EA Sports' 'College Football 27' Ratings Released: Who Is Illinois' Top-Rated Player?
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EA Sports' "College Football 2027" video game ratings were released Thursday, and to no one's surprise, fans were eager to know how high their favorite teams and players were ranked. But the fans weren't the only ones.
Players are often as invested in the game's individual ratings as those who follow them. At Illinois, multiple players were asked before the ratings release to guess who they believed would be the highest-rated player on the team, and for the most part, they hit the nail on the head. And they were pretty darn fired up when talking about it, too.
CFB 27 Ratings Debate.
Who's the highest overall? Our guys weighed in. pic.twitter.com/mgKokwbRUG
– Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) June 25, 2026
So what rating did Illinois' top overall player receive, and who was he? What was transfer quarterback Katin Houser's number? And what about Illinois' team rating? We now know the answer to all those questions.
– Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) June 26, 2026
Matthew Bailey receives Illinois' top rating
Most of the Illini players picked Matthew Bailey when asked who would receive the best rating on the team, which proved correct. Bailey, Illinois' starting strong safety, was given an 89 overall rating, which is tied for the fifth-best among all players at the position.
It would be hard to argue against Bailey deserving that status. If he hadn't gotten hurt before last year's Music City Bowl Game, Bailey probably would have turned pro and been selected as a middle-round pick in the NFL Draft. Even after ultimately missing a game, Bailey led the team with 76 tackles and was arguably the Illini's second-best defensive player behind second-round pick Gabe Jacas.
EA Sports updates its ratings weekly once the season starts, so a healthy season and a few high-performing games could send Bailey over the 90 mark at some point during the season.
What is Katin Houser's rating?
Houser hasn't even thrown a pass yet for the Illini, but he has essentially already been deemed the team's starting quarterback. No matter what his EA Sports rating wound up being, it would have been noteworthy to fans.
Houser had a big season at East Carolina in 2025: 3,300 passing yards, 65.9 percent completion rate, 19 passing touchdowns (against just six interceptions), plus nine more rushing touchdowns. But it's safe to say the American Athletic Conference is nowhere nearly as competitive as the Big Ten.
So how should Houser's performance last season translate to his 2026 preseason EA Sports rating in Champaign? Believe it or not, the video game maker devotes a mountain of resources toward trying to generate accurate ratings every year, not just with data-driven and position-based algorithms but also with input from coaches and scouts with expert eyes for such things.
In any case, the EA Sports folks did their thing and came to a pretty favorable number for Houser's rating: 83. Might that be a bit generous? It wouldn't be a surprise if Houser's number drops to 80 after Illinois enters the thick of the conference season.
Houser's Big Ten track record isn't exactly impressive. He played in 11 games at Michigan State back in 2023, and he threw six touchdowns against five interceptions while completing fewer than 60 percent of his attempts. Granted, that was three years ago, and Houser is a much better and more experienced player now, but he has a lot of work ahead of him to live up to his current rating.
Which Illinois player's rating is too low?
Most college football teams have at least one player every year whose EA Sports rating raises an eyebrow, and Illinois is no different. For the Illini, it's tight end Kaden Feagin.
Although Feagin is playing tight end for the first time in his career, his 74 overall rating seems far too low. Just because Feagin isn't listed as a running back anymore doesn't mean he won't receive any carries out of the backfield. Feagin is dangerous with the ball in his hands and can beat teams in many different ways. Expect Feagin to be a featured performer in a variety of roles and looks.
His career numbers – 1,251 rushing touchdowns, 4.4 yards per carry, 341 receiving yards, 11.4 yards per catch, 15 career touchdowns – are impressive enough at any position. And with his big frame, speed and after-the-catch ability in the Illni's offense, Feagin could easily outperform his current EA Sports rating, pushing his number into the upper 70s, or even higher.
What is the Illini's team rating?
Illinois was awarded a team rating of 79 by EA Sports, which is tied for 52nd overall. Objectively, that's a ridiculous number. There simply won't be 51 college football teams in the 2026 season that are better than Illinois, and Bret Bielema and his entire group should take that personally.
For goodness sake, UCLA, Colorado and Baylor are ranked higher than Illinois. That's comical. Although Illinois has some big shoes to fill – those of Jacas and departed quarterback Luke Altmyer among them – Houser only has to be decent for Illinois to win a minimum of eight regular-season games, which would make the Illini no worse than a top-30 team.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/illinois as EA Sports' 'College Football 27' Ratings Released: Who Is Illinois' Top-Rated Player?.
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