Get ready to hit the sticks, ladies and gentlemen. While East Lansing was home to a go-to rebuilding destination in EA Sports College Football 25, the latest installment has Michigan State football shaping up to be a force in the ratings department.
The game also teased the Spartans’ iconic entrance to AC/DC’s Thunderstruck, as well as the inclusion of head coach Jonathan Smith and coordinators Brian Lindgren and Joe Rossi.
College Football 26 will be released on July 10 after the 2025 edition ended an 11-season hiatus. However, the closed beta revealed more details about the looming release date – including ratings for every player and team, MSU included, and there’s a lot to be excited about.
Surprisingly, sophomore Nick Marsh is not the highest-rated Spartan. That goes to senior tight end Jack Velling, who sports an 88 overall rating. Even more shocking is that EA Sports has transfer wideouts Chrison McCray (87) and Omari Kelly (85) rated higher than the 18-year-old phenom.
Despite setting freshman records in East Lansing, Marsh was given a rating of 84, but like McCray and Kelly, has a speed rating higher than 90.
QB1 Aidan Chiles, didn’t exactly light up the scoreboard in his opening season, but still showed glimpses of stardom. The Oregon State transfer received an 81 overall rating, but will have plenty of help stretching the defense from his revamped receiver room.
With four 80+ rated pass catchers, Aidan Chiles has plenty of help
Freshman running back Jace Clarizio, one of Jonathan Smith’s key flips on signing day, received a 77 overall before ever playing a snap of college football. But transfer Elijah Tau-Toliver is still MSU’s highest-rated runner, clocking in at an 82 overall with sophomores Brandon Tullis and Makhi Frazier both 78’s.
The Spartan offensive line was an area in significant need of improvement last season, and fortunately for the running back room, it appears stronger this time around. Transfers Matt Gublin (83) and Conner Moore (80) are the highest-rated players on the line, with Luka Vincic (78), Caleb Carter (78), and Stanton Ramil (76) not far behind.
The defense is headed up by an 84 rating from senior safety Nikai Martinez and an 83 overall from senior linebacker Wayne Matthews III, who both shined in their opening seasons in a Spartan uniform.
Like Chiles, defensive back Malik Spencer and Florida State transfer defensive tackle Grady Kelly have ratings of 81. Jordan Hall, Ben Roberts, and Alex VanSummeren all check in with ratings of 80 as well.
The cornerback trio of Joshua Eaton, Chance Rucker, and Malcolm Bell recorded ratings of 79, 78, and 77, respectively, with all three of their speed ratings eclipsing 90.
Whether you’re dialing up deep shots with Chiles, feeding Velling across the middle, or flying around with Martinez and Matthews on defense, Sparty has plenty of juice on both sides of the ball. College Football 26 gives you every reason to take Michigan State for a spin, and the ratings release is only building more anticipation for what lies ahead at Spartan Stadium, both virtually and in real life.
If you want to see the rest of the ratings for yourself, you can do so here.