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Bill Belichick, Deion Sanders Among NCAA Coaches Not Featured in College Football 26

The likeness of college football's premier head coaches won't be used in EA's newest video game.
Neither Sanders or Belichick are featured in College Football 26.
Neither Sanders or Belichick are featured in College Football 26. | Belichick: Bob Donnan, Imagn Images. Sanders: Isaiah J. Downing, Imagn Images.

For those who are looking forward to logging into College Football 26 on Thursday and playing with a team coached by the likes of Bill Belichick or Deion Sanders ... you're going to have to keep looking.

While you can—of course—compete in EA's newest product with both the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Colorado Buffaloes, their head coaches in Belichick and Sanders are among a handful who aren't featured in the video game.

According to CFBudge on X (formerly Twitter), here's the full list of coaches who aren't in College Football 26:

  • Bill Belichick (North Carolina)
  • Mark Carney (Kent State)
  • Mario Cristobal (Miami)
  • Trent Dilfer (UAB)
  • Jason Eck (New Mexico)
  • Kirk Ferentz (Iowa)
  • Tyson Helton (Western Kentucky)
  • Charles Kelly (Jacksonville State)
  • Bronco Mendenhall (Utah State)
  • Frank Reich (Stanford)
  • Deion Sanders (Colorado)
  • Bryant Vincent (ULM)

While it's unclear as to why the above coaches did not approve of their likeness being featured in the game, the reality is: it ultimately won't affect the game's play. Though it would be entertaining to see a cartoon Belichick's arms crossed on the sidelines at Chapel Hill's Kenan Stadium.

With Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith and Alabama's Ryan Williams on the coverCFB26 will officially be released worldwide on July 10.


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Published | Modified
 Mike Kadlick
MICHAEL KADLICK

Mike Kadlick is a senior NFL news writer for Sports Illustrated. He’s also a New England Patriots reporter for CLNS Media, where he hosts the Patriots Daily podcast and covers the beat from Gillette Stadium. Before joining SI, Kadlick worked at WEEI sports radio in Boston. He holds a master’s degree in public relations from Boston University. When Kadlick’s not covering football, he can be found running, spending time with his wife and dog, and enjoying all things pizza.

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