Quote from danielbrown on June 26, 2026, 8:06 pm

The annual ritual of arguing over video game numbers is officially back. EA Sports has started rolling out the player ratings for College Football 27, giving us our first look at the virtual gridiron hierarchy for the upcoming season.

Between the absolute chaos of the transfer portal and an influx of breakout underclassmen, this year’s top 50 looks vastly different than what we saw last summer. Leading the entire country is Ohio State’s sophomore wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who stands alone as the game's sole 99 overall player at launch. If you've been following the early media builds and data drops, it's clear EA's ratings committee had a very specific vision this year: respect premium line play and give massive boosts to the young superstars dominating college football.

Let’s dive into the full breakdown of the top 50 players in CFB 27 based on the official pre-release data.

The Tier 1 Superstars (95–99 OVR)

This is the absolute elite class of the sport. If a player lands in this bracket, they are a flat-out game-changer who can single-handedly ruin an opponent’s game plan. Interestingly, EA heavily anchored this tier with elite trench players and lock-down defensive backs, making Jeremiah Smith's 99 OVR status even more impressive.

Rank	Player	Position	Team	Rating
1	Jeremiah Smith	WR	Ohio State	99
2	Carter Smith	LT	Indiana	97
3	Leonard Moore	CB	Notre Dame	97
4	Ahmad Hardy	HB	Missouri	96
5	Cayden Green	LT	Missouri	96
6	Kewan Lacy	HB	Ole Miss	96
7	Malachi Toney	WR	Miami	96
8	Colin Simmons	EDGE	Texas	95
9	Dante Moore	QB	Oregon	95
10	Kade Pieper	C	Iowa	95
11	KJ Bolden	FS	Georgia	95

The All-American Tier (93–94 OVR)

This group represents the players who are right on the cusp of true legendary status in the game. It is a highly competitive tier loaded with elite defensive ball-hawks, dynamic running backs, and the next wave of premier signal-callers who will likely find themselves in the 95+ club after a few roster updates.

Rank	Player	Position	Team	Rating
12	Bray Hubbard	SS	Alabama	94
13	David Stone	DT	Oklahoma	94
14	Julian Sayin	QB	Ohio State	94
15	Matayo Uiagalelei	EDGE	Oregon	94
16	Trevor Goosby	LT	Texas	94
17	A'Mauri Washington	DT	Oregon	93
18	Brice Pollock	CB	Texas Tech	93
19	Dylan Stewart	EDGE	South Carolina	93
20	Evan Tengesdahl	LG	Cincinnati	93
21	Iapani Laloulu	C	Oregon	93
22	Jordan Seaton	LT	LSU	93
23	Koi Perich	SS	Oregon	93
24	Mark Fletcher Jr.	RB	Miami	93
25	Shadre Hurst	LG	Houston	93

The Elite Impact Tier (90–92 OVR)

Rounding out the top 50 are the high-impact starters who form the backbone of the nation's best units. You'll notice heavy representation from specific positional groups here—especially Minnesota's surprisingly fierce defensive core and the loaded offensive fronts at Ohio State and Oregon. While a few players at the back end of this list sit at an 87 or 88 OVR, their premium attributes in specific categories make them feel like 90+ players when you're actually controlling them on the field.

Rank	Player	Position	Team	Rating
26	Anthony Smith	DEF	Minnesota	92
27	Cam Coleman	WR	Texas	92
28	Luke Montgomery	RG	Ohio State	92
29	Greg Johnson	RG	Cincinnati	92
30	Trey'Dez Green	TE	LSU	92
31	Teitum Tuioti	EDGE	Oregon	92
32	Drew Evans	RG	Indiana	91
33	Addison Nichols	RG	Ohio State	91
34	Brandon Finney Jr.	CB	Oregon	91
35	Cam Edwards	RB	Michigan State	90
36	Austin Siereveld	RG	Ohio State	90
37	Anthonie Knapp	RG	Notre Dame	90
38	Noah Josey	RG	Virginia	90
39	Wendell Moe Jr.	RG	Tennessee	90
40	Terrance Carter Jr.	TE	Texas Tech	90
41	Bear Alexander	DT	Oregon	90
42	Jamari Johnson	TE	Oregon	90
43	Maverick Baranowski	LB	Minnesota	88
44	Coleton Price	C	Kentucky	88
45	Brandon Baker	RG	Texas	87
46	Lance Heard	LT	Kentucky	87
47	Ty Bryant	SS	Kentucky	87
48	Kerry Brown	DEF	Minnesota	87
49	TJ Bush Jr.	DEF	Minnesota	87
50	John Nestor	CB	Minnesota	87

Big Game Takeaways

Looking closely at how these numbers shook out, a few clear trends emerge that will completely dictate how people play Dynasty mode and competitive matches this year:

• The Ducks Are an Absolute Cheat Code: If you want to make your friends miserable in Online Head-to-Head, play as Oregon. Powered by quarterback Dante Moore (95) and edge rusher Matayo Uiagalelei (94), the Ducks boast a staggering nine players inside the game's top 100. Because of this insane depth, Oregon commands the highest overall team rating in the entire game at a blistering 91 OVR.

• The Trenches Dictate the Meta: If you thought this year's gameplay engine would solely favor speedy wide receivers, think again. EA Sports gave massive respect to offensive line play. Left tackles like Indiana’s Carter Smith (97) and Missouri’s Cayden Green (96) claiming top-5 spots proves that premium blocking is going to be incredibly valuable when trying to establish the run or protect against elite edge rushers like Colin Simmons.

• The Gopher Defense Is No Joke: One of the biggest surprises when looking at the tail end of the top 50 is the sheer volume of Minnesota players making the cut. Between Anthony Smith (92), Maverick Baranowski (88), Kerry Brown (87), and TJ Bush Jr. (87), the Gophers are going to be a sneaky, frustrating team to play against if you rely on explosive offensive plays.

Who do you think got completely disrespected by EA in this year's ratings drop? Which player are you most excited to build a Dynasty around? Drop your thoughts in the replies below.