which reshapes the college landscape by the time you’re ready to commit. Stay plugged in through the High School hub, where you can view rankings, top stories, coaching moves, award watchlists, and everything else that is happening in the College Football world. BUILDING YOUR TAPE Once your season begins, it’s time to show what you can do on the field — and that means building your tape. Over the course of your high school schedule, you’ll play five games, each made up of four key moments designed to showcase your skill set. These moments drop you into a wide variety of football scenarios and challenge you with specific drive goals — like leading a go-ahead scoring drive or flipping field position after being pinned deep. Most drives include two goals: a basic goal that’s more achievable, and a harder goal that rewards more tape score if completed. Some drives may only feature a singular, high-stakes goal, offering a significant tape score boost if you rise to the occasion. These goals are your chance to prove you can execute in pressure-packed situations. Your performance in these moments directly shapes your Tape Score. Each drive is an opportunity to demonstrate your execution, decision-making, and ability to rise to the moment. The more goals you complete, the better your tape — and the more schools will take notice. Each week’s set of moments is built around a theme tied to your archetype. These themes are designed to measure your proficiency in your position and your ability to attack different defensive schemes, coverages, and players that challenge your role. For example, as a Pocket Passer, you might be tested against a shutdown corner one week or a blitz-heavy defense the next. Across all archetypes, there are more than 700 unique moments in the game — each one crafted to reflect the real variety and demands of college-bound talent. Schools evaluate these moments differently based on their schemes and what they value in a player. Some schools may place a higher weight on pocket presence and poise under pressure, while others may care more about mobility or improvisation. This is reflected in the Tape Score Boost each school applies — which can range from 1.0x to 3.0x depending on how much they value the situation you were placed in. When selecting which moments you want to complete, it is critical that you take into account the situation you are walking into, as well as how your top schools value that moment. Your ability to complete the moment, as well as selecting moments that your top school values highly can make or break your chances of earning a scholarship offer. The variation in evaluation from school to school is what makes your journey unique — your tape is more than a stat sheet. It’s a statement of who you are as a player, and which schools believe in your potential. Once you’ve selected your four moments for the week, it’s time to take the field. Before each drive begins, you’ll see a banner that sets the stage — outlining the situation, your drive goals, and how different schools view the moment. But once the whistle blows, it’s on you to execute. During gameplay, you’ll have access to your full playbook, customized to your archetype. A Pure Runner might see more quarterback-designed runs, while a Pocket Passer will have additional plays that stretch the field through the air. At the line of scrimmage, you’ll have full control with access to pre-snap adjustments like audibles, hot routes, and pass protection shifts. Your drive goals are always visible in the top-right corner of the screen, so you’ll never lose sight of what you need to accomplish. If you’re matched up against a key player on the opposing team, you’ll see Rival above their head — calling out that player as an impact player. Whether it’s a star linebacker, shutdown corner, or elite receiver, these players demand your attention. After each moment ends, you’ll get a drive summary, breaking down your performance. This includes all completed goals, your total tape score for the game, how many moments remain, and any Team Impacts you created, which are plays that are not a part of your core drive goals, but influence your team’s ability to win the game. Team Impacts can work for or against you. For example, scoring a touchdown increases your team’s chance of winning and provides you with additional tape score. Conversely, throwing an interception, fumbling, or taking a sack hurts your team’s chances and reduces your tape score even if you completed your core objectives. If you're playing on a difficulty other than Heisman, you’ll also have the option to restart a moment from the summary screen. The number of retries available scales with your difficulty setting, rewarding players who take on greater challenges with fewer second chances. MANAGING YOUR STAR RATING After every game, you’ll see updates to your star rating along with your national, state, and position rankings. These rankings rise and fall based on your performance, and if you want to finish as a 5-star prospect, near perfection is required. But the path goes both ways — just because you start as a 5-star doesn’t mean you’ll stay there, and just because you begin as a 2-star doesn’t mean you can’t climb the rankings. Your final star rating has major consequences. It directly affects the strength of scholarship offers you receive, and it determines your starting attributes and abilities once you reach college. Players who finish as a 4-star or 5-star recruit will also unlock the ability to select an additional mental ability before leaving high school — a final edge earned through performance and consistency. Each week, you’ll encounter High School Scenarios — dynamic interactions with college coaches, classmates, and off-field challenges. Coaches may reach out with strong interest, pitching their program and explaining why you’re the right fit. But they may also tell you they’re no longer recruiting you or that you’re not the right fit after all. When coaches reach out, you’ll often have choices to make. You might call them out as your current favorite, which increases your chances with that school, but at the cost of slightly lowering interest from other programs. Or you could publicly signal that you’re no longer interested, tanking your odds with that school but giving a boost to schools still on your board. Every response matters, and each decision reshapes your recruiting picture. Scenarios also evolve dynamically based on your location, playing time opportunity, and in-game performance. A coach’s interest in you can rise or fall week to week. They’ll even adjust their messaging — advocating for their program by pointing to a winning season, a dip in your other top schools’ performance, or the prestige of their university compared to your other options. You’ll also engage with classmates, facing questions like how you want to study for an upcoming standardized test or how you’re preparing for events like homecoming. How you respond in these moments — both with coaches and peers — can positively or negatively affect how programs view you. Every on and off field decision you make in your high school journey will ultimately shape your future prospects on the gridiron. HIGHLIGHT MOMENTS In addition to coaches pitching you on their program, some schools will challenge you directly — asking you to put a specific skill on tape that aligns with what they’re looking for. These are called Highlight Moments, and they’re among the most intense opportunities in your recruiting journey. Highlight Moments are high risk, high reward. They give you the chance to make a major leap with a particular school, but the challenge comes with a steep price: the tape score boost you earn only applies to that one school, and the goals are significantly harder than what you’ll face in standard gameplay. When you attempt a Highlight Moment, the requesting school will apply a 6.0x tape score modifier — double the standard maximum of 3.0x from normal moments. If you pull it off, the reward is massive: it can move you up a school’s board, reignite interest if you were falling behind, or upgrade their scholarship offer package. These moments can take many forms — from throwing a perfect lob pass for a touchdown to hitting a deep 50-yard completion. The key is that they are tailored to a specific skill the school values, and your success or failure in that moment can define how that program views your future. Complete it, and you could put yourself back in the conversation. Miss it, and you may lose valuable ground. Highlight Moments are opportunities — but like everything else in Road to Glory, they have consequences. And not all scholarships are created equal. SCHOLARSHIP OFFERS Earning a scholarship offer is a milestone — but it’s just the beginning. Not all scholarships are created equal, and each one comes with its own tier, bonuses, and risks. Once you receive an offer, your next goal is to improve it. Scholarship tiers are dynamic — they can go up or down based on how you're performing, how schools view you, and what’s happening in the recruiting world around you. Your star rating plays a big role. As your rating climbs, schools may upgrade your offer with better perks. But if your rating drops, your offer can downgrade just as quickly. A 5-star prospect might receive the best possible starting offer from a program, but that can shift if your tape weakens or another recruit rises up the board. Your offer tier can also change if a school signs another player at your position. Not only will the required Assessed Tape Score to keep your offer increase, but the quality of the scholarship package itself may drop. Likewise, your interactions with coaches, your performance in highlight moments, and your choices in off-field scenarios all affect how schools see you — and whether they’re ready to commit premium resources to you. What Comes With a Better Scholarship? Higher-tier offers aren’t just for bragging rights — they come with bonuses that impact your college career: Stronger starting values in your academics, brand, leadership, and training meters Additional XP Extra Skill Points Higher starting Coach Trust These perks won’t apply until you arrive on campus, but they can make a big difference early in your college career — giving you a leg up on playing time, progression, and leadership roles. If a school has offered you a scholarship offer, you can view their offer and the bonuses they are giving you from the “Recruitment” tab of your recruiting board. Here you can compare each school's scholarship offer and see the best bonus they can offer in a particular area. Verbally Committing To protect your scholarship tier and bonuses, you can verbally commit to a school. This locks in your offer exactly as it stands — including its current bonuses. Once committed, your offer can’t get worse… but it also can’t get better. Even if you dominate in your next game and increase your star rating, the school’s offer won’t change unless you decommit. However, decommitting comes with consequences. If you back out, the Tape Score threshold required to earn a new offer from that school will increase — possibly enough to lose the offer entirely if you were just above the line. Additionally, your maximum potential bonus with that school will decrease. In other words, the best they can offer you going forward might not be as strong as what you had before. And just because you have an offer doesn’t mean it’s safe. This is a live recruiting class. If a school signs another player at your position, your standing can fall. Poor scenario decisions or slumping performance can cause your value to drop and your offer to be revoked. SENIOR NIGHT At the end of your high school season, you’ll get one last chance to leave it all on the field — Senior Night. This is your capstone moment, a final opportunity to showcase your growth, your tape, and everything you’ve built throughout the season. You’ll be honored with a special runout, flowers in hand, as you celebrate your final home game under the lights. But this night isn’t just symbolic — it’s also your last chance to manage your top schools. Once the game wraps up, you’ll need to officially announce your Top 3. This decision is critical. These are the three programs you’ll take with you into Signing Day, and the hats you’ll see on the table when it’s time to make your college choice. Choose carefully because Signing Day is just around the corner. SIGNING DAY You’ve made your tape. You’ve earned your offers. Now it’s time to make your choice. Signing Day is the final step in your high school journey and your first step into college football. The scene is set in your high school gymnasium, with hats laid out for each school in your top three. This is your moment — and how you handle it is up to you. Want to fake out the crowd? Go ahead and pick up a hat just to put it back down. Want to throw one across the gym for dramatic effect? You can do that too. But when it’s all said and done, you’ll grab the hat for the school you’re ready to commit to — the place where you’ll begin to leave your legacy in the college football world. WELCOME TO COLLEGE You’ve earned your offer. You’ve chosen your school. Now it’s time to prove you belong. The college phase of Road to Glory begins with a new set of challenges — and more decisions that will shape your future on and off the field. Once you arrive on campus, your scholarship bonuses take effect, giving you a boost based on the offers you earned. If you preordered College Football 26, you’ll also receive a bonus of 50 Skill Points when you start any Road to Glory save. This bonus is separate from your scholarship and can be disabled in league settings for players who want to start from scratch. The bonus skill points are only available from preorder and are not purchasable with real money. You will be able to earn more skill points through your play. Like a real student-athlete, managing your time is key. Each week, you’ll take part in two main activities. First, practice is where you’ll earn Coach Trust — essential for climbing the depth chart and earning opportunities to play. The more trust you build, the faster you’ll rise within your program. Second, you’ll set your Weekly Agenda, deciding how to spend your time off the field. Focus on academics to stay eligible and unlock mental abilities, hit the weight room to improve your physical attributes, or socialize to build your brand. You can also spend time with teammates to develop leadership or recover to maintain your health through the season. Balancing these activities effectively will be key to becoming a well-rounded and successful student-athlete. You won’t be able to maximize everything — so how you manage your time each week will define the kind of player you become. WEEKLY AGENDA To better reflect a real week in the life of a student athlete, we’ve updated the energy system in College Football 26. You’ll now have 5 energy points on a short week, 6 on a regular week, and 7 on a bye week, giving you one point for each open day in your schedule. You’ll use this energy to spend time across different categories and each decision you make pushes or pulls on your meters in unique ways. We’ve also rebalanced how each meter works. They now rise and fall more dynamically based on your weekly decisions and energy use, making each choice more meaningful. Prioritizing one area might mean sacrificing progress in another, creating natural push/pull tension that mirrors real student-athlete life. New off-field scenarios and dilemmas will also appear during the week — affecting your meters both positively and negatively. These moments reflect the unpredictability of college life and the consequences of how you respond to the world around you. This year, your Weekly Agenda goes a step further. You won’t just be managing short-term fatigue — you’ll also need to think about long-term wear and tear. The choices you make each week don’t just impact the next game; they stack up across the season and your career. Taking care of your body will be essential. Whether it’s dialing back training, prioritizing recovery, or simply making smarter decisions about your workload, how you manage your physical health plays a direct role in your success. If you don’t take care of your body, your career won’t reach its full potential. SEASON AND CAREER HEALTH As we discussed in the Dynasty Deep Dive, managing your body over time is just as important as avoiding injuries. Much like a boxer, a football player can only absorb so many hits before the wear and tear catches up. It’s not just about whether you’re injured — it’s about how your body responds to the physical demands of a long season. Every hit adds up, and as our friend OG says, “not all hits are created equal.” Some players hold up over time. Others wear down under the weight of repeated impacts. In College Football 26, Road to Glory introduces season and career health pools. These track how much wear and tear damage you can recover in a single season and across your entire career. Every time you take steps to recover, it pulls from these pools. Once your season health pool is depleted, you won’t be able to recover further until the offseason when your body fully heals. At the end of each season, your pool replenishes, but not always to the same level. The size of next year’s pool depends on how much of it was left intact at the end of the current season. If you barely made it through and burned most of your recovery capacity, you’ll start the next year with a smaller pool. Finish the year in good shape, and you’ll start the next season with a similar health pool. In addition to managing your wear and tear week to week, you’re now managing your career clock. Every hit you take in games, and every decision you make in your Weekly Agenda about how hard you train, directly impacts your season health. Training too aggressively can drain your recovery potential and leave you worn down by the end of the year. Long-term success depends on how well you balance development with durability — not just how much work you put in, but how smartly you manage it. NIL DEALS Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) opportunities are a core part of life as a student-athlete — and they’re a significant piece of your journey in College Football 26. NIL deals allow you to partner with brands, boost your personal profile, and earn valuable rewards as you build your legacy. This year, we’ve expanded the system with over 35 new NIL deals, giving you a wider range of partnerships to pursue. We’ve also completely rebalanced NIL payouts, making deals more meaningful and more rewarding than ever before. Most notably, NIL deals can now pay out skill points, giving you another powerful path to progression beyond just on-field performance. Previously, the only clear way to progress your player outside of on-field performance was through Training — a reliable option, but one that came with the downside of increasing your wear and tear damage over time. Now, focusing on your brand and pursuing NIL deals offers an alternate path to develop your player without adding wear and tear. NIL still comes with a cost. These deals require energy, and accepting them means weighing your weekly priorities. But the tradeoff can be worth it — especially when the right deal provides the boosts or skill points you need to stay ahead. SCENARIOS AND DILEMMAS Scenarios return in College Football 26, once again putting you in tough situations that test your priorities, values, and ambition. These moments aren’t just window dressing — they shape your path and leave a lasting impact on your career. Scenarios are triggered based on the decisions you make and how you choose to spend your time off the field. Some dilemmas will be actual conflicts with real consequences like whether to skip class for a short-term gain knowing there’s a chance you’ll get caught, or whether to steal your teammate’s date, which might give you a boost but risk creating tension in the locker room. As we said from the beginning, there are no right or wrong answers, only the path that you create. Every situation you face will affect how your story unfolds. Your decisions directly impact your meters, including Coach Trust and the newly introduced Coach Happiness system. Coach Happiness gives coaches another lens through which to evaluate you — not just as a player, but as someone in their locker room. In College Football 26, we’ve added more dilemmas and interactions that challenge the balance of your meters. And in response to community feedback, all in-game coach challenges now award XP, rewarding performance and giving every moment more value. Every choice you make, on or off the field, contributes to your journey. These scenarios don’t just fill space. They define your story. COACH TRUST AND POSITION BATTLES In College Football 25, Coach Trust was a great mechanic for getting you onto the field and earning playing time, but once you won the job, there was little risk in losing it unless you became academically ineligible. Players asked for more to chase after earning their role, and this year, Coach Trust has grown into a long-term progression system that rewards you for consistent performance and growth. Coach Trust now goes beyond just winning your position. As you earn more of it, you’ll unlock new abilities on the field, including greater access to the playbook and more control at the line of scrimmage: Play Swaps: Get a new set of plays to choose from Increased Number of Plays: Start with one play to choose during playcalling and work up to 2 plays, then 3, 6, 9, 15, all the way to full playbook access when you’ve achieved max coach trust Audibles: Change the play at the line of scrimmage Hot Routes: Adjust receiver or defender assignments QB Protections (offense only): Modify offensive line protection Defensive Adjustments (defense only): Make line and linebacker adjustments Coach Trust reflects how much trust your coaches have in you — not just to earn snaps, but to command the huddle and control the offense or defense. It’s a system that grows with you throughout your college career. You’ll build Coach Trust through your in-game performance and practice, both played and simulated. And this year, if you sim practice, you’ll now receive a notification showing exactly how much Coach Trust you earned that week — making your progression clearer and more trackable than ever. As your Coach Trust grows, you’ll compete in Position Battles for depth chart spots. In College Football 26, the score you need to beat now scales based on the position you are battling for. Winning the starting job is more difficult than it is to move from third string to backup. This added intensity reflects the real challenge of taking someone’s spot at the top and makes climbing the depth chart feel more competitive and earned. COACH HAPPINESS While Coach Trust reflects your long-term growth, it does not capture how your coach feels about you in the moment based on your on field performance and off field decision making. In College Football 26, we are introducing Coach Happiness which is a direct reflection of how your coach feels about you right now. It’s a short-term, week-to-week system that reacts to your in-game performance and off-field decisions — and it can make or break your spot on the depth chart. Coach Happiness fluctuates week to week and game to game. If it’s high, you’ll progress through Coach Trust faster. If it drops too low, your Coach Trust slows, you may begin to lose trust each week, and if things get bad enough, you could be benched or demoted entirely. Once you’ve lost your depth chart spot, you’ll need to compete in a Position Battle to earn it back — but your coach won’t even consider giving you another shot until your happiness rating has returned to neutral. It doesn’t matter how good you are or how dominant you are on the field, if you are becoming a distraction to the program or you aren’t taking care of business, you will quickly fall out of favor with your coach and find yourself having to climb back up the depth chart. What Affects Coach Happiness? There are four primary factors that influence Coach Happiness: Game Performance, Meters, Scenarios, and Practice. Game Performance: This is your biggest driver. Win games, make big plays, avoid mistakes — and your coach will be happy. Mess up repeatedly or underperform, and the leash gets shorter. Players with a high OVR have more room for error; fringe starters don’t. One bad game won’t tank you, but stack a couple, and you’ll feel the effects. Meters: Your GPA and Leadership ratings contribute each week based on your off-field actions. A low GPA or poor leadership can hurt your Coach Happiness. If you really don’t take care of business in the classroom and you become academically ineligible, your coach will lose a significant amount of happiness and not only will you be suspended, you will lose your spot entirely. Conversely, staying eligible and leading by example will boost your standing. Scenarios: Weekly off-field scenarios can shift Coach Happiness based on your decisions. Complimenting your coach in an interview or showing mastery of the playbook during a team meeting will earn favor. Skip class, get caught cheating, or embarrass the program, and you’ll take a hit. For example: If you are falling behind in class and some guy named Chad hands you a cheat sheet for your test and you take it — you might gain short-term academic benefits, but your coach will be furious if you get caught. Practice: Coach Happiness also changes based on how you perform in weekly practices. No medal = small loss. Bronze = neutral. Silver or Gold = small gain. Practice may not move the needle as quickly as games, but it helps maintain trust during quieter weeks. Coach Happiness adds a layer of short-term consequence and emotion to your career. Your coach isn’t just there to look good — he’s evaluating you week by week. Every performance, every rep, every decision matters. If you want to stay on the field, keep your coach happy. GAMEDAY When it’s time to suit up, our goal is to make you feel the moment. Whether you’re stepping onto the field in front of a packed home crowd or taking on a hostile road environment with 100,000 fans against you, College Football 26 brings gameday to life in a way that’s more immersive and personal than ever before. During gameplay, we’ve introduced new Road to Glory camera options, based directly on player feedback, to help you see the field from better angles and feel more connected to the action. Presentation this year is built around you — especially when you take the field at home. Now when you are running out of the tunnel, you’re no longer just watching the pageantry of college football; you’re a part of it. As you walk down the tunnel ready to run out onto the field, the camera will be directly behind your player keeping you fully in the moment. You’ll hear the band echoing through the stadium, see teammates rallying around you, and feel the electricity of a packed house welcoming you to the field. In Florida, you’ll touch the Gator Head. At Oklahoma, you’ll run behind the Sooner Schooner. At LSU, you’ll tap the Win bar. These are college football traditions brought to life, and now you’re a part of it. As you take the field you can pan the camera with the right stick, soaking in the environment and owning the moment as the crowd erupts around you. As you start to cook and your player becomes him, the environment will begin to react to you. You’ll see fans holding signs with your name on them. Some will even have your name painted across their chests. But gameday isn’t just about atmosphere — it’s also about survival. Each time you step on the field, you’ll need to manage your wear and tear. Push your body too far, take too many hits, or play reckless football, and your season health will suffer. Do you take the risk to hang in the pocket and deliver a strike knowing you’ll get hit? Do you run one more play late in the game at 40 carries, or check out to protect your body? These are the decisions you’ll have to make. PER PLAY GRADING Every snap matters. In College Football 26, your in-game performance is now tracked through a Per Play Grading system — a direct reflection of how your coach evaluates you, moment by moment. Your starting grade is determined by your current Coach Happiness level. Players with a low Coach Happiness level will start with a lower grade and have a much shorter leash as a result. Every play updates your grade in real time, whether it’s a clean touchdown pass, a key defensive stop, a costly sack, or a missed read. Grades are meant to be earned. Getting an A takes consistent execution and standout plays. But make too many mistakes, and you’ll drop fast. If your grade falls to an F, you’ll be benched for a quarter. When you return, you'll start with a D+ — one more chance to prove yourself. But mess up again, and your coach won’t hesitate to pull you out a second time. At the end of each game, your final grade determines what rewards (or consequences) you earn. That includes: Followers: Gain or lose fans based on performance Player XP: Progress your player more quickly with a strong grade Coach Trust: Gain or lose coach trust based on performance Coach Happiness: Increase or decrease your coach’s satisfaction with you When it comes to how your coach sees you and their happiness level based on your performance, not all leashes are created equal. A high OVR starter may get the benefit of the doubt after a rough game. But a fringe contributor or backup? One bad performance can set you back fast. Still, Coach Happiness is about consistency. To gain or lose significant amounts of happiness, you’ll need to stack performances across multiple weeks. One off-day won’t ruin you. But if you struggle again the next week, expect the consequences to start compounding — and to see your coach’s happiness with you begin to fade. We see it every Saturday in real life. And now, you’ll feel it in Road to Glory. Every rep. Every drive. Every play. PROGRESSION Progression in College Football 26 has been reworked to offer a more natural and rewarding sense of growth throughout your career. We’ve increased the number of skill group levels from 10 to 20, allowing for more gradual development and greater control over how you shape your player. As part of this overhaul, we’ve also rebalanced the upgrade costs at each level, ensuring that each investment feels meaningful and matches the pace of your career. You can upgrade your player at any time by selecting the Upgrade Player action item in the Actions tab of the RTG Hub, or by pressing the Player Info button in the Player tab. Your player will progress through three primary activities: Gameplay, Training, and NIL Deals. Unlike Dynasty players, you will not receive offseason progression, so there’s increased importance on how you spend your time during the season. This year also introduces new physical and mental abilities, as detailed in the Gameplay Deep Dive. Alongside these additions, we’ve updated how you unlock physical ability tiers. Previously, advancing an ability tier only required a single attribute rating, for example, hitting 95 Toughness to unlock Platinum Workhorse. Now, some abilities require multiple attribute thresholds to reach top-tier versions. For example, Platinum Shifty now requires both 97 Change of Direction and 96 Acceleration for a Wide Receiver. These added requirements increase the value of elite traits and further drive player differentiation across archetypes and positions. LEAVING YOUR LEGACY Every great player leaves a legacy — now Road to Glory gives you the tools to build, track, and celebrate it. There is no set ending. No scripted finale. Whether you’re chasing Heismans, winning a title at a different school every year, or simply trying to carve out a meaningful career on your terms, Road to Glory supports the path you choose. This year, we’ve added multiple systems to help you capture and remember the journey — not just when it ends, but as it unfolds. TROPHY ROOM The Trophy Room is your place to celebrate the biggest moments of your Road to Glory career. Every time you win a rivalry game, bowl game, conference title, national championship, or individual award, the trophy is automatically added to your Trophy Room. You’ll receive a notification in-game, and you can view your full collection from the RTG Hub, main menu, or global profile. Each Road to Glory character has its own Trophy Room, tied specifically to that player. Team-based trophies include full context: season, team, opponent, and final score. Individual awards show your name, team, and the year you brought home the hardware. You can even select a trophy to learn more about its history and significance in college football. In total, there are more than 160 rivalry, bowl, and individual award trophies to collect. Whether you’re flexing your second Heisman, third natty, or just looking back on the moments that defined your storied career, the Trophy Room is built to celebrate your legacy. College Football has a list of all time greats — those unforgettable players who became synonymous with the sport. Now, your legacy, name, and moments live on, immortalized forever in your Trophy Room. ETCHING YOUR NAME INTO COLLEGE FOOTBALL HISTORY Your legacy isn’t just personal — it can now be etched into the record books of college football itself. In College Football 26, the College Football History screen gives you the chance to see your name listed alongside some of the sport’s all-time greats. Accessible from the Stats & Records tab of the Road to Glory Hub, College Football History is a curated archive of the sport’s biggest achievements. It tracks a timeline of historical award winners, national champions, and conference champions — stretching from Yale’s first national title in 1869 to Jay Berwanger winning the first Heisman Memorial Trophy in 1935. As you earn these same accolades during your Road to Glory career, your name will appear in those same records. Whether it’s a national championship, a conference title, or a major individual award, every major moment you earn is added to the legacy of the sport — side by side with real legends. And with College Football 26, we’ve deepened this experience even further by adding 14 new authentic awards, including the Maxwell Award and the Walter Camp Award, giving you more ways to make history. In addition to College Football History, you can now view all of your awards and accolades from your player card. Within the player card, go to the more tab and then stats. Once you are within the stats screen filter to Awards. This will show all of your individual awards like Heisman Trophies, conference championships, national championship, All-American and All-Conference selections, how many times you have been national and conference player of the week, and your transfer history. FROM FRIDAY NIGHTS TO SUNDAY Your Road to Glory career begins under the Friday night lights — a high school hopeful with dreams of something bigger. From there, your path winds through Saturdays filled with pressure, rivalries, championships, and growth. Once your college journey comes to a close, it is time to finish your career at the highest level on Sundays. In College Football 26, we have expanded the integration between Road to Glory and Madden NFL 26 Superstar mode. This is a story and a journey that stretches from Friday to Saturday to Sunday, across two games, and one player. See the Madden NFL 26 Superstar deep dive for more details (EA account, internet connection, and all game updates required). Your decisions and your choices will ultimately shape your journey and your Road to Glory. That journey doesn’t end with college. It’s just getting started. POST-GAME SPEECH Being a college athlete is not easy and that’s exactly the experience we set out to replicate. The pressure. The choices. The grind. The moments that matter. Our goal is to give you the tools and meaningful decision points for you to craft your own story, your own path, and your own Road to Glory. Your decisions in the classroom, on field, and in the locker room will ultimately shape your journey and your Road to Glory. We cannot wait to see the stories you craft and the legacy you leave, from Friday nights to the Saturday lights, and all the way to the biggest stage on Sunday. We’ll see you in the next Deep Dive. — Chad Walker, Ben Haumiller (@BenHaumiller), and the entire College Football 26 Development team [Source] --- College Football 26 launches worldwide on July 10, 2025. Pre-order the Deluxe Edition** or the EA SPORTS™ MVP Bundle* and play 3 days early. Conditions and restrictions apply. See disclaimers for details. Stay in the conversation by following us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and the EA Forums. **Conditions & restrictions apply. See ea.com/games/ea-sports-college-football/college-football-26/game-disclaimers for details. *Conditions & restrictions apply. See https://www.ea.com/games/madden-nfl/madden-nfl-26/game-disclaimers for details.
