The third edition of the revamped EA College Football game is about a month away. But unlike the last two seasons, EA has a bit of an unknown at its hands with Penn State.
At release last year, the Nittany Lions were given an 88 overall with their offense rated a 91 and their defense at a 94. Those numbers will surely look a bit different this year, as Penn State isn’t surrounded with national championship-level expectations and has a brand new head coach in Matt Campbell.
Although it’s hard to tell how good Penn State will be this season, our staff took a crack at predicting the Nittany Lions’ overall ratings ahead of the game’s release on July 9.
Andrew DealOffense: 86
Penn State’s offense will still be highly rated despite an almost completely fresh look. The final update on ratings from last season has the Nittany Lions’ offense at an 83 overall, which significantly dropped due to its performance in 2025.
Penn State brings a plethora of Iowa State players to the offensive side of the ball, an offense that held an 85 overall rating in College Football 26, and should add to some of the returning Nittany Lions for a boosted rating.
While expectations are high for a potential young star in Koby Howard, his rating likely won’t reflect that of a future top receiving threat. The obvious top players rated will be quarterback Rocco Becht, tight end Benjamin Brahmer and running back Carson Hansen, all who were 86 overall or higher in the most recent roster update.
Running Back Carson Hansen (21) runs with the ball during the 2026 Blue-White practice at West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, April 25, 2026 in University Park, Pa.
Matt Cropp
The offensive line should be filled with highly rated starters, with the expectation that Anthony Donkoh gets a bit of a boost for his consistency on the field, while the young tackles might get a bigger jump for being first-year starters.
The offense will be lower rated than last year’s team due to the difference in flashy names, but it has plenty of room for growth throughout the season, barring the on-field play of a newly formed team.
Defense: 87
On the other hand, the defense will be around the same overall as last year’s game. It has plenty of highly rated returning names to the Nittany Lions, in addition to some big time ratings boosts from transfers.
Jeremiah Cooper was a 90 overall at the end of the season, and with a position change back to safety, his rating could get boosted higher due to his 93 speed in the game.
Tony Rojas will lead a star-studded linebacker room in the game, as he finished last year as an 88 overall, while the Iowa State transfer linebackers will compliment him well in the 80s.
The defensive line is where things get interesting. Both edge rushers have high upside, but weren’t rated high last year. Max Granville finished as a 74 overall while Yvan Kemajou ended the year with a 72 overall. Both players are expected to make a major impact this season, but will likely cause a hit to the defensive rating.
Overall: 86Andrew MercerOffense: 86
Penn State’s offense will look entirely different compared to last season with lots of Iowa State transfers, so I’d expect the ratings to be closer to how the Cyclones were in last year’s game.
Rocco Becht labored through shoulder injuries throughout most of his 2025 campaign, but was given an 88 overall. After undergoing surgery on his torn labrum, Becht should be in the spot he wants to be in physically, but I’d wager that EA may be hesitant to alter his rating at launch.
Quarterback Rocco Becht (3) looks up at fans during the 2026 Blue-White practice at West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, April 25, 2026 in University Park, Pa.
Matt Cropp
Penn State will likely have yet another strong running back tandem in Carson Hansen and James Peoples. They won’t be as highly rated as Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen were, but Peoples is due for a boost from an 85 to potentially match Hansen’s 88 from last year.
The offensive line is where things start to get complicated. Only one of Penn State’s projected starters — Trevor Buhr — had a rating surpass 80 overall, but Malachi Goodman should make a leap this season as he presumably grows into the starting left tackle role.
I believe it will be Cooper Cousins, however, that sees the biggest jump in rating among the offensive linemen. He’s bounced around different roles for the past two seasons, earning a 77 overall in last year’s game, but he appears to have a firmer slot at right guard this season, resulting in a potential rise to the low 80s.
Defense: 88
This year, Penn State has a highly fluctuating roster when it comes to EA’s ratings. While the Nittany Lions are very top heavy with Jeremiah Cooper and Tony Rojas, there are a good deal of players in the low 80s and high 70s. If EA gives the lower rated players a boost, gamers should expect to see Penn State’s overall defense in the high 80s.
Audavion Collins and Zion Tracy, two returners from last year, were rated in the mid 70s. Collins proved his worth throughout the season and is likely due for a jump. Tracy, formerly at a 74 overall, should be ready for a gain, since he started nine out of 11 games in 2025.
The safety room, however, is all Cyclone transfers. Marcus Neal Jr. — formerly an 81 overall — at strong safety is projected to make a big leap in the ratings after making 77 tackles, two interceptions and a forced fumble last season.
Safety Marcus Neal Jr. (31) talks to the media during Penn State football’s practice in Lasch Hall on Thursday, March 26, 2026 in University Park, Pa.
Noah Aberegg
Then there’s Cooper, the lone current 90 overall, who will be returning to safety after spending the games prior to his season-ending injury as a cornerback. He’ll give the Nittany Lions higher numbers on defense.
The only other potential 90 overall that I’d keep an eye out for is Rojas. Like Cooper, he suffered a season-ending injury when he was supposed to make huge leaps. While EA may hesitate to bump him up, it’s possible for him to improve to the low 90s.
Overall: 87Lexie LindermanOffense: 85
In last year’s version of this game, Iowa State’s offense was rated an 85, and with the entire core of that group — quarterback Rocco Becht, running back Carson Hansen, tight end Benjamin Brahmer and wide receivers Chase Sowell and Brett Eskildsen — transferring to Penn State, I think that number stays the same at their new destination.
The only big difference is the offensive line, which currently features three returnees and two transfers. Although their ceiling is high, it’s currently unknown how that group will actually perform, so EA won’t give the offensive rating a bump because of that.
There are some other players on the Nittany Lions’ offense that will contribute to this rating, such as running back James Peoples, wide receiver Koby Howard and tight end Andrew Rappleyea. All three, however, haven’t showcased enough in their college careers so far to warrant a higher offensive ranking.
I’d expect Becht and Brahmer to be the highest-rated guys for Penn State on this side of the ball. Becht was rated 88 last season, a number that might not see much movement in either direction after an average year, and Brahmer was given an 86 in the previous edition of the game.
Defense: 88
With another new defensive coordinator at Penn State and plenty of transfers, it’s hard to pinpoint where exactly EA will rate this group.
The Nittany Lions have a long history of fielding elite defenses, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they get a rankings bump just because of that. Even so, Penn State has plenty of talent on the defensive side of the ball that would warrant an 88 overall.
Marcus Neal Jr. and Jeremiah Cooper will surely be given the highest ratings, with Cooper expected to land in the high 80s or low 90s. Neal will likely be lower than that in the low to mid 80s, but the Iowa State transfers are two of the more proven players in Penn State’s defensive backfield.
The others are Audavion Collins and Zion Tracy. Collins finished last season with a 76 overall rating, while Tracy was a 74. Those two numbers should see slight increases to start the year, while young cornerback Daryus Dixson should build on his 78 overall rating to end 2025.
Cornerback Audavion Collins (2) tackles the ballcarrier during the Penn State football game against Villanova at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025 in University Park, Pa. The Nittany Lions beat the Wildcats 52-6.
Noah Aberegg
As for the defensive line, the veteran defensive tackles should hover around the high 70s and low 80s like they have prior, while the young edge rushers might have lower rankings considering most are unproven, resulting in a 88 overall rating for the Nittany Lions’ defense.
Overall: 85Noah AbereggOffense: 87
Penn State will look very different this year with a new quarterback and an almost entirely new arsenal of weapons.
Rocco Becht and Carson Hansen are expected to be two of the highest players on the team, as the duo finished at 88 overall last season.
However, Hansen will also be challenged by James Peoples in the backfield, who was an 85 overall despite being listed as the No. 3 back on Ohio State’s roster. He’ll be complemented by another likely mid-80 overall back in Quinton Martin Jr., who was ranked 81 overall last season.
Wide receivers Chase Sowell and Brett Eskildsen are expected to be the top two targets. Their ratings, as well as fellow wideout Koby Howard and tight ends Benjamin Brahamer and Andrew Rappleyea, will likely dictate Penn State’s offensive rating.
Defense: 90
The Nittany Lions’ defense boasts a handful of key defensive returners, including Tony Rojas, Audavion Collins and Zion Tracy. While many new faces will be introduced throughout the starting lineup, most will continue to keep Penn State as one of the best defenses in the game.
While those three will likely be the highest-ranked returners to Happy Valley, Jeremiah Cooper, Caleb Bacon and Keanu Williams have all made their cases to be higher rated players as well.
Of those six, Cooper is the only player on Penn State’s 2026 squad who was ranked 90 or higher last year, but that could very well change. Despite Rojas’ season-ending injury, he was rated 88 overall and saw a pair of sacks and 25 tackles through four games, which could result in a ratings boost.
Tracy will be the starting nickel once again this season, and after recording 32 tackles and a forced fumble last season, he could also see his rating increase from the 74 overall he had when College Football 26 first dropped.
Overall: 88
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