Best, Fastest & Strongest Freshmen in EA Sports College Football 26

Best, Fastest & Strongest Freshmen in EA Sports College Football 26 originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

Sure, now that EA Sports College Football 26 is back in our lives, everyone wants to play with the predictable juggernauts. The contenders with athletic freaks at quarterback. The bluebloods with the most mercilessly acrobatic skill players. Honestly, it's all old hat.

That got us thinking: Who are the NCAA's lesser-knowns in CFB 26 most likely to make household names for themselves -- and specifically, the first-year players only famous in the eyes of the most feverishly dedicated recruitniks.

We simply had to ask:

• Who is the FASTEST freshman in College Football 26?
• Which first-year-player is the STRONGEST?
• And ultimately, who is the BEST freshman in the virtual NCAA?

Lucky for you, we discovered all the answers.

So, whether you're a Buckeye lifer already planning a "back-to-back" tattoo (hopefully not your back, that's absurd), a gleeful Group of Five insurgent ready to shock the world, or a gamer who couldn't care less about the NCAA but you need something to occupy you until Maddencomes out, don't miss our definitive College Football 26 freshman ratings rundown below.

Click here to read our full overview of the fastest players in CFB 26 overall.

Fastest Freshmen in College Football 26

All NCAA data via TeamCrafters as of July 8, 2025. "OVR" refers to player's overall rating.

BEST SPEED (SPD):

• 98 rating: LSU Tigers WR Jelani Watkins (73 OVR)

BEST AGILITY (AGI)

• 97:Oregon Ducks WR Dakorien Moore (84 OVR), Georgia Bulldogs CB Ellis Robinson IV (83 OVR)

BEST ACCELERATION (ACC)

• 98:Georgia Bulldogs CB Ellis Robinson IV (83 OVR), LSU Tigers WR Jelani Watkins (73 OVR), Louisiana Tech Bulldogs HB Mitch Boothe (69 OVR), Jacksonville State Gamecocks HB Jordan Savage (72 OVR) [NOTE: Cursory Googling suggests that Boothe and Savage are not a real people, but generic players generated by the game.]

BEST CHANGE OF DIRECTION (COD)

• 97: Arizona Wildcats HB Malcolm Eason (77 OVR) [NOTE: Cursory Googling suggests that Eason is not a real person.]

WHO'S THE OVERALL FASTEST FRESHMAN IN CFB 26? Jelani Watkins with a bullet.

Related: Best, Fastest & Strongest RBs in EA Sports College Football 26

Strongest Freshmen in EA Sports College Football 26

TOP 10 STRENGTH (STR)

• 96 rating: Oregon Ducks DT Aydin Breland (79 OVR)
• 95:Texas A&M Aggies DT Dealyn Evans (79 OVR), Alabama Crimson Tide LT Casey Poe (77 OVR), Oregon Ducks DT Jericho Johnson (75 OVR), Nebraska Cornhuskers LE Ashton Murphy (70 OVR)
• 94: Georgia Bulldogs RG Daniel Calhoun (79 OVR),  Minnesota Golden Gophers LE Riley Sunram (77 OVR), Florida Gators LT Fletcher Westphal (74 OVR), Georgia Bulldogs RT Nyler Daniels (72 OVR), Iowa Hawkeyes LOLB Derek Weisskopf (72 OVR), Illinois Fighting Illini RT Zafir Stewart (67 OVR)

Best Freshmen in College Football 26

Ranking includes every freshman NCAA player rated above 80 OVR.

• 84 rating:Oregon Ducks WR Dakorien Moore
• 83: Georgia Bulldogs CB Ellis Robinson IV, LSU Tigers HB Harlem Berry, Clemson Tigers HB Gideon Davidson, Boise State Broncos HB Sire Gaines
• 82: Georgia Bulldogs DT Elijah Griffin, Clemson Tigers DT Amare Adams, Miami Hurricanes HB Zay Wilbon [NOTE: Cursory Googling suggests that Wilbon is not a real person.]
• 81:USC Trojans CB Marcelles Williams, Michigan Wolverines QB Bryce Underwood, Texas Longhorns WR Kaliq Lockett, Georgia Bulldogs HB Chauncey Bowens, Auburn Tigers DT Malik Autry, Oregon Ducks CB Ify Obidegwu, Texas Longhorns HB James Simon, Penn State Nittany Lions HB Corey Smith, SMU Mustangs HB Derrick McFall, Northwestern Wildcats TE Linkon Cure, Georgia Bulldogs LE Joseph Jonah-Ajonye, Miami Hurricanes HB Gerald Pringle Jr., Maryland Terrapins HB Zymear Smith, Nebraska Cornhuskers LE Williams Nwaneri

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 8, 2025, where it first appeared.