Jeremiah Smith, Caleb Downs and College Football 26 Player Ratings for Every Position

Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs headline the top-ranked players in EA Sports' College Football 26.

EA Sports published lists of the offensive and defense players with the highest overall rankings ahead of the game's July 10 release.

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Top 10 Offensive Players in EA Sports' College Football 26

1. Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State: 98 OVR

2. Ryan Williams, WR, Alabama: 95 OVR

3. Jeremiyah Love, HB, Notre Dame: 95 OVR

4. Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State, 94 OVR

5. Kadyn Proctor, LT, Alabama: 94 OVR

6. Spencer Fano, RT, Utah: 94 OVR

7. Ar'maj Reed-Adams, RG, Texas A&M: 93 OVR

8. Eli Stowers, TE, Vanderbilt: 93 OVR

9. Francis Mauigoa, RT, Miami: 93 OVR

10. Nicholas Singleton, HB, Penn State: 93 OVR

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Top 10 Defensive Players in EA Sports' College Football 26

1. Caleb Downs, FS, Ohio State: 96 OVR

2. Anthony Hill Jr., LB, Texas: 95 OVR

3. T.J. Parker, EDGE, Clemson: 95 OVR

4. Dylan Stewart, EDGE, South Carolina: 94 OVR

5. Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee: 94 OVR

6. Peter Woods, OT, Clemson: 94 OVR

7. Colin Simmons, EDGE, Texas: 93 OVR

8. Leonard Moore, CB, Notre Dame: 93 OVR

9. Keldric Faulk, EDGE, Auburn: 93 OVR

10. Dillon Thieneman, SS, Oregon: 93 OVR

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EA Sports' college football video game returned last summer after an 11-year hiatus with College Football 25.

The company also published positional top-five lists ahead of the release of the 2026 edition.

Clemson's Cade Klubnik, LSU's Garrett Nussmeier and Penn State's Drew Allar were the only quarterbacks to receive OVR ratings of 92 or more.

Arizona State's Sam Leavitt and South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers rounded out the top five quarterbacks.

Smith received the highest overall rating at 98 OVR after leading the Big Ten with 1,315 receiving yards while averaging 17.3 yards per catch during his freshman season.

He recently told The Athletic's Manny Navarro that he had arrived at Ohio State weighing about 205 pounds, but he has bulked up to 225 pounds ahead of his sophomore season.

Downs was rated as the top defensive player at 96 OVR after posting 82 tackles, including eight for loss, with six passes defensed after transferring to Ohio State ahead of the 2024 season.

The Buckeyes are losing former defensive coordinator Jim Knowles to Penn State, but keeping Downs will add some key continuity to the Buckeyes' defense.

Tuesday's EA Sports rankings reflect just how central both Smith and Downs will be to the Buckeyes' hopes of defending their national title.