The UFL website has shared an article detailing the work of Michigan Panthers offensive lineman Ryan Nelson as he performs motion capture for EA SPORTS College Football and Madden NFL franchises.

Nelson has become a cornerstone figure for EA Sports’ top football titles, providing the motion-capture work for nearly all offensive line play in Madden ’25, Madden ’26 and College Football ’25. When gamers pancake defenders, pull around the edge, or celebrate a big play, chances are they’re seeing Nelson in action — even if they don’t know it.

“I put that cool animation suit on and act out all the offensive line motion that you see for all the EA games,” Nelson said. “So everything from the huge pancake blocks to the massive blocks down field, to your base idle block where I'm just sitting there doing nothing, to getting absolutely crushed and thrown backwards by a bull rush.”

Nelson played at Virginia from 2017-2021, starting all 49 games of his career while earning fourth-team All-ACC honors from Phil Steele his senior season.

Click here to read the entire article from Andy Seeley at The UFL. ...

During the Electronic Arts Q4 2025 Earnings Conference Call on Tuesday, the EA SPORTS College Football franchise was highlighted several times, namely for the success of CFB 25. The majority of game-related discussion centered on the financial success of the title and company, though one quote did hint at something eventually coming to CFB & Madden. Courtesy EA CEO and Chairman of the Board Andrew Wilson's prepared remarks: "Looking ahead, our deeper integration between Madden NFL and College Football is setting the stage for a unified massive online community."

What could this 'unified massive online community' be? Some in the community have speculated that it would be an open world experience similar to that found in NBA 2K.

Last fall, EA SPORTS President Cam Weber presented a look ahead of an open world technology that could be coming to EA SPORTS FC and to the American Football franchises 'in the years ahead.' However, the idea presented fell flat among the reddit/NCAAFBSeries community.

Continue on to see each relevant mention of EA CFB during the conference call. ...

In this edition of the TGT Podcast, cdj and gschwendt break down all the latest EA SPORTS College Football 26 news: Release date, pre-order bonuses, begin as a HS recruit in Road to Glory, Metallica, Lowe's, & more.

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. ...

Coinciding with day one of the 2025 NFL Draft, EA SPORTS has announced that pre-orders of the MVP Bundle (College Football 26 & Madden NFL 26) are now available. As part of this reveal, College Football 26's release date is now known: July 10 worldwide, July 7 for Deluxe Edition owners.

The announcement was spearheaded by a trailer video entitled 'The Call,' showcasing a player going from high school recruit to NFL legend, implying the ability to take your Road to Glory player into Madden. The full reveal for College Football 26 will take place in May.

While there are no gameplay scenes in the trailer, a possible look at the new CFB 26 scorebug is shown with a match-up between Delaware (new to FBS this season) and Texas.


Pre-order bonuses for each version of the game were also announced. Continue on to watch 'The Call' and to see the pre-order bonuses by game version. ...

On their X account, EA SPORTS College Football has announced a partnership with the band Metallica. One college marching band will be selected to record the College Football Theme Song and also a Metallica song for a future edition of the game. The winner will be selected as part of the For Whom the Band Tolls! competition which runs through November 1, 2025 meaning the recording(s) will likely not be included until CFB 27.

The partnership lends strong credence towards Metallica's 'Enter Sandman' being included in CFB as part of Virginia Tech's iconic entrance, a longtime popular community request. Metallica has long been considered an expensive, if not rare, license to acquire. 'Enter Sandman' has been used in marketing for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and for Ford's F-150 Raptor.

Coincidentally, Metallica's 2025 tour will be at Virginia Tech's Lane Stadium on May 7; perhaps a perfect date for a reveal trailer featuring 'Enter Sandman' (if included) or for EA to get tour footage for an upcoming trailer from VT's home stadium. ...

Lowe's has announced a collaboration with EA SPORTS that will see the company featured in College Football 26, Madden NFL 26, and EA SPORTS FC 26.

Via press release: In EA SPORTS College Football 26, Lowe's will be featured on the broadcast overlay of the popular Stadium Pulse placement. The Stadium Pulse dynamically showcases and builds crowd excitement as gameplay improves, drawing meaningful parallels to the passion homeowners feel when enhancing their own spaces with Lowe's.

Some in the community have taken this partnership to imply that College Gameday will not be in College Football 26 since its corporate sponsor is Home Depot, a direct competitor of Lowe's.

Read the full press release here. ...

In this edition of the TGT Podcast, cdj and gschwendt talk about the EA SPORTS College Football 26 cover shoot leaks, who many have leaked it, increased player payments in CFB 26, when fans can expect more CFB 26 info, and more.

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. ...

First reported by The Athletic, EA SPORTS will pay players $1,500 plus a copy of the game for them to appear in College Football 26. Players were paid $600 and a copy of the game to be in College Football 25.

An increase in pay was considered possibly, if not likely, following the massive success of CFB 25. This amount also matches what Pathway Sports and Entertainment - a new company looking to ne involved with player negotiations in video games - promised to pay players who sign with them. However, OneTeam Partners has an exclusive deal with players for 25 & 26, so Pathway will not be involved in talks until College Football 27. Players who have signed with them will get the $1,500 from EA for being in CFB 26 and the $1,500 for being with Pathway. ...