EA Sports’ wildly popular college football video game series will return again this fall, and we caught our first glimpse of which athletes and coaches will be on the cover of the Deluxe Edition of College Football 26 thanks to a leak on Instagram on Wednesday evening.
Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith is at the forefront of a group that includes Alabama wide receiver Ryan Williams, Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood, Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, South Carolina defensive end Dylan Stewart, Florida quarterback D.J. Lagway, Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, Penn State running back Nicholas Singleton, Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt, LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and Clemson safety Tyler Venables.
The coaches, who did not appear in College Football 25 but are expected to be featured in this year’s rendition, include Georgia’s Kirby Smart, Ohio State’s Ryan Day, Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin, Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham and Penn State’s James Franklin. They are all expected to be included on a coaches-only cover, as well.
Additionally, several college football legends – and former NCAA Football cover athletes – such as USC running back Reggie Bush, Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson were on hand for the cover shoot, suggesting there might be a “Legends Mode” or historical teams in the game.
The cover is complete with mascots from Clemson, Georgia, Oregon and Tennessee, band members and fans, one of which is holding an Indiana flag. The shoot was conducted at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, with the historical stadium’s iconic scoreboard in the background.
For comparison, College Football 25 prominently featured three cover athletes – Colorado wide receiver/cornerback and eventual Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers and Michigan running back Donovan Edwards – on the Standard Edition of the game.
The Deluxe Edition, meanwhile, saw those players flanked by Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe, former Georgia and current Miami (Florida) quarterback Carson Beck and Ohio State running back Quinshon Judkins, as well as a dozen or so unnamed athletes from schools like Notre Dame, Florida, BYU, Clemson, Florida State, Oregon and more emerging from the tunnel at the Cotton Bowl.
Photo courtesy of @tubbycfb on Instagram.
