College Football 26 will release on July 10, with early access beginning on July 7.
“An abundance of excitement,” Williams told Bleacher Report when asked about his initial reaction to learning he will be on the cover.
Williams also made it clear who would win in a head-to-head showdown between the cover athletes.
Williams and Smith sharing the cover was a fitting choice, as they were arguably the best wide receivers in the sport and walking highlight factories.
Williams saw that and wants a chance to face Smith in the next national championship game.
As the 2024 season got underway, it seemed improbable that even one rookie wide receiver would become a national celebrity after dominating Saturdays to earn a spot on the cover of the upcoming EA Sports College Football game.
And two freshmen did so in the end.
Ryan Williams of Alabama and Jeremiah Smith of Ohio State, who both had outstanding freshman seasons, are featured on the covers of EA Sports’ College Football 26, the most recent iteration of the popular video game that made a comeback last year for the first time since NCAA Football 14. Early access for College Football 26 will start on July 7 and the full version will be available on July 10.
“An abundance of excitement,” Williams informed Bleacher Report when asked how he felt when he first found out he would be featured on the cover. It’s unlike anything you could ever imagine. It’s one of those times when the emotion is too strong for words to express. It makes me shiver to think about it. That was one of those times when I was ecstatic to receive that message. It is a boon. “.
Williams also stated unequivocally who would prevail if the cover athletes faced off against one another.
He chuckled and remarked, “I’ll smack him in the game,” about Smith. We must arrange that. “..”.
Given that they were walking highlight factories and possibly the best wide receivers in the game, Williams and Smith sharing the cover was a fitting choice.
Even as teenagers, it seemed like they were capable of anything, whether it was Smith making a variety of one-handed catches throughout the season or Williams swerving past several defenders before sprinting to the end zone for the game-winning touchdown against Georgia.
And they were helping one another along the way as the competition became fierce.
“I always get to watch because their games are usually a little earlier than ours, and he always watches us after he finishes up,” Williams stated. “We always text one another to stay in contact. The competition is really friendly. Iron sharpens other iron. Simply being able to push each other while in a relationship with a man who lives halfway across the nation is thrilling. particularly since I am aware of his personality and that he is interested in that line of work. That adds to the enjoyment. “.”.
However, there was one significant difference: Smith scored five touchdowns for the Buckeyes in their College Football Playoff victories over Tennessee, Oregon, Texas, and Notre Dame, which helped them win the national championship. In the title game, he also caught the deep ball on the third and eleventh to seal the victory over the Fighting Irish.
Williams wants to play Smith in the upcoming national championship game after noticing that.
According to him, “We’ve talked about it for sure.”. That’s the objective. According to him, they will have another chance, so the objective is to run into each other there. A crazy plot for the game’s cover would be that. “.”.
That would entail the Crimson Tide recovering from missing the CFP completely, something Williams does not intend to permit to occur once more.
It’s undoubtedly been a motivating factor, the standout wide receiver stated. It is not like Alabama. That isn’t the norm. Just talking about it is a fire. The fire is creeping up, I can feel it.
“There has been a certain amount of commitment and sacrifice leading up to the season, not just from me but also from the top down. It is very clear. We’re really looking forward to some exciting things that are coming up. Getting even isn’t the main goal. It’s just us demonstrating our correctness. Simply knowing that we’re working hard and taking all the necessary steps to get to that point. “.
The Crimson Tide’s high expectations are so great that they are considered a huge letdown to be the first team eliminated from the CFP, but that is precisely what happened in the 2024 season, the first season following Nick Saban’s retirement.
Given that the Sooners and Commodores had a combined record of 13 losses at the end of the season, losses to Vanderbilt, Tennessee, and Oklahoma were too much to overcome.
However, Williams stated that it is only acting as a motivator for a team that will play nonconference games against Florida State and Wisconsin prior to SEC games against Georgia, Tennessee, and South Carolina in 2025.
With Ty Simpson, Austin Mack, and highly regarded freshman Keelon Russell in a three-way competition, the biggest question regarding that 2025 season is who will be under center.
At five stars, Russell was the No. 247Sports’ composite rankings place him as the second overall player in the 2025 recruiting class. Williams and others have taken notice of him because of his remarkable mobility as well as his ability to make plays with his arm.
“He’s one of the best quarterbacks I’ve seen,” the receiver remarked. “He and the other quarterbacks can all spin it really well, so it’s great to work with them. Even watching them compete is incredibly thrilling. Although there are always receiver battles, it has been a lot of fun for us to have a three-way quarterback race because it brings out the best in each of them.
“No one wants to lag behind, so you know you’re going to get the best out of each and every one of them every single day. As a result, you always get the best of the three. And since they and we are both producing plays, that only helps us get better. The defense must respond to everyone. We’re looking forward to what lies ahead after such an exciting spring. “,”.
They were also highly regarded recruits, with Simpson ranking as a 5-star prospect in 2022 and Mack as a 4-star prospect in 2024. And the quarterback battle is expected to be drawn out. Head coach Kalen DeBoer stated that he intends to make a decision by “the last week-and-a-half” prior to the season in an interview with Greg McElroy’s Always College Football podcast (via Matt Stahl of AL . com).
This implies that Williams and Alabama supporters will have to wait patiently to learn this season’s starting quarterback.
Regarding a possible long-term objective, he will also need to be patient after the NFL declared that players would be permitted to play flag football at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Immediately, NFL pass-catchers like Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, and Amon-Ra St. were mentioned. These spots may also be targeted by Williams, Smith, Tyreek Hill, Malik Nabers, Brown, and CeeDee Lamb, among other collegiate athletes.
According to Williams, he is “one-thousand percent” interested in competing in the 2028 Games.
“Just being able to represent the United States,” he stated. It’s incredible to me that we can do that at last because basketball has endured so much. I’m hoping for that chance once I’m in the NFL. I am attempting to record a few things. They might think I’m sufficiently sly. I’m definitely thinking about that because I want to go win that gold and represent my nation. “,”.
