EA Sports College Football 26 is a welcome sight for both me and every other fan of the College Football video game series. However, with the ratings being subjective to the EA Sports team, there are bound to be ratings that people disagree with. Today, I’ll be presenting my most underrated offensive players in EA College Football 26 based on my 2026 NFL Draft Summer Scouting Big Board.
This list will be entirely based on their positional ranking in the game. Of course, only scouting draft-eligible players for my big board, some underclassmen push some of these players down the board a little bit, but most of the top players in the game are draft-eligible. Now, let’s dive right in!
Quarterback
Fernando Mendoza - Indiana
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is a good player to kick this list off with. Mendoza comes in as the 26th-rated QB in CFB 26 and is an 87 overall. While an 87 overall is certainly respectable, him being the 26th-rated quarterback in the game is quite ludicrous to me.
Mendoza has great size at 6’5” and 225 pounds and has a cannon of an arm with a quick release. He’s shown an excellent understanding of defensive structures and is an efficient processor with accuracy to all three levels of the field. He does lack some mobility, but he is athletic enough to extend plays.
I understand that production plays a large role in how these ratings work, but Mendoza put up 3,004 passing yards with 16 passing touchdowns and just six interceptions in 11 games for Cal in 2024. Considering the talent surrounding Mendoza, outside of running back Jaydn Ott, running back Jaivian Thomas, and tight end Jack Endries, all of whom have since transferred out from Cal, I’d call that a successful season.
Mendoza comes in as my QB3 and is my 11th-rated player overall. I expect him to be the best quarterback in the Big Ten and have a dominant season statistically in Curt Cignetti’s offense.
Josh Hoover - TCU
TCU quarterback Josh Hoover continues this list. Hoover slots in as CFB 26’s 23rd-rated QB and is an 87 overall. Again, an 87 overall is a solid rating, but having him in the 20s in terms of quarterbacks was an interesting choice.
In my opinion, Hoover provides all the things we love about the stereotypical Big 12 field general while also bringing translatable NFL tools to the table. He’s able to create out of structure as an accurate passer on the move, but I was blown away by his ability to hang in the pocket and efficiently go through his reads on each dropback. He has an above-average arm and a very quick release as well.
Hoover was also very productive in 2024, throwing for nearly 4,000 yards with 27 passing touchdowns and 11 interceptions, while also adding four scores on the ground. TCU’s passing attack was rather loaded last season, with three of the Horned Frogs’ four leading receivers now being on NFL rosters in Jack Bech, Savion Williams, and JP Richardson. With all of the new weapons in the building, Hoover will have some more on his plate, but he’s primed for another productive season in 2025, in my opinion.
Hoover is currently my QB4 and is a top 20 player on my big board. I’ve got him as the best quarterback in the Big 12 in 2025, and I think he’ll blow CFB 26’s QB23 rating out of the water.
Kaden Anderson - Wyoming
Wyoming quarterback Kaden Anderson is my biggest flag plant on this list. Anderson played sparingly for the Cowboys in 2024 as a redshirt freshman, but my goodness was his film enjoyable. He comes in as CFB 26’s 224th, yes 224th, rated QB and was given a 74 overall.
From a production perspective, I totally understand this rating. He only threw for 955 yards with six touchdowns and three interceptions, but he threw more than 20 passes in just three games, and 10 or more passes in just five games.
If you turn on Anderson’s tape, you’ll see prototypical size at 6’4” and 230 pounds, a rocket arm, and a quick release with plus downfield accuracy for such a young player. He needs to continue to improve his feel for the pocket, his processing, and his overall accuracy, but his tools are without a doubt NFL caliber.
I’m wary of giving Anderson a full grade due to the lack of experience, but if I were to throw him on my board, he’d be my QB7 and my 32nd overall player. He’s a guy who will play a couple more years of college football in all likelihood, but I fell in love with his tape. He is, without a doubt, better than the 224th-rated quarterback in CFB 26.
Running Back
Justice Haynes - Michigan
Michigan running back Justice Haynes, to me, is the most underrated back in the game. This is another 87 overall player, but he comes in as CFB 26’s 50th-rated running back.
Haynes hasn’t necessarily been very productive, rushing for 448 yards on 79 carries with seven rushing TDs while adding 17 catches for 99 yards through the air for Alabama in 2024. Part of that was Jalen Milroe and Jam Miller eating up the majority of the Crimson Tide’s ground game, but I have Haynes a good bit higher on my board than Miller.
Haynes is an electric athlete in the open field, able to accelerate and change directions with ease while also having plus vision. Listed at 5’11” and 205 pounds, he moves with an edge and will run you over if you don’t square him up. He also shows nice hands when he was used as a receiver out of the backfield.
I’d expect Haynes to dominate the workload for Michigan this fall and be very productive on the ground and as a receiver. I have him as my RB2 and my 19th overall player. Expect to see Haynes in the top five of the majority of 2026 NFL Draft RB rankings moving forward.
Wide Receiver
Jaden Greathouse - Notre Dame
Notre Dame wideout Jaden Greathouse kicks off a pair of receivers that we’ll discuss. Yet another 87 overall, Greathouse comes in as CFB 26’s WR35.
Greathouse had solid production in 2024, hauling in 42 passes for 592 yards and four receiving touchdowns, while exploding for 13 receptions for 233 yards and three touchdowns in the last two games of the College Football Playoff. Now that he should be WR1 for the Fighting Irish, expect his production to rise in 2025.
Greathouse is versatile at 6’1” and 212 pounds, able to play both inside and out, but mostly playing in the slot. He is an excellent route runner at all three levels and is a plus athlete that flashes a lot of juice after the catch, as well as being a monster in contested-catch situations. Outside of maybe Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson, he may be the most well-rounded receiver in the entire class.
I currently have Greathouse as my WR2 and my 12th overall player. He’ll transition to the pro game easily and should make the WR35 rating look pretty foolish.
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Noah Thomas - Georgia
Georgia pass-catcher Noah Thomas is the second receiver we’ll go over. Thomas comes in as an 86 overall and is CFB 26’s 47th-rated wide receiver.
Thomas transferred over to the Bulldogs from Texas A&M this past offseason after his most productive season for the Aggies, logging 39 receptions for 574 yards and eight touchdowns as a junior. Georgia returns a good amount of their receivers, along with a few transfers, but Thomas is easily my highest-graded player in their receiver room.
Thomas is a 6’5” and 205 pound physical freak that can absolutely fly. The way he moves is very similar to Jayden Higgins; it’s like he’s on a joystick. His ability as a route runner was very impressive, and his massive catch radius makes him extremely dangerous as a contested-catch threat, especially in the red zone.
As my WR5 and my 28th overall player, I’m much higher on Thomas than the consensus. I expect him to explode in 2025, and he may even challenge for the title of the second-best receiver in the SEC, outside of Alabama’s Ryan Williams, of course.
Tight End
Lawson Luckie - Georgia
We have our second Bulldogs pass-catcher in tight end Lawson Luckie. Luckie is CFB 26’s 21st-rated tight end as an 85 overall.
Luckie is part of a talented Georgia tight end room along with his running mate Oscar Delp. Luckie surprisingly outproduced Delp in 2024, racking up 24 catches for 348 yards and three touchdowns, so we’ll see who leads that room in 2025.
Luckie is the prototypical move tight end as the F in an offense, very similar to a Dalton Kincaid type of player. His route running jumps off the screen as he’s able to accelerate out of his breaks quickly. He also didn’t drop a single pass in 2024.
He comes in as my TE3 and is a top 75 player on my big board. With his teammate Delp being my TE1, Georgia should give opposing linebacker and safety rooms fits all season long.
Offensive Line
Xavier Chaplin - Auburn
Auburn left tackle Xavier Chaplin is the first of two offensive linemen we’ll touch on. Chaplin comes in as an 82 overall and is CFB 26’s 20th-rated left tackle.
Chaplin, who transferred to the Tigers from Virginia Tech, is massive at 6’7” and 348 pounds, and he uses it greatly, being a very powerful blocker. I don’t think he’s a great athlete, but he’s athletic enough to hang at left tackle. He allowed just two sacks on 315 pass blocking snaps in 2024 per PFF, which is impressive considering the Hokies’ quarterback, Kyron Drones, holds the ball for quite a long time in the pocket.
Chaplin is my 5th-rated offensive tackle and is my 35th overall player. His length and power should keep Oklahoma transfer quarterback Jackson Arnold clean in 2025.
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Connor Lew - Auburn
Another Auburn Tiger offensive lineman appears on the list, this time in the form of center Connor Lew. Lew is the highest-rated player on this list as CFB 26’s 8th-rated center with an 88 overall.
Lew has started since his true freshman season for the Tigers and has been the cornerstone of their unit. He is uber athletic and probably the most accurate offensive lineman at the second level in the entire class. Per PFF, he allowed just one sack on 442 pass blocking snaps in 2024.
Lew is another of my favorite players in the 2026 NFL Draft, coming in as my top-ranked center and my 15th overall player. He’ll lead Auburn’s much-improved offensive line, which, hopefully for the Tigers, leads to a much-improved overall team in 2025.
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Final Thoughts
I couldn’t be happier that the College Football video game series returned in CFB 25 and has continued with CFB 26, and it’s awesome to have it coincide with summer scouting. I hope you enjoyed this list of underrated offensive players in CFB 26 based on my 2026 NFL Draft Summer Scouting Big Board.