Re-Ranking EA Sports College Football 27's Top 25 Players
Each year, EA SPORTS is blessed with an unconquerable assignment. After all of college football's rosters are finally set and the many movements are accounted for, it has the distinct honor of ranking each and every player for us to enjoy in its glorious college football game.
Enter College Football 27, the latest installment of the franchise and a key offseason reminder that actual football will be arriving soon.
Per tradition, EA SPORTS ranked and rated each and every college football player that will suit up this fall. And per tradition, while they did an admirable job in doing so, there are some rankings we don't completely agree with.
How would we rate the top 25 players in College Football 27?
Let's explore.
No. 25-No.21: Bursting with Potential
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25. Jordan Seaton (OT, LSU) 93
24. CJ Carr (QB, Notre Dame) 93
23. Brice Pollock (CB, Texas Tech) 93
22. Jadan Baugh (RB, Florida) 93
21. Cam Coleman (WR, Texas) 93
Collectively, this group of players stands to deliver an enormous impact on the fall and potentially outperform their current ranking.
CJ Carr, Notre Dame's starting quarterback, is positioned to take an enormous leap in his second season. And Jordan Seaton, one of Lane Kiffin's prized additions at LSU, looks like a cornerstone left tackle in the making.
In terms of skill talent, Jadan Baugh and Cam Coleman are two dynamite SEC talents positioned to become even bigger stars. Both have the physical traits and makeup to carry a football team at positions where that isn't normal.
No. 20-No. 16: A Mix of Positional Excellence
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20. Bray Hubbard (SS, Alabama) 93
19. KJ Bolden (FS, Georgia) 93
18. Trevor Goosby (OL, Texas) 94
17. Kade Piper (C, Iowa) 94
16. Sam Leavitt (QB, LSU) 94
While this grouping might not have the assortment of household names average college football fans would recognize, don't let that fool you. (Also, we'll get the exception to that notion momentarily.)
Trevor Goosby and Kade Piper, two of the sport's best linemen, are also enormously important leaders for their football team.
On the back end of a defense, Bray Hubbard and KJ Bolden are the cream of the crop. EA SPORTS' two top ranked safeties remain that way in these rankings, and for good reasons.
Last but not least, Sam Leavitt. This is where we go our separate ways with EA SPORTS.
Leavitt is well outside of the top 25 of EA's rankings, although we strongly disagree. Despite battling injuries last season, Leavitt has proven himself to be an elite college QB when healthy. And with Lane Kiffin calling plays, it would not be shocking to see him take his game to another level.
No. 15-No. 11: Two Quarterbacks and a Couple of Ducks
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15. David Stone (DT, Oklahoma) 94
14. Matayo Uiagalelei (Edge, Oregon) 94
13. Julian Sayin (QB, Ohio State) 94
12. A'Mauri Washington (DT, Oregon) 95
11. Trinidad Chambliss (QB, Ole Miss) 95
In the year of the quarterback, this particular stretch says plenty.
Both Julian Sayin and Trinidad Chambliss have a home, and Chambliss, after his magnificent late-year heroics, gets a slight nod over Sayin, which is different from how EA SPORTS sees it.
These, however, are our rankings, and we're sticking to it.
Oregon, which is known for its offense, also has two defensive players included. Matayo Uiagalelei and A'Mauri Washington, two enormous pieces up front, have a chance to have special seasons.
If you think we're done with Oregon players, well, you would be incorrect.
No. 10-No. 6: Running Backs, Tigers and a Longhorn
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10. Cayden Green (OL, Missouri) 95
9. Dylan Stewart (Edge, South Carolina) 95
8. Kewan Lacy (RB, Ole Miss) 96
7. Ahmad Hardy (RB, Missouri) 96
6. Colin Simmons (Edge, Texas) 96
One could make a case that all five of these players warrant a spot in the top five.
This group is headlined by two running backs, Kewan Lacy and Ahmad Hardy, who are capable of flipping a game on its side. Joining Hardy from Missouri is Cayden Green, a lineman who makes Hardy's dominance that much more possible.
Elsewhere, we have two players born to chase quarterbacks. Dylan Stewart and Colin Simmons are two tremendous terrors in the SEC, and it wouldn't shock us one bit to see both elevate their already elevated games to the next level.
5. Dante Moore (QB, Oregon) 96
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The fact that we're writing about Dante Moore's existence in a college football video game still feels somewhat surprising.
Rather than join the NFL, Moore made the decision to return to a loaded Ducks' team—enjoying millions of NIL dollars along the way. And although the decision might have seemed a tad surprising at the time, it should pay enormous dividends for the player and the program.
EA SPORTS had Moore ranked as the ninth best player. He's getting more respect from us after scoring 32 touchdowns in his first season in Eugene. No, the year didn't end well against Indiana, although that was the case for pretty much everyone else, too.
Moore will be bigger, stronger, faster and better on all fronts, and he has a loaded group of wideouts to throw to.
Feels Heisman-y.
4. Carter Smith (OT, Indiana) 97
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Lost in the madness of a national championship and the hysteria that blanketed Fernando Mendoza, Indiana's starting QB, was the unrelenting excellence of the team's starting left tackle.
Enter Carter Smith, a consensus All-American and the Big Ten's Offensive Lineman of the Year—a mammoth 6'5" left tackle that will serve as the Hoosiers' cornerstone on offense.
Smith's decision to return to Indiana is one of the reasons Curt Cignetti has realistic eyes on a potential encore season. Carter wasn't just solid; he didn't allow a single sack until the national championship game, and he's only allowed a handful over his entire collegiate career
While offensive lineman can be overlooked in real and virtual football, let's not do that here. EA SPORTS had Carter as the No. 2 ranked player in the game. While we have him slightly lower, it's hard to argue with.
3. Malachi Toney (WR, Miami) 97
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While we're not miles apart, EA SPORTS has a different viewpoint on Toney.
Oh, they like him. Toney was rated as the seventh-highest overall player in the game and bestowed a crisp 96 overall rating as a true sophomore. But somehow, given the season Toney just delivered as a freshman who didn't arrive at Miami with enormous recruiting hype, it doesn't seem like enough.
Toney was an enormous part of the Hurricanes' runner up performance in the 2025-2026 season, finishing the year with more catches (109) than any player in the sport. He also caught 10 touchdown passes, ran for a touchdown and even threw for two more.
With loaded pieces on offense returning, headlined by new quarterback Darian Mensah, it wouldn't be unreasonable to expect Toney to take his performance up another notch.
2. Leonard Moore (CB, Notre Dame) 98
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EA SPORTS didn't have Moore ranked as the No. 2 overall player, although he wasn't far from it. Here, however, we have them there, and we're giving him an elusive 98 rating to go with it.
Moore, simply put, is sensational.
Sure, he intercepted five passes as a sophomore. But the true value of Moore is his ability to play man coverage and largely eliminate targets from the game entirely. Only once last year did Moore allow more than 30 yards receiving in a single game.
As a freshman, he emerged as one of the best cornerbacks in the country. As a sophomore, he was clearly the one. As a junior, well, look out.
1. Jeremiah Smith (WR, Ohio State) 99
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When it comes to the top-rated player, EA SPORTS nailed it. The answer is Jeremiah Smith, and he's deserving of the game's first-ever 99 rating.
We can't disagree. Smith arrived in Columbus as the nation's top overall recruit, and he's spent the past two seasons tormenting opposing cornerbacks. In two seasons, he scored 29 touchdowns and hauled in 163 catches.
And at 6'3" and 225 pounds, he has the ideal size—and the speed to match—to beat defenses in a multitude of ways. He can jump over you. He can run around you. He can throw you to the ground with one arm after he catches a pass. He can juke you into football oblivion.
Simply put, he's sensational. While he's only going to be a junior, enjoy him while you can. Smith is poised to deliver another massive season, capping off a historic collegiate career.
What a talent.
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