Biggest Gophers takeaways from EA Sports College Football 26 release

The deluxe edition of EA Sports College Football 26 was officially released on Monday. We now know the ratings of almost every Gophers player and where they stack up as a team — so what are the biggest takeaways?

Drake Lindsey is the lowest-rated Big Ten QB

Lindsey had a tremendous spring period for Minnesota, which has likely earned him the starting quarterback job in 2025. There's a lot of excitement among Gophers fans about his potential, but that is not reflected in his rating. At 72 overall, he is the lowest-rated projected starting quarterback in the conference.

1. Drew Allar, PSU (92)
2. Luke Altmeyer, Illinois (89)
3. Nico Iamaleava, UCLA (88)
4. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana (87)
5. Dylan Raiola, Nebraska (87)
6. Jayden Maiava, USC (86)
7. Julian Sayin, OSU (85)
8. Dante Moore, Oregon (84)
9. Demond Williams Jr., Washington (82)
10. Preson Stone, Northwestern (82)
11. Aidan Chiles, MSU (81)
12. Bryce Underwood, Michigan (81)
13. Mark Granowski, Iowa (81)
14. Billy Edwards Jr., Wisconsin (81)
15. Athan Kaliakmanis, Rutgers (80)
16. Malik Washington, Maryland (75)
17. Malachi Singleton, Purdue (73)
18. Drake Lindsey, UMN (72)

With zero career starts and only five career pass attempts, he's one of the most unproven quarterbacks in the country. It's hard to argue he deserves to be much higher, but he'll have a chance to improve his rating throughout the season.

Notable players not in the game

The introduction of Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) rules makes it legal for the top players in the sport to be properly represented in the game, but that doesn't mean every single player on every roster is in the game. The most notable players not in the game for Minnesota include wide receiver Cristian Driver, cornerback Jaylen Bowden, and freshman linebacker Emmanuel Karmo.

NOTE: For the CFB 26/Gophers sickos out there: Notable UMN players not in the game (fake names: best guess)

QB Jackson Kollock (Jerod Bates)
WR Cristian Driver (??)
WR Jalen Smith (Lonzo Glenn)
TE Jack DiSano (??)
TE Sam Peters (??)
TE Jacob Simpson (??)
OL Kaveon Lee (Griffin…
— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) July 7, 2025

There could be different reasons for each player not being in the game, and EA typically replaces them on the roster with a fake name or placeholder. They could also get added as updates roll out throughout the season.

Related: Jayden McGregory commits to Lousiville, are the Gophers done adding to 2026 class?

Team rating

Overall: 79
Offense: 79
Defense: 81
Special Teams: 81

The only Big Ten teams rated equally or below the Gophers at the time of release are Northwestern, Rutgers, Purdue and Maryland. It's entirely fair to think the Gophers are a bit overlooked in their overall rating, as teams like Wisconsin, Michigan State and UCLA all received ratings of 84 or higher, despite having the same, if not lower, expectations heading into the 2025 season.

Detail changes

One thing fans love about EA Sports College Football is the attention to detail. Last year's game didn't have a view of the Minneapolis skyline, the Gophers were on the wrong sideline and the rouser was inaccurate. All three of those things have been changed in the new game.

Thank you @EASPORTSCollege for listening to me, the Gopher fanbase, and @MikeWierzbicki for making sure the right people heard what the fans wanted from this game!

-Minneapolis skyline
-Correct SKI-U-MAH
-Correct sideline

Can’t wait to win a natty and own our rivals!🛶〽️🐿️ pic.twitter.com/88lGXP2oCG
— 🐿Norwegian🇳🇴Gopher🐿 (@NorwegianGopher) July 7, 2025

Notable underrated players

With 136 teams in the FBS, it's hard to get every rating accurate, but there were a few that stuck out to me for the Gophers. Tight end Frank Bierman having a 66 overall rating as Minnesota's lowest-rated tight end seems wrong. He played 159 offensive snaps last season and projects to have a significant role again this season. He deserves more respect.

Wide receiver Lemeke Brockington getting a 76 overall also feels low. Injuries have slowed his production, but having him four points lower than Malachi Coleman is likely be an oversight.