Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to reflect the most up-to-date EA Sports College Football 26 Freshman Rankings released on Aug. 22 EA Sports College Football 26 officially dropped in July, marking the second consecutive year of the game’s release. The video game made its return last summer for the first time in over a […]
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to reflect the most up-to-date EA Sports College Football 26 Freshman Rankings released on Aug. 22
EA Sports College Football 26 officially dropped in July, marking the second consecutive year of the game’s release. The video game made its return last summer for the first time in over a decade.
While EA did not release a full official list, On3 went looking through the video game’s rosters to compile the top-50 freshmen in this year’s edition. For the second time in EA Sports College Football’s history, athletes are being compensated for having their name, image and likeness. That also means on-field performances are being factored into the players’ ratings. Here’s the full breakdown of the top-50 freshmen in EA Sports College Football 26:
1. Oregon WR Dakorien Moore – 84 Overall
The top-ranked freshman in the game, Dakorien Moore, enters the 2025 season with high expectations. Previously committed to LSU and Texas, the Ducks were able to pull the wide receiver from Texas. With Evan Stewart expected to miss time this season, Moore is thrust into a big-time role in Year 1 at Oregon. Over his four-year high school career at Duncanville (Texas), he caught 204 passes, amassing 4,113 yards and 48 touchdowns while averaging better than 20 yards per catch.
2. LSU RB Harlem Berry – 83 overall
The most electric running back in the 2025 cycle, Harlem Berry, has flashed the ability to be a game-changer in the passing game, too. The 5-foot-10, 182-pound running back was heavily utilized in the spring as returners Caden Durham and Kaleb Jackson were the only players getting as many reps as him. He is expected to immediately be a factor in LSU’s passing game. He topped the 2,000-yard mark for rushing yards all four years of high school.
3. Clemson RB Gideon Davidson – 83 Overall
Already being tabbed as one of the top running backs in the ACC, Gideon Davidson is expected to contribute immediately this fall at Clemson. Quarterback Cade Klubnik compared Davidson to Clemson great Travis Etienne in fall camp. A four-star recruit in the Class of 2025, the running back finished his high school career with 7,438 rushing yards on 701 career carries with a 10.53-yard average and 118 rushing touchdowns.
4. Georgia DL Elijah Griffin – 82 overall
Ranked by On3 as the No. 1 defensive lineman in the class of 2025, Elijah Griffin has turned heads since the minute he arrived at Georgia. He posted 53 tackles, 27 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks as a senior in 2024 at Savannah Christian Preparatory School.
“[Defensive lineman] Elijah Griffin is a bulletproof prospect. Really talented, really driven, one of the best I’ve been around. Maturity, habits — this guy is a pro,” a source told On3 in the winter.
5. Clemson DL Amare Adams – 82 overall
At 6-foot-4 and 315 pounds, Amare Adams was as a top-five defensive linemen in the 2025 cycle. The top-ranked recruit in the state of South Carolina, Adams collected 250 career tackles, 40 tackles for loss and 14 sacks in his high school career. The Tigers have a deep defensive line with Peter Woods and T.J. Parker returning, but Adams will be a contributor as a true freshman.
6. Penn State OL Malachi Goodman – 81 overall
The top-ranked offensive tackle signee in Penn State’s 2025 class, Malachi Goodman, might not play immediately as a true freshman but was the No. 37 overall recruit in the nation. The top-100 recruit is 6-foot-6, 310 pounds and projects as a future starter for the Nittany Lions.
7. Ohio State CB Devin Sanchez – 81 overall
The top-ranked cornerback in the 2025 cycle, Devin Sanchez, has competed in fall camp for snaps with Davison Igbinosun, Jermaine Mathews Jr. and Aaron Scott Jr. But Sanchez is on track to play the most of any freshman on this year’s Ohio State roster. A Five-Star Plus+ recruit and top-10 prospect in the nation, the 6-foot-2, 180-pound cornerback looked the part of an early contributor in spring ball. He’ll have to continue to show off his ball and coverage skills in fall camp ahead of the season opener against Texas.
8. Texas WR Kaliq Lockett – 81 overall
Kaliq Lockett ranked as the No. 20 overall prospect in the 2025 On3 Industry Ranking. The five-star recruit is the highest-ranked wide receiver commit of the Steve Sarkisian era. The 6-foot-1, 175-pound wide receiver gives the Longhorns a big-body wideout on the outside. He caught 47 passes for 625 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior at Sachse (Texas).
9. Maryland ATH Zymear Smith – 81 overall
Zymear Smith was ranked as a top-10 athlete nationally as a recruit, picking Maryland over Penn State and South Carolina. A one-time Alabama commit, Smith carried the ball 71 times for 609 yards and 7 touchdowns while also catching nine passes for 380 yards and four touchdowns as a senior at Denton (Md.) North Caroline. He’s listed as a wide receiver on Maryland’s roster and a running back in EA Sports College Football 26.
10. Michigan QB Bryce Underwood – 81 overall
On3’s No. 1 recruit in the 2025 class, Bryce Underwood, stunned the nation last November when he flipped his commitment from LSU to Michigan. The 6-foot-4, 214-pound quarterback finished his high school career with a 50-4 record, winning state championships as a freshman and sophomore. He broke the Michigan high school football records for career passing and total touchdowns.
11. Kansas State TE Linkon Cure – 81 overall
12. Miami RB Girard Pringle Jr. – 81 overall
13. Auburn DL Malik Autry – 81 overall
14. Texas RB James Simon – 81 overall
15. Alabama QB Keelon Russell – 80 overall
16. Oregon CB Na’eem Offord – 80 overall
17. Ohio State RB Bo Jackson – 80 overall
18. Oregon RB Dierre Hill – 80 overall
19. Alabama OL Michael Carroll – 80 overall
20. Alabama RB AK Dear – 80 overall
21. Texas DL Justus Terry – 80 overall
22. LSU CB DJ Pickett – 80 overall
23. Tennessee OL David Sanders – 80 overall
24. Florida WR Vernell Brown – 80 overall
25. Texas WR Jaime Ffrench – 80 overall
26. Texas S Jonah Williams – 80 overall
27. Texas CB Kade Phillips – 80 overall
28. Florida WR Dallas Wilson – 80 overall
29. Virginia Tech RB Jeff Overton – 80 overall
30. Georgia EDGE Isaiah Gibson – 80 overall
31. Ohio State QB Tavien St. Clair – 80 overall
32. Georgia Tech RB JP Powell – 80 overall
33. Georgia OL Juan Gaston – 80 overall
34. Texas A&M OL Lamont Rogers – 80 overall
35. Ohio State RB Anthony Rogers – 79 overall
36. Notre Dame TE James Flanigan – 79 overall
37. Oklahoma OL Michael Fasusi – 79 overall
38. Wake Forest RB Jamar Searcy – 79 overall
39. Baylor RB Michael Turner – 79 overall
40. LSU RB JT Lindsey – 79 overall
41. Florida State DL Kevin Wynn – 79 overall
42. Colorado QB Julian Lewis – 79 overall
43. Florida State RB Ousmane Kromah – 79 overall
44. UCLA RB Karson Cox – 79 overall
45. Texas A&M TE Kiotti Armstrong – 79 overall
46. Penn State RB Tikey Hayes – 79 overall
47. Miami EDGE Hayden Lowe – 79 overall
48. Texas A&M WR Kelshaun Johnson – 79 overall
49. Alabama CB Dijon Lee Jr. – 79 overall
50. Auburn RB Alvin Henderson – 78 overall
Category: General Sports
