A screenshot from the College Football 26 cover release video from On3 Sports Photo Credit: On3 Sports
By Reice Shipley on

The 2025 college football season marks the second consecutive year that EA Sports is set to release its annual College Football video game series. And on Tuesday, it was two standout wide receivers who received the honor of being on the cover of the upcoming EA Sports College Football 26 video game.

Ohio State sophomore wideout Jeremiah Smith had one of the best freshman campaigns that we have seen in recent memory this past season, hauling in 76 receptions for 1,315 yards and 16 total touchdowns.

Meanwhile, Alabama wide receiver Ryan Williams had his own spectacular freshman campaign this past season, hauling in 48 receptions for 865 yards and 10 total touchdowns.

Both appear to be budding stars that will eventually thrive at the NFL level. And as a result, EA Sports has opted to name both Williams and Smith co-cover athletes on the standard version of the College Football 26 video game.

Interestingly, it is the first time in the history of the EA Sports College Football franchise, which dates back to 1993, that a pair of wide receivers have been named the cover athletes for the game.

It’s hard to argue that they don’t deserve the honor considering they are undoubtedly two of the most popular skill position players in the sport at the moment at the moment, with the talent to back up all of the hype.

Still, it is perhaps at least somewhat surprising that we don’t have a quarterback on the cover on the cover, which has been the case in each of the last four installments of the game.

Naturally, the selection of Smith and Williams invoked plenty of reactions from college football fans and video game players alike, with many appreciating how EA Sports opted to go away from the quarterback position this time around.

About Reice Shipley

Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.

View all posts by Reice Shipley