Which Stanford Players Could Have the Highest Rating in College Football 26?

It is official, College Football 26 will hit the shelves in July, giving fans a new edition of the beloved college football video game series ahead of the college football season. On Thursday, EA Sports released its first reveal trailer, showing off some of the game's newest features and improvements. And now that the game is confirmed, one thing on people's minds is player ratings.

The Stanford Cardinal are among the 136 FBS schools that will be in the game, leading to questions about who the highest rated players on the Cardinal could be this season.

In last year's edition, the three highest rated Cardinal players were edge rusher David Bailey (90 overall), cornerback Collin Wright (88 overall) and wide receiver Elic Ayomanor (88 overall). But two of those guys gone, Ayomanor and Bailey, leaving Stanford will be in the game with new headliners.

One player to keep an eye on for a high rating is kicker Emmet Kenney. It is not common for a special teamer, let alone a kicker, to be a featured player in these games, but after a strong 2024 season, Kenney figures to be one of Stanford's star players in 2025.

Going a perfect 32-for-32 on extra points and 14-for-17 on field goals, Kenney broke out onto the scene in 2024 and could earn himself one of the highest ratings on Stanford. Rated a 75 in the final roster update of College Football 25, Kenney could be rated even higher now.

Scotty Edwards is another candidate to be one of the top rated players on Stanford. He was the second leading tackler on the team last season behind Gaethan Bernadel, finishing with 80 total tackles and two passes defended, Edwards had his best season in 2024 and went from a depth piece to one of the marquee players on the defense.

In the final ratings update, Edwards received a 78 overall and got considerably better from the when the game launched. Expected to be a big part of this season's team, Edwards could be a top player for Stanford in the new game.

But perhaps no player on Stanford will be rated higher than Wright. Tied with Ayomanor for being the second-highest rated player on the Cardinal in the final ratings update, Wright is the only player out of the top three from last season that remain in the game.

Wright is most likely going to be the top rated player on Stanford given his 88 overall in the final roster update and now that he is expected to be the Cardinal's top defensive player in 2025, expectations are high for him.

Wright ended last season with a career low in tackles but tied his career high with five passes defended and recorded three interceptions--the most of his college career. Pass coverage was a problem for Stanford last season, and with Wright fully healthy going into the fall, he will have a big role.

College Football 26 will release commercially on July 10 but if gamers pre-order the Deluxe Edition, they will get three days early access starting on July 7.