I don’t know about you guys, but one of my favorite parts of College Football 25 was the rosters. Finally, there is a college football game with actual player names!
It might not seem like a big deal to most old-school EA NCAA gamers who were used to the generic names and approximate appearance of their favorite college guys, but I never really played the older versions. And I gotta say, the accurate college rosters with over 10,000 actual players really sold me on a game that didn’t have a ton of meat on the bone when it came to the depth of game mode mechanics.
As a huge fan of college football development and the NFL draft, I use this game as a fun way to familiarize myself with the stars of tomorrow and keep up with the chaos of the college football season.
I find myself rooting for Schools like the University of New Mexico simply because their team is fun to play in the game. QB Devon Dampier runs around with 86 speed and 91 acceleration, and RB Eli Sanders breaks ankles with his 93 speed and 93 change of direction. I didn’t even know the school’s mascot before playing the game, but now I’m a die-hard Lobos fan!
The college football rosters are a genuinely great feature in an otherwise good but not great game (though I’ll always love it because I love college football). But as we head towards a new iteration (hopefully) this Summer, we hit a bit of a crossroads with the rosters, especially regarding the best players in the game.
Right now, the best players in College Football 25 are:
- CB/WR Travis Hunter, 99 overall, Colorado
- RB Ashton Jeanty, 97 overall, Boise State
- CB Will Johnson, 96 overall, Michigan
- LT Kelvin Banks Jr., 96 overall, Texas
- QB Shedeur Sanders, 95 overall, Colorado
- RE Abdul Carter, 95 overall, Penn St.
- LT Will Campbell, 95 overall, LSU
- DT Mason Graham, 95 overall, Michigan
- FS Caleb Downs, 95 overall, Ohio State
- FS Xavier Watts, 95 overall, Notre Dame
- RE James Pearce, 95 overall, Tennessee
- SS Malaki Starks, 95 overall, Georgia
- WR Tetairoa McMillan, 95 overall, Arizona
- TE Tyler Warren, 95 overall, Penn St.
- TE Harold Fannin Jr., 95 overall, Bowling Green
Of those top 15, only one player — Caleb Downs of Ohio State — is remaining in school. The other 14 are headed to the NFL draft and will likely be 1st or 2nd round picks.
With those 14 in the NFL and graduating to Madden 26 (where they’ll be given ludicrously low ratings to start their careers), we now get to see a whole new class of studs that dominate in the next iteration of the game.
Here are my predictions of who the top 15 players will be in College Football 26 (overall listed is current 25 numbers):
Way-Too-Early College Football 26 Player Rankings
1: LT Kadyn Proctor, 90 OVR, Alabama
The consensus top player on most big boards for the 2026 NFL draft. Proctor was terrible as a freshman in 2023, giving up 12 sacks, but his stock skyrocketed as he put together an elite 2024 season. That trajectory, along with his freaky athletic ability, has created a ton of hype around him, and I expect EA will gladly partake in that hype.
2: FS Caleb Downs, 95 OVR, Ohio State
The only member of CFB 25‘s top 15 players, Downs has done nothing to hurt his position as one of the premier defensive players in the country. He led Ohio’s defense to a National Championship last season, but he’s now looking to run it back.
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3: QB Drew Allar, 91 OVR, Penn State
Allar might not be the flashiest QB in College, but he might be the best going into next season. His accuracy is elite with 94 SAC and 90 MAC, and his throw power is a ridiculous 97! I could see some improvement going into next season, especially in his subpar 79 throw-on-the-run rating.
4: WR Jeremiah Smith, 90 OVR, Ohio State
One of the most fun players to watch this season. This Freshman was electric, and based on what I’ve seen from him, I think he is criminally underrated right now. There is no reason why he shouldn’t have a +90 on all route running and release. And give him a 99 SPC, cowards!
5: MLB Anthony Hill Jr., 90 OVR, Texas
Rounding out the top five is the heart and soul of one of the premier defenses in the country. Anthony Hill Jr. is already a star, putting up 113 tackles and eight sacks last season. I could see many of his defensive ratings jump to reflect his dominance on the field.
6: RE Matayo Uiagalelei, 85 OVR, Oregon
Uiagalelei is an interesting prospect. He’s not very highly rated in the game despite the hype around him in real life, and I don’t really know what that’s about. If he puts up any numbers close to the 10.5 sacks he got last season next year, he’ll be a sure-fire top-ten pick. And yet EA doesn’t seem to care, at least for this year. I would hope they rectify their mistake in CFB 26.
7: RT Spencer Fano, 90 OVR, Utah
One half of the fantastic Fano Brothers duo, Spencer is solidly in contention as a first-round pick next year, potentially even a top-ten pick, as a first-team all-big-ten player. Fano should easily improve his rating in CFB 26.
8: RB Makhi Hughes, 92 OVR, Tulane
With so many of the top running backs in the country entering the draft, Hughes is left as the lone established star at the position for next season. He may come from a smaller school, but his production (1400 yards and 15 touchdowns) is certainly there, and his skills are undeniable. He could very well be the Ashton Jeanty of next season.
9: QB Arch Manning, 89 OVR, Texas
Arch only has about 90 passing attempts in his collegiate career, but he’s probably already the most well-known and popular player in college football right now. He could easily be the game’s cover man; if that happens, there’s no way they keep him out of the top-ten rated players. He’s going to be good next year; his passer rating on 90 attempts grades out as the best passer rating of any player to throw more than 50 passes last season, and he’s got the Manning genetics. He’s a slam dunk star, and EA knows it.
10: CB Mansoor Delane, 88 OVR, Virginia Tech
Delane’s a beast for Virginia Tech, with 54 tackles and four picks last year. His terrible 58-tackling rating and his subpar 79-zone coverage rating should rise and bring his overall into the upper echelon of the game as he takes over as the star corner on the team.
11: LOLB Harold Perkins, 92 OVR, LSU
Perkins missed most of last season with a torn ACL, but CFB 25 kept his overall up in the nineties, showing their belief in his crazy athleticism and raw power. He should be back to chasing down QBs in no time, both in the game and in real life.
12: CB Tacario Davis, 91 OVR, Arizona
Davis’s stats don’t flash off the page, but his play sure does. At 6’4”, Tacario is a long physical corner who has 90+ across the board on all coverage ratings, but I think what will really help him rise are his general stats. His strength, awareness, and agility seem artificially low in this year’s game, potentially with eyes toward unlocking his true talent in CFB 26 during his senior year.
13: TE Oronde Gadsden II, 91 OVR, Syracuse
There are some really amazing tight ends going into the draft this year, but one that is staying behind is Syracuse superstar Oronde Gadsden II, who racked up 934 yards on 73 catches and 7 TDs. Gadsden should leap to the top of the tight end rankings with better route running and release numbers. They could also give him a slight boost in blocking, but that’s never been his game.
14: DT Dontay Corleone, 91 OVR, Cincinnati
At 320 pounds, Corleone is a true run-stopper on the Bearcat’s D-line, and the game really reflects that. With his 97 strength and 96 toughness, he’s already a beast, but I would like to see his tackle rating and some of his Rush moves increase to match his 3.5 sacks out of the nose tackle position last year.
15: WR Ryan Williams, 90 OVR, Alabama
Much like Jeremiah Smith, Williams also had a spectacularly productive freshman season on an elite offensive unit. While Smith did get the better of him in terms of statistics, Williams is just as dominant of a receiver as his Ohio State counterpart, and we should see his ratings rise to reflect that next season.
Honorable mentions
- FS Jalen Catalon, 90 OVR, UNLV
- C Parker Brailsford, 92 OVR, Alabama
- RT Blake Miller, 89 OVR, Clemson
- QB Garrett Nussmeier, 89 OVR, LSU
- RE Reuben Bain Jr., 89 OVR, Miami
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Published: Feb 7, 2025 02:43 pm