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Via tubbycfb (IG) by way of On3, we have a purported first look at the Deluxe Edition cover of College Football 26.

On Wednesday, current collegiate players, past players, current coaches, and mascots were at the Rose Bowl for a CFB 26 photoshoot according to Peke Nakos of On3.

Courtesy On3: Sources told On3 that Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood, Florida quarterback DJ Lagway, LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, Alabama wide receiver Ryan Williams, Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt and South Carolina EDGE Dylan Stewart were all in attendance.

EA College Football plans to release multiple covers in 2026, sources said, explaining why so many athletes were in Pasadena. That will also reportedly include a coaches’ cover, with Ohio State’s Ryan Day, Georgia’s Kirby Smart, Penn State’s James Franklin, Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin, Oregon’s Dan Lanning and Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham participating.

A legends cover is reportedly in the works, too, with former Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson and Florida quarterback Tim Tebow participating in the photoshoot.

The inclusion of current coaches is noteworthy as it strongly implies that at least some real-life coaches may be appearing in the title, a first for the franchise. ...

Title update 1.023 is now available for EA SPORTS College Football 25. The update comes in at 424.9 MB on PS5.

Courtesy CFB Direct on X, the key addition in this update featured tuning to the option pitch mechanic:

Today’s update features a boost to option based offenses with tuning to the pitch mechanic.
This means you will have more consistent success when running option pitch plays in #CFB25

An earlier title update saw option pitches frequently plagued with a 'bad pitch' that resulted in the ball flying backwards diagonally, approximately 20 yards behind the line of scrimmage. ...

Title update 1.021 is now available for EA SPORTS College Football 25. The update comes in at approximately 1.5 GB on PS5.

According to the update notes posted in-game, most of the improvements center around Ultimate Team.

As of this writing, EA has not acknowledged the TeamBuilder issues that emerged following this update. We will update this article as needed.

The update adds WR Tylee Craft to North Carolina. Craft, who played for UNC in 2020-21, died from a rare form of lung cancer in October 2024.

Continue on to see the notes from EA. ...

The 2025 College Football Community Wishlist Tournament is now underway!

The annual College Football Community Wish List Tournament is designed to help further highlight the top community requests for each major game area. The tournament will be held in several separate areas of focus, such as Gameplay and Dynasty, for example. All voting will take place exclusively on X on the @gamingtailgate page.

While there is no guarantee the winning items will appear in College Football 26 or that the development team will implement anything based off of the community feedback, the Tournament will help to establish the importance of items and create dialogue within the community surrounding each potential feature/aspect.

Though the numbers behind the vote may be most visible on the surface, the most important aspect is your (the community) opinions on each aspect – not just the item you are voting for.

First, VOTE. Pick the listed item that is most important to you. (We realize it will be a tough decision!)
Then, REPLY with what each feature should have if/when it is added to the game to make it ideal for you. (Also feel free to reply with what it SHOULDN'T have.)

The goal of the Wish List Tournament is to allow the community an outlet to share their thoughts on their most requested College Football features. Vote and let your opinion be heard!

Continue on for voting links and to view the bracket(s). ...

In a post on X Thursday, EA announced that College Football 26 will be arriving this summer.

The post stated: "We said this place would be full again – thanks to our players, athletes, and fans for filling the house with us. Let’s keep that kick off energy going ‘til College Football 26 drops this summer 😉"

This is no surprise, given that College Football 25 was the best-selling game of 2024 in the US. Matt Brown of Matt Brown's Extra Points reported on December 5 information EA requested from schools, namely an additional asset/school information refresh. Brown also recently tweeted that there will be College Football 27; again, this should not be a surprise. ...

Ahead of Monday night's College Football Playoff National Championship Game between Ohio State and Notre Dame, College Football 25 is free to play on both PlayStation and Xbox; January 16-19. If you know someone who wanted to buy or play the game but has yet to do so, make sure they are aware of this opportunity. ...

After winning the Heisman Trophy Saturday evening, Colorado's Travis Hunter will now be a 99 OVR in College Football 25’s Play Now, Road to Glory, and Dynasty modes.

The 12/5 roster update saw Hunter bumped to a 97 OVR. How did he get to a 99 in the 12/15 roster?

Short Route Run +2, Medium Route Run +2, Deep Route Run +3, Catch in Traffic +2, Spectacular Catch +1, Man Coverage +2, Zone Coverage +2, Injury +6, Toughness +5

Since the 8/29 roster update, Hunter’s biggest jump came in Pursuit rating, going from a 72 to an 85 (+13).

His Block Shedding rating on 8/29 was 50 and by December’s updates had dropped to a 47 (-3), his only decrease. ...

Title updates 1.019 (Tuesday) and 1.020 (Friday) are now available for EA SPORTS College Football 25.

While EA did not put out detailed notes for either update, they did share some brief notes on X for update 1.019:

- Stability fixes and updates including a fix to the CPU QB’s ability to pitch.
- Tuning to overtime AI Logic.
- Introducing new uniforms for over 40 teams including Colorado, Texas A&M, LSU, Army, Navy, and more!

It is believed - but not confirmed - that update 1.020 may have, in part, corrected some issues introduced by update 1.019. ...

In this edition of the TGT Podcast, cdj, gschwendt, and JBHuskers speculate on whether a new EA SPORTS College Football 25 title update may be coming soon; and if so, what it might entail. Also, will CFB 25 win any Sports Game of the Year Awards? Did it get snubbed by The Game Awards? All that and more, including the guys' CFB Playoff rooting interests and Heisman Trophy picks.

Follow the link to watch the Video Podcast and share your thoughts on the show along with future topics.

The Gaming Tailgate Podcast is also available on YouTube Music, Spotify, iTunes, and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

To submit show feedback, ask a question, or suggest a topic for a future show, e-mail the guys at podcast AT thegamingtailgate DOT com or post your thoughts below. ...