What are Colorado's EA Sports College Football 26 player ratings? Where the Buffs stack up
We already analyzed where Colorado stands with its overall rating, but who are the Buffaloes' top-rated players? We know that offensive tackle Jordan Seaton is the top-ranked player and one of the top-ranked tackles, with a 92 overall rating.
Colorado has two players with an overall rating of 90 or higher and six players with a rating of 85 or better.
Here are the Buffaloes' top 25 players in EA Sports' newest sports video game, College Football 26.
1. Jordan Seaton, OT
Rating: 92 overall
It is no surprise to see Seaton get the top spot after a freshman All-American season in 2024.
2. Xavier Hill, OT
Rating: 90 overall
The transfer from Memphis should step into a starting role on Colorado's offense. In the game, Hill projects as the Buffs' starting right tackle.
3. DJ McKinney, CB
Rating: 89 overall
DJ McKinney can be an All-American cornerback, and his College Football 26 rating certainly backs that up. He will take over for Travis Hunter as the Buffs' top coverage cornerback.
4. Kaidon Salter, QB
Rating: 88 overall
Salter gets the nod as the Buffs' highest-rated quarterback. He has an impressive 90 speed rating as well as an 87 break tackle rating, which leads the team.
5. Jaheim Oatis, DT
Rating: 86
Oatis came over from Alabama and is looking to entrench himself as the Buffs' top interior defensive lineman. He owns an impressive 95 strength rating, which is good for the top mark on the squad.
6. Carter Stoutmire, FS
Rating: 85
Stoutmire should take over for Cam'Ron Silmon-Craig as the Buffs' top coverage safety.
7. Micah Welch, RB
Rating: 83
Welch comes in as the Buffs ' top-rated running back, a position that many Colorado fans feel is lacking a true No. 1 option.
8. Samuel Okunlola, EDGE
Rating: 83
Okunlola should be one of the Buffs' top pass rushers in 2025, and according to College Football 26, he is Colorado's starting right defensive end.
9. Arden Walker, EDGE
Rating: 83
Right behind Okunlola is his counterpart, Arden Walker. Walker is a popular breakout pick for the Buffs after 4.5 sacks in 2024.
10. Preston Hodge, CB
Rating: 82
Hodge burst onto the scene last season at Colorado's nickel cornerback before injury forced him to the final four games. College Football 26 has him listed as a safety, but he should once again be the defensive coordinator, Robert Livingston's slot defender.
11. Tyrecus Davis, CB
Rating: 82
With Travis Hunter and Colton Hood no longer on the team, Tyrecus Davis could get the first crack at the starting cornerback position opposite DJ McKinney.
12. Keaten Wade, EDGE
Rating: 81
Wade emerged last season as one of Colorado's better defensive players after initially planning to redshirt. He will be in the pass rush rotation once again this year.
13. Simeon Price, RB
Rating: 81
Price comes to Colorado hoping to carve out a role in the Buffaloes' backfield.
14. Martavius French
Rating: 81
French steps in as the Colorado Buffaloes' likely starting middle linebacker after the departures of LaVonta Bentley and Nikhai Hill-Green.
15. Dallan Hayden, RB
Rating: 81
Another possible contributor to the Colorado backfield, Hayden showed flashes last year of someone who can be a talented runner.
16-25
Follow Charlie Strella on X, Threads and Instagram.
Contact/Follow us @BuffaloesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes and opinions.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
36 minutes ago
- CBS News
Associated Press votes Denver Bronco Patrick Surtain II NFL's top cornerback
Patrick Surtain II became only the seventh cornerback to win the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year award, doing so last season. His shutdown season also helped him earn the top cornerback spot in voting by a panel of eight AP Pro Football Writers who ranked the top five players at the position, basing selections on current status entering the 2025 season. First-place votes were worth 10 points. Second- through fifth-place votes were worth 5, 3, 2 and 1 points. Surtain received five first-place votes and three seconds. Sauce Gardner got two first-place votes, finishing second. Cooper DeJean got the other first-place vote, appearing on only one of eight ballots. Derek Stingley Jr. finished third, Trent McDuffie was fourth and DeJean placed fifth. Jaylon Johnson, Marlon Humphrey, Charvarius Ward and DJ Reed also received votes. Surtain had an outstanding season, allowing just 37 receptions and recording four interceptions to earn All-Pro honors. Opposing quarterbacks had a 61.1 passer rating when targeting Surtain, who became just the second Broncos player to win the AP Defensive Player of the Year award. He received three second-place votes along with the five firsts. After earning All-Pro honors his first two seasons in the NFL, Gardner had a down year by his standards. Still, he appeared on seven ballots to finish behind Surtain. Gardner has forced a league-high 46 incompletions and allowed a league-low 0.60 yards per cover snap since his rookie season. Stingley was a first-time All-Pro last season, emerging as one of the NFL's best cover cornerbacks. Selected one spot ahead of Gardner at No. 3 overall in the 2022 draft, Stingley had a breakout season last year. He had five interceptions and gave up 40 catches for 382 yards and four TDs. Stingley got three second-place votes and five fourths. McDuffie earned All-Pro honors as a slot cornerback in 2023 and was second-team All-Pro after moving back outside last season. While the Chiefs don't use McDuffie to shadow opposing receivers, he is an elite cover guy. McDuffie allowed 54 catches for 545 yards and four TDs in 2024. He received one second-place vote, two thirds, one fourth and four fifth. DeJean's first career interception was a pick-6 against Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl, helping the Eagles dominate the Chiefs in a 40-22 victory. A second-round pick in 2024, DeJean was a super slot cornerback for Philadelphia. He didn't allow a TD on 97 targets. By ROB MAADDI, AP Pro Football Writer
Associated Press
2 hours ago
- Associated Press
Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II voted NFL's top cornerback by AP
Patrick Surtain II became only the seventh cornerback to win the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year award, doing so last season. His shutdown season also helped him earn the top cornerback spot in voting by a panel of eight AP Pro Football Writers who ranked the top five players at the position, basing selections on current status entering the 2025 season. First-place votes were worth 10 points. Second- through fifth-place votes were worth 5, 3, 2 and 1 points. Surtain received five first-place votes and three seconds. Sauce Gardner got two first-place votes, finishing second. Cooper DeJean got the other first-place vote, appearing on only one of eight ballots. Derek Stingley Jr. finished third, Trent McDuffie was fourth and DeJean placed fifth. Jaylon Johnson, Marlon Humphrey, Charvarius Ward and DJ Reed also received votes. 1. PATRICK SURTAIN II, Denver Broncos Surtain had an outstanding season, allowing just 37 receptions and recording four interceptions to earn All-Pro honors. Opposing quarterbacks had a 61.1 passer rating when targeting Surtain, who became just the second Broncos player to win the AP Defensive Player of the Year award. He received three second-place votes along with the five firsts. 2. SAUCE GARDNER, New York Jets After earning All-Pro honors his first two seasons in the NFL, Gardner had a down year by his standards. Still, he appeared on seven ballots to finish behind Surtain. Gardner has forced a league-high 46 incompletions and allowed a league-low 0.60 yards per cover snap since his rookie season. 3. DEREK STINGLEY JR., Houston Texans Stingley was a first-time All-Pro last season, emerging as one of the NFL's best cover cornerbacks. Selected one spot ahead of Gardner at No. 3 overall in the 2022 draft, Stingley had a breakout season last year. He had five interceptions and gave up 40 catches for 382 yards and four TDs. Stingley got three second-place votes and five fourths. 4. TRENT MCDUFFIE, Kansas City Chiefs McDuffie earned All-Pro honors as a slot cornerback in 2023 and was second-team All-Pro after moving back outside last season. While the Chiefs don't use McDuffie to shadow opposing receivers, he is an elite cover guy. McDuffie allowed 54 catches for 545 yards and four TDs in 2024. He received one second-place vote, two thirds, one fourth and four fifth. 5. COOPER DEJEAN, Philadelphia Eagles DeJean's first career interception was a pick-6 against Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl, helping the Eagles dominate the Chiefs in a 40-22 victory. A second-round pick in 2024, DeJean was a super slot cornerback for Philadelphia. He didn't allow a TD on 97 targets. ___ AP NFL:
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Familiar faces, new places: 10 biggest QB transfers to know ahead of the 2025 college football season
With the 2025 college football season just weeks away, it's time to re-familiarize yourself with the myriad transfers that happened during the offseason. Here are 10 of the biggest quarterback moves over the winter and spring as teams like Miami, Louisville and Colorado looked to add veteran QBs to replace their starters who were taken in the 2025 NFL Draft. Miami QB Carson Beck (from Georgia) A year ago, Beck was a Heisman favorite and hoping to become a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Now he's at Miami looking to salvage his draft prospects following a disappointing 2024 season that ended with an elbow injury. Advertisement After completing 72% of his passes and averaging 9.5 yards an attempt in 2023, Beck completed just 65% of his throws and averaged 7.8 yards an attempt in 2024. He also threw twice as many interceptions as he suffered a torn UCL in his throwing arm during Georgia's win over Texas in the SEC title game. If Beck looks more like he did in 2023, Miami has a great chance to make the College Football Playoff. Former Georgia QB Carson Beck is now at Miami. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Florida State QB Thomas Castellanos (from Boston College) The former BC QB has made headlines this offseason with his trash talk of Alabama. The Seminoles and Crimson Tide meet in Week 1 and Castellanos made it known in an interview with On3 that 'I just don't see [Alabama] stopping me.' Advertisement Those are big words from a guy who lost his starting job in 2024 before deciding to transfer. In eight games last season, Castellanos threw for 1,366 yards and 18 TDs with just five interceptions. Florida State is hoping he's a massive upgrade over the QB play the team had last year in its disastrous 2-10 campaign. Iowa QB Mark Gronowski (from South Dakota State) One of the best quarterbacks at the FCS level moved east to try to give the Hawkeyes an offensive spark. Gronowski was a four-year starter at South Dakota State and threw for more than 20 TDs and rushed for more than 400 yards in each of the past three seasons. In 2024, he completed 61% of his passes for 2,721 yards and 23 TDs while rushing 83 times for 577 yards and seven scores. If he posts those numbers in 2025, Iowa will be a sleeper contender to make the Big Ten title game. UCLA QB Nico Iamaleava (from Tennessee) Beck was the highest-profile transfer of the offseason until the Iamaleava saga became the story of the spring. The former five-star recruit left Tennessee in the spring over a reported NIL dispute and transferred to his home state where he will start at UCLA. Advertisement Iamaleava's first full season as a starter was a relative disappointment. Tennessee made the College Football Playoff, but it was on the back of a stellar run game and a strong defense. Ten of Iamaleava's 19 TD passes came over UT's four non-conference games. And he threw just five TDs against SEC opponents who weren't Vanderbilt. While Iamaleava went back to California, Tennessee added the guy who was set to be the Bruins' starter had Iamaleava stayed in Knoxville. Former App State QB Joey Aguilar went to Tennessee after Iamaleava's transfer and has the inside track to start for the Vols. Nico Iamaleava left Tennessee for UCLA during the spring. (Photo by) (Ric Tapia via Getty Images) Oklahoma QB John Mateer (from Washington State) Mateer and former Washington State offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle are tasked with reviving an Oklahoma offense that sputtered throughout much of the 2024 season. Advertisement Mateer was one of the most productive QBs in college football a season ago with 29 TD passes and 15 rushing TDs. He threw for over 3,100 yards across 12 games while also rushing for 826 yards on 178 attempts in his first season as a starter. In addition to Mateer, OU also added former Cal RB Jaydn Ott through the transfer portal ahead of what could be a make-or-break season for coach Brent Venables in Year 4. Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza (from Cal) Mendoza has shown flashes of excellence over two years at Cal as he slots into the starting lineup for an Indiana team that made the College Football Playoff a season ago behind a stellar season from former Ohio QB Kurtis Rourke. Mendoza completed 69% of his passes for 3,004 yards and 16 TDs in 2024. He was 25-of-36 for 233 yards and 2 TDs in Cal's win over Auburn and threw for 285 yards and two scores in the Bears' one-point loss to Miami. Mendoza could be an early pick in the 2026 NFL Draft with a strong season. Yahoo Sports draft analyst Nate Tice is a big fan of Mendoza's potential. Advertisement Duke QB Darian Mensah (from Tulane) Mensah comes to Duke after a strong debut season at Tulane. He was 189-of-287 passing for 2,723 yards and 22 TDs with just six interceptions in 2024 as the Green Wave made the AAC title game. Mensah was one of the first QB transfers of the offseason as the Blue Devils and coach Manny Diaz moved early to secure his services. Former Texas QB Maalik Murphy started for Duke in 2024 and is now at Oregon State. Louisville QB Miller Moss (from UCLA) Like Iamaleava, Moss wasn't able to parlay a stellar bowl game start at the end of the 2023 season into sustained success in 2024. After throwing for six TDs against Louisville in the Holiday Bowl, Moss tossed just 18 TDs over nine games in 2024. He lost his starting job after a three-interception performance against Washington in early November that dropped USC to 4-5 on the season. Advertisement Now he takes over for Tyler Shough at Louisville after the well-traveled Shough parlayed a strong season in Jeff Brohm's offense into becoming a second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Colorado QB Kaidon Salter (from Liberty) Salter is hoping to bounce back from a disappointing 2024 season. But he first needs to win the starting job with the Buffaloes. Coach Deion Sanders said at Big 12 media day that he wasn't sure if Salter or freshman Julian Lewis would be his team's QB. Salter's 2023 stats were phenomenal; he had 42 total TDs and threw for over 2,800 yards while rushing for more than 1,000 as Liberty made the Fiesta Bowl on the heels of an undefeated regular season. But the Flames took a step back in 2024 and Salter did too. He completed just 56% of his passes last season and had 22 total touchdowns. Colorado brought both Kaidon Salter and Julian Lewis to Big 12 media day. (Photo by) (Stacy Revere via Getty Images) Houston QB Conner Weigman (from Texas A&M) Weigman is looking to play more than six games in a season for the first time in his college career. He appeared in just 15 games over three seasons with the Aggies after a shoulder injury derailed the start of his 2024 season. After missing four games, Weigman shined in an early October start against Missouri. However, he struggled in the two games that followed and lost his starting job to Marcel Reed. Advertisement At Houston, Weigman has a clear path to the starting job as the Cougars look to bounce back from a 4-8 season with a significant upgrade at QB. The four QBs who threw passes for the Cougars in 2024 combined to throw just nine TDs and 16 interceptions. Other notable transfers: Utah QB Devon Dampier (from New Mexico), Missouri QB Beau Pribula (from Penn State), Wisconsin QB Billy Edwards (from Maryland), Northwestern QB Preston Stone (from SMU), Tennessee QB Joey Aguilar (from UCLA and Appalachian State), Auburn QB Jackson Arnold (from Oklahoma), Kentucky QB Zach Calzada (from Incarnate Word), Rutgers QB Athan Kaliakmanis (from Minnesota), North Carolina QB Gio Lopez (from South Alabama), Syracuse QB Steve Angeli (from Notre Dame), Virginia QB Chandler Morris (from TCU), Cal QB Devin Brown (from Ohio State), Tulane QB Brendan Sullivan (from Iowa)
