The long-awaited College Football 25 was the highest-grossing sports video game of all time, so EA Sports has controversially decided to not wait another decade-plus for the sequel.
After featuring Michigan running back Donovan Edwards, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers and future Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter on the 25 cover, EA Sports has decided to spread the love for the sequel.
Leaked photos that hit Instagram on Wednesday show dozens of figures from across the sport gathered for College Football 26 cover shots -- with coaches among them. Georgia's Kirby Smart, Ohio State's Ryan Day, Penn State's James Franklin, Ole Miss's Lane Kiffin and Arizona State's Kenny Dillingham were among the group pictured in the Rose Bowl stands. Alabama's Ryan Williams, Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith and Penn State's Nick Singleton were front and center, joined by former Heisman Trophy winners Reggie Bush, Mark Ingram and Tim Tebow, and other figures like mascots Hairy Dawg (Georgia), Puddles (Oregon), and Smokey (Tennessee).
The group also included an incoming true freshman in Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood, the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2025.
The coaches' inclusion could be a major hint toward development in the revived game's second edition. Coaches' likenesses were not included in College Football 25, a cutting-room-floor decision as developers built the game from scratch.
Like 25, College Football 26 will assuredly have multiple covers, so other leaked images could hit the internet before the game's release this summer.