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It is release week for the second edition of EA Sports’ College Football video game series, and one of the big additions to this year’s game is actual college football coaches being part of it. The ’25 edition had the actual players but didn’t get coaches licensed, but that changed this year with more than 300 coaches and coordinators signing up for the game.
There are some notable exceptions. Bill Belichick (North Carolina), Deion Sanders (Colorado), Kirk Ferentz (Iowa) and Mario Cristobal (Miami) opted against being part of the game — Steve Belichick, however, is in there as UNC’s defensive coordinator — but aside from the handful of holdouts, the game features the majority of coaches around the country. That means the folks at EA Sports had to hand out ratings and archetypes for each college football coach for the first time, which always leads to some fun debates about what they got right and what they got wrong.
Three coaches received the “CEO” archetype, which is the top archetype one can reach in the game: Georgia’s Kirby Smart, Clemson’s Dabo Swinney and Ohio State’s Ryan Day. All three have an A+ in coach prestige, with Smart and Swinney topping the “coach level” rankings at an 80, with Day at a 72. In total, 12 real world coaches received an A+ in coach prestige — plus the created stand-ins for Mario Cristobal and Deion Sanders, who each have a coaching level of 40.
On the other end of the spectrum, Delaware’s Ryan Carty, FAU’s Zach Kittley, Ohio’s Brian Smith and Marshall’s Tony Gibson are the four real world coaches at the bottom of the prestige totem pole at a D- and coaching levels all below a 22. There is only one coach with an F prestige rating: the CPU generated coach for Kent State, whose interim coach, Mark Carney, is not in the game.
Below you can find the full breakdown of the coach prestige ratings, coach level and archetype for every coach in each conference. CPU coaches are designated by an asterisk.
Big Ten
Ohio StateRyan DayA+72CEOOregonDan LanningA+66Program BuilderPenn StateJames FranklinA+64Program BuilderUSCLincoln RileyA+59Program BuilderIndianaCurt CignettiA57StrategistNebraskaMatt RhuleA55Program BuilderIowaMick Cloud*A40Program BuilderIllinoisBret BielemaA-61Program BuilderMichiganSherrone MooreA-54ArchitectMichigan StateJonathan SmithB+55StrategistWisconsinLuke FickellB45Program BuilderMinnesotaP.J. FleckB44Master MotivatorRutgersGreg SchianoB40Master MotivatorWashingtonJedd FischB-43Elite RecruiterPurdueBarry OdomC+37ArchitectNorthwesternDavid BraunC+35Master MotivatorMarylandMike LocksleyC35Scheme GuruUCLADeShaun FosterC29Master Motivator
SEC
GeorgiaKirby SmartA+80CEOTexasSteve SarkisianA+68Program BuilderAlabamaKalen DeBoerA+62Talent DeveloperLSUBrian KellyA+62Program BuilderOle MissLane KiffinA+61Program BuilderAuburnHugh FreezeA+57StrategistTennessee Josh HeupelA61Elite RecruiterFloridaBilly NapierA52StrategistTexas A&MMike ElkoA-54ArchitectKentuckyMark StoopsA-50Scheme GuruSouth CarolinaShane BeamerB+58StrategistMissouriEli DrinkwitzB+56StrategistOklahomaBrent VenablesB+50Scheme GuruArkansasSam PittmanB+41Talent DeveloperVanderbiltClark LeaC+32Master MotivatorMississippi StateJeff LebbyC40Scheme Guru
ACC
Big 12
Independents
Notre DameMarcus FreemanA+63Program BuilderUConnJim Mora Jr. C+37Architect
Pac-12
American
ArmyJeff MonkenB+38Master MotivatorTulaneJon SumrallB+36StrategistMemphisRyan SilverfieldB35StrategistNavyBrian NewberryB30Scheme GuruCharlotteTim AlbinC+24ArchitectUTSAJeff TraylorC35Scheme GuruSouth FloridaAlex GoleshC29StrategistTempleK.C. KeelerC25Talent DeveloperNorth TexasEric MorrisC-24Master MotivatorRiceScott AbellC-23ArchitectEast CarolinaBlake HarrellD23MotivatorTulsaTre LambD21TacticianFAUZach KittleyD-20StrategistUABLamar Davis*D-20Architect
