EA Sports names WRs Ryan Williams, Jeremiah Smith as College Football 26 cover athletes
Alabama鈥檚 Ryan Williams and Ohio State鈥檚 Jeremiah Smith are the cover athletes for EA Sports College Football 26, the video-game developer announced Tuesday.
The electric sophomore wide receivers were picked for the second edition of the franchise鈥檚 reboot. Last year鈥檚 game was the first in 11 years and was in 2024.
Williams and Smith are posed together on the standard cover, while the deluxe edition also includes other players, coaches, mascots and former cover stars Reggie Bush, Tim Tebow and Denard Robinson.
The 鈥�26 edition will test if the franchise still has the same staying power it had in the early 2000s.
For in the game, it will certainly remain popular. Williams said in a statement released by EA Sports that the cover was 鈥渁 dream come true,鈥� and Smith called it 鈥渁 tremendous privilege.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 proud to represent Ohio State alongside Coach (Ryan) Day while carrying the Buckeye legacy forward, celebrating the passion of our fans and the tradition of this incredible program,鈥� Smith said.
Williams and Smith broke onto the national scene in 2024 with their miraculous catches on the biggest stages.
奥颈濒濒颈补尘蝉鈥� to help beat then-No. 2 Georgia looked like it belonged in a video game. It was one of many wowing plays from the young receiver. Williams finished his freshman season with 48 receptions for 865 yards and eight receiving touchdowns.
Smith was a major part of the Buckeyes鈥� run to a national championship. He regularly hauled in one-handers that decimated the confidence of his defenders. In over top-seeded Oregon, Smith had seven receptions, 187 yards and two touchdowns. He finished his freshman year with 76 catches, 1,315 yards and 15 receiving touchdowns.