It is almost time for the next college football video game to hit the shelves. After the immense success of College Football 25, EA Sports quickly announced plans for a sequel, with College Football 26 expected to be released in July. EA released the two covers of the game earlier this week, showcasing what the standard and deluxe edition covers would look like.
From the early looks of it, it appears a major feature will come to this year's game, adding another cool experience to Stanford interim head coach, Frank Reich's, career. The standard edition cover features only Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith and Alabama's Ryan Williams but the deluxe edition cover features some coaches, signaling that for the first time ever, real coaches will be in the game.
Reich is only expected to serve as Stanford's coach for 2025, before a permanent replacement takes over in 2026, but given the timing of release, it is highly likely that Reich will be one of the real coaches in the game.
Since Reich has been in multiple EA games in the past during his time as an NFL head coach, and featured in Madden games from 2018-2023, putting him in the college version shouldn't be terribly difficult.
The cover pretty much confirms that real coaches will be in the game, but the full game reveal will not be until Thursday, May 29, when EA will talk about its new features, along with showing some gameplay footage. The official release date for the game is July 10, but if fans order the deluxe edition or the EA Sports MVP Bundle, they can get three days early access starting on July 7.
Last year's game exceeded expectations, not only becoming the best-selling sports video game in United States history, but it was also nominated for multiple awards including Sports Game of the Year at the 28th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards and the Big Apple Award for Best Game of the Year at the New York Game Awards, among others.
But if College Football 26 is anything as advertised, it could very well surpass its predecessor and grow the legacy of college football video games even further.
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After working to return to the Chicago Cubs' lineup following an oblique injury, Miguel Amaya suffered a gruesome-looking injury in his first game back with the Cubs on Wednesday night. Running to first base, Amaya just beat out an infield single on a slow dribbler to shortstop when his left foot landed forcefully on the base, causing his leg to buckle and sending Amaya flying down the first base line. Following the injury, Amaya was carted off the field in Toronto with a towel over his face. The emotions shown by Amaya as he was carted off indicated he knew already he would miss more time in a season that has been marred by injuries. After the game, Cubs manager Craig Counsell confirmed Amaya would be going back on the injured list with what was diagnosed as a left ankle sprain. X-rays, however, were negative. The 26-year-old Amaya had just told reporters after being activated from the 60-day injured list that he was thankful he was healthy. Just three at-bats later, Amaya was once again injured. Amaya's three at-bats against the Blue Jays on Wednesday represented his first game action since May 24, when he recorded just two at-bats against the Cincinnati Reds before leaving the game with an oblique injury. In just 96 at-bats this season, Amaya is slashing .281/.314/.500 with four home runs and 25 RBI. Amaya's injury is another blow for the Cubs, who have seen their lead in the National League Central evaporate as the Milwaukee Brewers have now won 12 consecutive games and are 20-4 since the All-Star break. As has been the case in Amaya's absence, Carson Kelly and Reese McGuire will continue to be the dominant presences behind the plate for the Cubs. Joining with Amaya, the duo has helped the Cubs record a 2.8 Wins Above Average (WAA) at catcher, the highest mark of any MLB team. After Amaya's injury, the Cubs would go on to post a 4-1 win over the Blue Jays.
The Green Bay Packers made an under-the-radar move on Wednesday on offense, as the team announced that it claimed wide receiver Kawaan Baker off waivers from the Las Vegas Raiders. From the Packers’ official website: The Green Bay Packers claimed WR Kawaan Baker off waivers from the Las Vegas Raiders. The transaction was announced Wednesday by General Manager Brian Gutekunst. Baker turned pro in 2021, when he was taken off the board in the seventh round of that year’s NFL draft by the New Orleans Saints. He signed a four-year deal worth $3.56 million with the Saints, though he spent most of his rookie season on New Orleans’ practice squad. He appeared in only two games in the 2021 NFL season and never saw action in a regular-season or playoff game since. This is also not the first time that Baker got acquainted with the Packers, as Green Bay signed him to its practice squad back in 2022 before moving on to the Philadelphia Eagles and back to the Saints. In 2024, he joined the New England Patriots in the offseason and training camp but was waived before the start of the season. His most recent stop was with the Raiders, who waived him on Monday. Before he entered the NFL, Baker played four college football seasons with the South Alabama Jaguars, during which he scored 16 touchdowns on 126 receptions through 45 games. Baker could see some action this coming Saturday’s preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts. Fans react to Green Bay Packers’ move on Baker The Packers have plenty of hurt bodies on the wide receiver room, and that is not lost on Green Bay fans, who have a lot to say about the Baker signing. “Gute is always working,” said a fan on X. Another one said: “Damn, I thought for sure they were gonna pick up OBJ or Amari Cooper this time” From a commenter: “We got 30 WRs… what’s one more” “Idk but he has return experience,” a social media user posted. Via a different commenter: “Well, when there is one receiver that can catch the ball …” Said another: “Looks like a returner option. He’s been on several practice squads over the years.”
New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields was a little more accurate on Wednesday than he was in his "alarming" performance during joint practice with the New York Giants on Tuesday. Still, the fifth-year quarterback had a familiar issue pop up. Per Dan Duggan and Charlotte Carroll of The Athletic, Fields took several sacks against a Giants defense that brought the house on a shaky Jets offensive line. Via The Athletic: "On the other field, the Giants defensive front carried over its domination from Tuesday, giving Jets quarterback Justin Fields and his offensive line plenty of problems. Camp stats are subjective, especially when it comes to sacks, but the Giants appeared to get to Fields for four sacks. "Similar to Tuesday, there were moments when it was hard to tell exactly who was causing problems as the Giants sent multiple bodies in the backfield. Fields, who went 7-of-11 on the day, had a few overthrows on plays that likely were sacks." Fields did have a couple of long runs on a Giants defense that struggled against the rush in 2024. While Fields has a unique ability to add to the running game, the Jets need the 2021 first-round pick to push the ball down the field in the passing game. Fields has always had a problem with being indecisive in the pocket, leading to his taking too many sacks since entering the league. He led the league with 55 sacks in 2022 and has taken 151 in his four-year career. The Ohio State product took 16 sacks during his six starts with the Pittsburgh Steelers last season. In camp, Fields doesn't have to worry about taking body blows from sacks that lead to injuries. That will happen in the regular season if he plays how he practiced on Wednesday.
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