In EA Sports College Football 26, it’s been all about improving the product.

The next chapter in the EA Sports’ college football video game series will be fully released Thursday, July 10 after the early access window started three days prior. After the successful return of the franchise in 2024, EA Sports wanted to build on last year’s game, focusing on filling the holes some of the popular features had like dynasty mode while expanding the authenticity of a Saturday in the fall.

USA TODAY Sports was able to play the game ahead of the full release and try out all of the different gameplay options. The game has been out three days, but the early impression is College Football 26 has taken a major step forward from the previous game. 

Is the game perfect? No, but EA Sports really heard the community feedback, and it resulted in an excellent sequel that gives optimism the franchise will just keep getting better and better.

EA College Football 26 gameplay

It almost feels like an entirely new game when it comes to actually playing football. College Football 25 was a nice introduction back to football video games from an 11-year hiatus. In College Football 26, it’s now a completely different ballgame. 

At first, it’s extremely overwhelming to see the overhaul of changes. But over time, it becomes easier to understand. Casual football enjoyers will have to learn deeper game knowledge on things like adjustments and schemes. It’s very noticeable how playbooks have expanded, with each team having a plethora of plays to choose from to where you can easily go an entire game without running the same play twice. 

Being able to sub players in and out at certain points is a big plus since you’re not required to continuously pause the game to do so. However, the feature isn’t exactly as advertised. It can only be done in the pre-snap when the team is already in formation, so it won’t affect the upcoming play and instead will take place in the following snap. It’s helpful in managing injuries and the hot hand, but you’d want it for the next play, not the one after. It would’ve made sense to allow it when selecting a play. Instead, it still requires pausing the game for immediate substitutions.

The player movement is much smoother and the animations feel more realistic. Those interceptions from defenders not looking at the ball don’t happen, and the offensive line actually blocks with better play recognition at the line of scrimmage. The mixture of user skill and player ratings feel like it matters, as it becomes tougher to make plays with a 70 overall quarterback while it’s easy pickings doing it with a signal-caller at 85.

The wear-and-tear also has improvements where players aren’t getting fatigued so easily.

One bug that persisted was getting an injury update after every play, which became annoying and would still appear on the screen in no-huddle, so you couldn’t see everything. Also, some injuries that happened wouldn’t be in effect. Like a player with a broken collarbone was still playing.

Despite some minor issues, the gameplay still is a big step-up. It’s hard at first to grasp, but soon enough, people will get a better understanding of football.

EA Sports College Football 26 dynasty mode

There were only two things dynasty mode needed fixed: trophy and accolades history, and transfer portal revamp. The two issues were addressed and the mode really feels like one of its best iterations. Dynasty mode is the franchise’s money maker, and it cashes in big.

Gamers can adjust how wild the transfer portal gets, which can get pretty ludicrous depending on the program being run. When deciding to coach a small program, it only took a few years before it became dominant. Now even on the regular sliders, it becomes much more difficult to retain players who want a bigger opportunity at higher-level teams. 

While it could decimate teams, players now can fully adopt a strategy to focus on high school recruiting or the transfer portal to make up the roster, much like real life. One element that would make the transfer portal better is seeing the stats of players rather than just ratings, so users can get a sense of who they are really seeking. Imagine knowing a guy that tore up the Sun Belt could join your ACC team?

The mode that benefited most from actual coaches in the game is dynasty. Going against the sport’s coaches adds another layer of realism that last year’s game heavily lacked. Now, teams really adopt the persona of their coach, whether it’s aggressive decision making or run the ball approach. The coaching carousel can also be just insane as the transfer portal, with big name coaches unexpectedly taking other jobs.

EA Sports College Football 26 Road to Glory

If there was one mode that needed to be upgraded, it was road to glory after it missed out on the high school experience last year. It got added in this year’s game, but it isn’t close to being as good as the NCAA Football series had it.

The moments make for a good challenge into boosting your recruiting stock, but it really takes away from having an authentic recruitment. Players shouldn’t get punished if they throw an 80-yard touchdown, but the challenge required a quarterback run for the score. 

It makes sense EA Sports was trying to speed along the high school process so gamers weren’t stuck playing for hours before making it to college, but maybe chose the wrong process to do it. Having players complete certain drives and get graded for how it went would have been a better process to boost your stock, just like how high school athletes actually do. 

And then there’s the ever so controversial equipment topic. The fanbase feels almost split in whether the amount of player customization falls short or doesn’t matter. Both sides of the crowd got points with this. There are more things to change the look of a player with new arm sleeves, but there are also elements missing like leg sleeves. Is it a big deal? It shouldn’t be, but EA Sports should eventually tackle the issue.

But for all the things falling short in the mode, the recruiting process itself is a nice touch. Hearing from coaches about their thoughts on you, seeing schools offer and pull scholarships and gauging who is the right fit is an authentic process. Getting to see what other recruits the school is targeting increases the intrigue in the process, culminating with the iconic hat ceremony every football player dreams of doing.

Other notes

College football is a tradition-rich sport, and after every school had their own quirks in the previous game, it feels much more enhanced this year. The audio is greatly enhanced to where fight songs sound clearer and the crowd is louder, feeling like you’re at the stadium.

The game presentation and graphics got massively upgraded, giving the big game feel to those high-stake matchups. The commentary feels more sequenced and the conversations discussed about the teams, the last game and season performance help it not feel so robotic. 

EA Sports deserves credit for listening to feedback from College Football 25, something production director Christian McLeod previously told USA TODAY Sports the team spends plenty of time doing. It’s noticeable, as last year’s issues were not just addressed, but greatly improved to where it wouldn’t be a consistent issue.

People often argue sequels aren’t better than the original. That isn’t the case with EA Sports College Football 26, giving its loyal fanbase another stellar game to play.

LOS ANGELES — A week after ICE arrested Julio Cesar Chávez Jr., his whereabouts are still unclear.

At times, people detained by ICE don’t show up in the agency’s ‘detainee locator’ for several days while they are being processed into custody. Chávez Jr. has been detained by ICE for a week.

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told USA TODAY that DHS didn’t have an update to share on Chávez Jr. when asked Wednesday for information on his detention and whether he will be deported — or formally extradited — to Mexico, where he faces weapons and drug trafficking charges.

Attorney Michael Goldstein, who represents Chávez Jr. for a case unrelated to the ICE arrest, told USA TODAY the Mexican boxer is in the custody of DHS. Two days ago, the attorney said he did not know if Chávez Jr. still was in the United States. Goldstein did not provide more information about Chávez Jr. on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, a woman answered the door at Chávez Jr.’s home in Studio City, a Los Angeles neighborhood, and said Chávez Jr.’s wife, Frida, had just left. The woman took a business card from a USA TODAY reporter and said she would give it to Chávez Jr.’s wife, but there has been no response from the Chávez family. No one answered the door at Chávez Jr.’s home Wednesday morning.

On Monday, Chávez Jr. missed a court hearing at the Los Angeles Superior Court Northwest Division stemming from an arrest on gun charges in 2024. Chávez Jr. was expected to ask for early release from a pretrial diversion that allowed him to enter a program for rehabilitative services rather than face prosecution.

Goldstein said he did not expect Chávez Jr. at the hearing because the former world champion had been taken into custody by the Department of Homeland Security the previous week.

Immediately after the hearing, Goldstein said he learned two days earlier that Chávez Jr. was in Hidalgo, Texas in the custody of DHS. When asked if Chávez Jr. is still in the United States, Goldstein told USA TODAY: ‘We have no idea. We have no information, unfortunately.’

Chávez Jr. was arrested July 2 and detained by U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement and was being processed for expedited removal from the United States, according to DHS.

DHS said Chávez Jr. is facing an active arrest warrant in Mexico for charges that include involvement with organized crime.  

Chávez Jr.’s arrest came days after he fought celebrity boxer Jake Paul in Anaheim, California. A former world champion, Chávez Jr. lost by unanimous decision with his father, Hall of Fame boxer Julio Cesar Chávez Sr. in attendance.

USA TODAY reporter Pamela Avila contributed to this report.

Frank Layden, a transformational coach and general manager for the Utah Jazz, has died, the NBA announced. He was 93.

A cause of death has not been disclosed.

‘The NBA mourns the passing of Utah Jazz legend Frank Layden, an award-winning head coach and basketball executive,’ the league said in a statement. ‘His unique sense of humor and genuine kindness made him a beloved figure around the game, including during his time as a WNBA head coach. We extend our heartfelt sympathies to Frank’s family and the Jazz organization.’

Layden was head coach of the Jazz for parts of eight seasons (1981-1988) and drafted both John Stockton and Karl Malone, who would become stalwarts for the franchise, in back-to-back drafts.

The 1984 NBA Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year led the Jazz to the playoffs five times. Utah reached the Western Conference semifinals three times and was eliminated in the first round on the other two occasions. He finished with a 277-294 regular-season record.

Layden resigned as the Jazz’s coach 17 games into the 1988-89 season but remained with the franchise as its general manager and team president. Jerry Sloan was Layden’s replacement and he would lead the Jazz to the NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998 and coached the franchise until 2011.

“He was a loyal guy,” former Jazz player and current broadcaster Thurl Bailey said of Layden in an interview with KUTV 2 News. “It’s a very sad day. We are talking about a man who leaves a huge legacy, and I think he is one of the most important people in Jazz history to help keep this franchise in Utah.’

Layden also spent time as a coach for the WNBA’s Utah Starzz, a franchise that is now the Las Vegas Aces.

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Kirk Cousins signed a four-year, $180 million free-agent contract with the Atlanta Falcons ahead of the 2024 NFL season.

The veteran quarterback may not have agreed to the deal had he known the Falcons were going to select Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Cousins explained on Netflix’s ‘Quarterback’ series he felt ‘pretty surprised’ and ‘misled’ about the organization’s decision to draft Penix.

“I wasn’t expecting us to take a quarterback,” Cousins said. “At the time, it felt like I’d been a little bit misled — or certainly if I had the information around free agency, it certainly would have affected my decision. I had no reason to leave Minnesota with how much we loved it there, if both teams are gonna be drafting a quarterback high.”

‘But I’ve also learned in 12 years in this league that you’re not entitled to anything. It’s all about being able to earn your spot and prove yourself.’

Cousins had known the Vikings planned to draft a successor during the 2024 NFL Draft. The team still offered him a deal to return, but it didn’t come with the long-term security Cousins and his family desired.

‘We wanted to be in Minnesota. But, it became clear that we were going to be there year to year,’ Cousins said. ‘And that’s what we didn’t want. At that point, we said, ‘All right, we need to look elsewhere. If that’s our only option, then we’ll be back.”

Cousins did find interest elsewhere, as the Falcons were willing to pay him $45 million in average annual value (AAV) through his age-39 season. He was excited to ‘start fresh’ and try to bring Atlanta to the postseason for the first time since the 2017 NFL playoffs.

However, he had a tumultuous first season with the Falcons. The veteran got off to a fast start despite coming off a torn Achilles, but a midseason injury that impacted his throwing elbow and shoulder caused his performance to dip significantly.

Ultimately, it resulted in Cousins being benched in favor of Penix late in the season, something the four-time Pro Bowler was desperately trying to avoid, despite his injuries impacting his arm strength.

‘You also know that if you sit down Week 10 and take two or three weeks or more to let it heal, you may never get your job back,’ Cousins explained in the series’ final episode. ‘I remember reading Drew Brees’ book back in 2010 when he first wrote it, how he made the point that he tried to never let his backup see the field — even if it was somebody who was really no threat. He just felt like you should never do that. Doug Flutie taught him that.

‘So that was something I always was aware of, that in this league, if you give someone else the chance, if you want to be Wally Pipp and there’s Lou Gehrig behind you, that can happen. At the time, you gotta make the decision with the information you have then.’

Still, Cousins tried to remain engaged after being benched, despite worrying about what the future might hold for him and his family.

‘It hurts to go into work, but you got to be an adult,’ Cousins said of his benching. ‘You’ve got to be a grown man and handle it with maturity. I feel sorry for myself and it’s hard to do, but that’s what you got to do. And so that’s kind of where my focus went.’