EA Sports Ranks Two Michigan Football Freshmen Among Nation’s Best

Two highly touted Michigan freshmen are receiving national recognition before taking their first college snaps, according to EA Sports College Football 27.

Team Blue running back Savion Hiter (5) runs against Team Maize during the spring game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, April 18, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Last month, EA Sports released College Football 27, its latest iteration of the annual series. Each year, the game assigns ratings to each team and player prior to the start of the season, and they continue to update them as the season goes on.

Heading into the 2027 season, two Michigan freshmen are looked at as two of the best in the country according to EA Sports.

⭐️ Lamar Brown is the highest-rated true freshman in #CFB27.

Savion Hiter and Jackson Cantwell are tied on offense.

Who will be #1 when the season ends? pic.twitter.com/687bV0K8eH

— College Football 27 (@EASPORTSCollege) August 14, 2026

The game released a list breaking down the top-ranked true freshmen on offense and defense, with one Wolverine making the list on each side of the ball.

Defense: Carter Meadows (No. 10)

Michigan freshman Carter Meadows is currently rated an 80 overall, which ranks 10th amongst true freshmen on defense. LSU’s Lamar Brown was at the top of the list at an 84 overall.

Meadows will be a freshman who comes in and sees the field instantly. Out of high school, he was a five-star recruit and widely regarded as one of the best prospects in the 2026 class.

During Big Ten Media Days, head coach Kyle Whittingham explained his excitement for Meadows when asked about the nine summer enrollees.

Jul 30, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Michigan Football head coach Kyle Whittingham speaks during Big Ten Media Days at Hilton Chicago. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"I'm going to say Carter Meadows, the defensive end," Whittingham said. "I think he's going to be a special player. He's 6-foot-6-plus, maybe 6-7. He's put on 15 pounds since he's been there. I think he's 255 now, and you talk about an athlete and a guy that looks the part.”

Even if we don’t see Meadows as a true starter to start the season, he will be a valuable rotational player at the start of the season with potential to grow as the 2026 campaign goes on.

Offense: Savion Hiter (No. 1)

Freshman running back and former five-star prospect Savion Hiter is rated as the top true freshman on offense in the country with an 83 overall rating. There has been a ton of buzz in fall camp around freshman running back Hiter.

One video from fall camp in particular went viral on social media of Hiter running through a drill at practice.

No bag is safe from Savion Hiter 😳 pic.twitter.com/b1tLP1e5j7

— SleeperCFB (@SleeperCFB) August 13, 2026

Hiter is a lock to see time on the field off the jump. Even though Jordan Marshall will be listed as the starter on the depth chart, we will still see plenty of Hiter in the backfield.

Last week, offensive coordinator Jason Beck raved about Hiter and his work ethic.

“He just works so hard all of the time; there is no such thing as not full speed with that kid,” Beck said. “It is just full speed, effort, all of the time. He makes a splash from day one.”

Michigan OC Jason Beck on freshman RB Savion Hiter at the start of fall camp 〽️ #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/IU87RDbvow

— Michigan Football on UMGoBlue (@UMGoBlog) August 10, 2026

The early trust from Beck is a strong indication that Hiter will have his opportunity to make an impact.