At the start of July, Electronic Arts Sports (EA Sports) released its third rendition of the College Football franchise since its return in 2025.
The new release includes many new features and updates, almost all of which include Iowa State football.
The program
In 2026, Iowa State will have an almost entirely overhauled coaching staff, with the game featuring new head coach Jimmy Rogers, offensive coordinator Tyler Roehl and defensive coordinator Jesse Bobbit.
Although their inclusion would be expected, many well-known college football coaches opted out of inclusion in the game, including Colorado head coach Deion Sanders and North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick.
The new release also includes athletic director expectations as a new feature. Some of the expectations to start include winning more than half of your Cyclones’ conference games and beating Iowa, with the latter being an all-or-nothing expectation.
A returning feature is school grades, used to help lure in high school recruits or transfer prospects. Some notable grades from EA for Iowa State include a C for academic prestige, a C- for championship contender and a C- for coach prestige.
Something notable for Iowa State in the new game is an updated walkout. During night games, a drone show will appear in the sky, as it did at Jack Trice Stadium for Iowa State’s 2024 game versus UCF.
Across the board, Iowa State comes into the game with an overall rating of 76 out of 100, tied with Cincinnati, Kansas and Houston for the lowest rating.
Offensive ratings
Iowa State’s offense is rated as a collective 76 overall in College Football 27, with the highest rated player being Tulane receiver transfer Omari Hayes.
The redshirt junior is rated 84, the third-highest among Cyclones. Hayes is given a 91 speed rating, tied for the second highest rating on Iowa State’s roster, as well as an 84 catching rating.
New senior quarterback Jaylen Raynor has been given an 80 overall, considerably higher than the second-highest-rated quarterback, Connor Moberly, at a 70 overall.
EA thinks Raynor excels in his throw on the run, giving him an 86, as well as his toughness, with an impressive 93 overall, the highest on the team.
Finally, fan favorite Kyle Konrardy comes in rated at an 83 overall, tied for the ninth-highest-rated kicker in the game.
The redshirt junior also leads every kicker in the game with kick power, with an incredible 98 rating. He has also been given a less impressive 84 kick accuracy rating, still in the upper echelon for kickers in the game.
Defensive ratings
Iowa State’s defense is rated the exact same as the offense, with a 76 overall, despite the two highest overall players on the team being on the defensive front.
The highest-rated Cyclone is senior transfer Isaac Terrell. The Washington State transfer edge has been rated as an 86 overall.
Terrell has the highest awareness rating for Iowa State, with a 90, four points better than the second-highest, Braden Awls, with an 86.
The second-highest-rated player is redshirt senior Jaheim Singletary. The defensive back, who transferred from Arkansas, has an 84 overall, leading Iowa State’s secondary.
Singletary leads Iowa State in acceleration with a 95 and is second in total speed with a 91. Singletary is also second in toughness with a 92, behind only Raynor.
