Monday marks the pre-release date for EA Sports College Football 26, which means college football fans can finally play as their favorite players in anticipation of the upcoming season.
While there's a lot still to be figured out about the NIL era, one of the true benefits of the new system is that college football rosters are accurate - and athletes are getting paid to be in the game.
This year, for the first time, college coaches are also in the game.
But a few key names have declined to be included.
Colorado's Deion Sanders, North Carolina's Bill Belichick and Miami's Mario Cristobal and three of the key names who have chosen not to be part of the game's release.
Colorado's head coach is, instead, Level 40 elite recruiter Kirk Patrick, while North Carolina's coach is a Level 30 "scheme guru" named Hector Luna.
No Deion Sanders or Bill Belichick among the real coaches in #CFB26, as expected.
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) July 7, 2025
Belichick didn't do Madden, either. pic.twitter.com/GPkl3lcX87
It was initially reported that USC's Lincoln Riley would also be missing from the popular college football action, but he is listed as the Trojans' coach in the pre-release.
The game is set for a world-wide release date of July 10 (Thursday), but fans who bought the Deluxe Edition or MVP Bundle are always scoring touchdowns and recruiting five-star recruits while working their controllers.