It’s here! Yes, college football season would fit that description, and by extension, the Ohio State football season, but we’re talking about the release of EA Sports back by popular demand and NIL pondering, “College Football 26.”
Leading up to the mass release on Thursday, we’ve been getting some news and metrics about the best teams, players, gameplay, and more. With it, we have a look at what all of the player ratings are, and that includes each and every Ohio State football player in the game.
We already know, based on previous information released by EA Sports, that Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs are the two highest-rated players in the game, and that Ohio State is the No. 3 ranked squad in the game, but now we get an under-the-hood look at each rating.
Here’s a look at every position group and the Ohio State football player ratings for each on the defensive side of the ball. We already looked at the offensive player ratings earlier in the week, so feel free to go back and take a look at those as well.
Left Defensive End
Ratings
Jackson and Curry were set up to be starters, most likely on opposite ends before Beau Atkinson was brought into the picture as a transfer from North Carolina. He’ll likely be the starter off one edge, with a battle between Jackson and Curry for the other. The game has it about right, but Jackson isn’t a lock ahead of Curry.
Right Defensive End
Ratings
Yes, Atkinson was brought in to make plays on the edge, and what will be interesting is to see how the development of C.J. Hicks goes as he learns a new position. So, not bad for the game right now.
Defensive Tackle
Ratings
This seems about right. It’s a rebuilt defensive line with Houston being the leader among the group that will probably not rotate as many players in as we saw over the last few years. The pecking order here looks pretty good.
Middle Linebacker
Ratings
It remains to be seen how many linebackers Ohio State will deploy with new defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, but no matter how many, Reese will for sure be in the mix. The coaches like Payton Pierce, so look for him to be better than the 74 rating we see here.
Right Outside Linebacker
Ratings
Good call on Styles. He should have an All-Big Ten type of year and might even flash to an All-American status. Don’t be surprised if Pettijohn ends up being more productive by the end of the year than Stover.
Cornerback
Ratings
This is pretty good, but Scott and West are going to make a move to get into that rotation because of their upside, and their ratings should be higher than what they are. Igbinosun and Matthews feel about right.
Free Safety
Ratings
Downs is the highest-rated defensive player in the game and in real life, but should the rating be even higher? Beyond that, it’s hard to say.
Strong Safety
Ratings
The ratings here are pretty low, and that’s mainly because of the lack of experience. Hartford probably gets the starting nod and will probably be better than a rating of 79 when it’s all said and done.
Kicker
Ratings
No doubt Fielding is the starter, but should his rating be higher than 74? I guess we are splitting hairs when talking about a kicker, but that’s where accuracy and power come into play.
Punter
Ratings
McGuire is the guy here, but if there were a rating for potential, McLarty would surpass and eventually be a highly rated punter. We’re talking about a punter here, so, we’ll leave it at that.
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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Every Ohio State defensive player rating in EA Sports ‘College Football 26’
Reporting by Phil Harrison, Buckeyes Wire / Buckeyes Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
