10 Biggest College Football 26 Leaks & Rumors

Fans of EA Sports College Football are eagerly awaiting the newest game in the franchise, EA Sports College Football 26. As they wait, fans are speculating about potential new features and gameplay improvements. Plus, there have been actual leaks from collegiate sports writer Matt Brown that need to be considered, too. With College Football 26 still a ways away – the game is expected to be released during the summer of 2025 – the excitement around the game continues to build as fans dissect every rumor and leak for clues about what's to come.

Fans are eager to see if the game will live up to its predecessors and redefine the college football gaming experience. Until they can experience the game themselves, they have to rely on rumors and leaks to fuel their excitement and keep the conversation alive. Here are 10 of the most exciting rumors and leaks within the College Football 26 space.

College Football games, compared to the real deal, have always lacked sponsorships. College Football 25 has done okay, with sponsors from Discover and Coca-Cola, but there's still room for improvement – and that's one of the areas where College Football 26 will hopefully improve. There had already been rumors and hopes among fans about new sponsorships being added, but it's looking more and more likely with the latest survey sent out by EA Sports.

According to Matt Brown of Extra Points, EA Sports has sent out a survey to participating schools. One of the questions pertains to sponsorships. Since college football has become a commercial powerhouse, it makes sense that the game would reflect this by focusing on adding more partnerships with real-world brands. These sponsorships could pop up in various forms, like on-field ads and billboards or even virtual advertisements during gameplay. Sponsorships could even appear as deals in career mode.

However, there needs to be a balance if more sponsorships are included. Including too many sponsorships too often could make the game feel too much like an advertisement rather than a game that fans can enjoy.

9 Additional School Team Chants To Add Some School Spirit

Boost School Spirit And Morale From Smaller Teams

For those who have watched a college football game, you know that team chants and crowd energy are a huge part of the atmosphere. According to rumors and leaks cited in EricRayweather's YouTube video, College Football 26 might give these in-game moments a massive upgrade with more accurate and detailed school team chants. The possibilities here are nearly endless; fans could see custom fight songs and more detailed stadium sounds. Overhauling these assets would certainly make each school feel unique.

For smaller and mid-sized schools, this could be especially important and valuable. The larger schools have always been reflected well, while the smaller and mid-tier schools have often been left behind. To do this well, EA Sports will need to make sure the chants are well-timed and authentic. Still, fans of teams with iconic chants are sure to appreciate hearing their favorite crowd songs in the game.

8 Improved Lighting For Nighttime And Daytime Games

Improve Game Atmosphere And Visibility

Another exciting rumor and possible leak from Matt Brown and EricRayweather has to do with lighting changes. In the EA Sports survey, EA Sports asked schools for photos and videos of the teams and tunnels. What's telling is that EA Sports wanted to get the lighting right. EricRayweather speculates that this could be more specific to night games to "have it have a distinct look."

An overhaul of lighting would create a more dramatic shift in the atmosphere, allowing day games to have bright, sunny visuals and night games to have the classic under-the-lights vibe. Changing how the lighting works in College Football 26 would make each game feel more realistic. Of course, this could take a toll on gameplay performance, but if done right, the changes in how lighting works could improve the entire College Football 26 experience for players.

Expand On The Narrative And College Football Story

Cutscenes add depth to games, creating a sense of drama and storytelling that makes special moments more impactful and memorable. Cutscenes in College Football help bring important plays, rivalries, and milestones to life. It truly makes the game feel more immersive and engaging.

While College Football 25 had quite a few cutscenes for fans to enjoy, they quickly felt repetitive and lost their impact after a while. Rumors suggest that EA College Football 26 will feature even more improved cutscenes, hopefully diving deeper into the college football experience and showcasing a wider range of emotions. These cutscenes could include everything from game-winning touchdowns to post-game celebrations and player interactions.

6 Bringing All Your Favorite Mascots To Life For Better Representation

More Mascots Could Mean Stronger Fan Connections

Mascots are a big deal for most sporting events, and that's no different for college football. EA Sports College Football 25 features 50 mascots, and while that may seem like a pretty significant number when you consider all the schools involved, it quickly becomes apparent that many schools were left without their iconic mascots. In College Football 26, there's a strong possibility that the inclusion of mascots will expand, giving fans a more authentic and realistic experience.

In fact, according to EricRayweather, EA Sports is looking to include as many college mascots as possible. This would be a huge win for fans who love seeing their school's mascot in action, and it could also bring more entertainment and lighthearted moments to the field. With the possibility of so many mascots being added to College Football 26, EA Sports needs to pay attention to the finer details, balancing quantity with quality to keep the mascots as detailed and realistic as possible.

5 Finetuning Smaller Details For More Accuracy And Realism

In College Football 26, fans are hoping for more accurate, smaller details to add to the realism of the college football experience. It seems EA Sports is listening as rumors suggest the game is gearing up to include those smaller details. Some of these include adding more marching band performances and improving stadium photos and color codes for each school. This focus on small details is important in making EA College Football 26 feel more authentic to the college football experience.

Other smaller details could be more realistic uniforms, fan engagement, props, rivalry trophies, and team entrances and rituals. While these may seem too small to worry about, they make the game feel more real and enjoyable. Small details help bring the unique atmosphere of college football to life, making each game feel special and true to real life.

4 Transforming The Game With Potential Open World Possibilities

Explore The World But At What Cost?

Now, according to Call Me Jaden's YouTube video, there's talk about adding open-world possibilities to EA College Football 26. Rumors have been circulating about a city or career-type mode introducing an open-world aspect. This rumor is further fueled by the fact that other sporting games have introduced open-world gameplay. Most notably, NBA2K with its The City mode. This would allow players to run around, visit stores, and more. Unfortunately, this has received some backlash from fans, with several players airing their grievances in a poll on Reddit.

If College Football 26 were to introduce an open-world experience, it would need to learn from the mistakes of other similar games and improve on how the open-world features are integrated. In an open-world game, players could theoretically explore the world of college football and experience life on campus.

While this would add a new layer to the game and make it more immersive and engaging, there are also downsides to consider. Open-world games can be taxing on performance. Plus, developers would need to create an open world for multiple college campuses, which could be a huge task due to the number of schools involved.

3 Creating And Customizing Your Stadium

Add More Personalization Through Customizing Home Turfs

Being able to create and customize your own stadium is a rumor that has caught the attention of many fans and one that Call Me Jaden discusses in his video. With the introduction of Team Builder in College Football 25, many fans assumed that the feature would allow them to customize their own stadiums. Sadly, this wasn't the case.

However, fans hope that the ability to create and customize stadiums will appear in College Football 26. If this happens, players would have the opportunity to design their own home turf, including stadium layouts and seating arrangements. Players could build a stadium from scratch or even redesign an existing one to fit their team's identity, giving players unprecedented creativity and personalization and making their in-game experience even more unique.

2 Bridging Platforms For A Better Experience

Play All Modes With Friends Across Devices

Another rumor touched on in Call Me Jaden's video is the possibility of crossplay. While crossplay does exist to a certain extent in College Football 25, it doesn't exist for leagues. College Football 25 features cross-platform gameplay in Road to the College Football Playoff, College Football Ultimate Team, and Play a Friend, which is better than nothing – but many fans long for more.

With crossplay already existing in College Football 25, it shouldn't be too hard to include it in leagues and all game modes in College Football 26. Doing so would make the game much more enjoyable for players who want to compete with friends on different platforms.

1 High School Gameplay In Road To Glory

One of the most highly anticipated rumors and leaks, according to JC's CFB's YouTube video and from the leaked play tester email, is bringing back High School gameplay in the Road to Glory game mode. This addition would bring back the early days of a player's career, adding more depth and story to the Road of Glory experience. Players could experience the recruitment process and build their players from the ground up.

The lack of high school gameplay in EA College Football 25 left many players feeling disconnected from the full journey of a college football player. With a big outcry over the lack of high school experience, EA Sports is reportedly working to bring back this feature in College Football 26, aiming to address fan concerns and improve the realism and story of the game.

While these rumors and leaks certainly aren't the only ones circulating around College Football 26, they have generated quite the buzz and excitement among fans eager to see how EA Sports College Football will improve the experience. All these improvements are geared to make the game as realistic as possible, making the game feel more special and true to real life.

Sources: Extra Points, EricRayweather/YouTube, Call Me Jaden/YouTube, Reddit, JC's CFB/YouTube