Arkansas enters the new EA Sports College Football 27 with a team rating that reflects a reset in Fayetteville.
The Razorbacks are listed at 80 overall in the game, with an 80 on offense and an 81 on defense. That’s a step down from last season’s 81 overall mark, when Arkansas checked in at 83 on offense and 82 on defense. The program also goes into the game under Ryan Silverfield in his first season as head coach, and the ratings mirror that change.
Quincy Rhodes Jr. sits at the top of the Arkansas roster with a 90 overall rating. He’s one of five Razorbacks rated 85 or higher, giving Arkansas a strong cluster near the top of the roster even as the team rating settles at 80.
That 80 overall places the Hogs among six teams at that number and slots them 46th nationally in the game. Within the SEC, Arkansas is last at 16th. Vanderbilt, Mississippi State and Kentucky are all just ahead at 81 overall, while South Carolina is at 82.
EA’s official roster lists 64 Arkansas players in the launch version of the game, and the ratings show a roster with a few clear headliners followed by a long middle class.
Braylen Russell leads the running backs at 86 overall. Malachi Breland is next at 85, along with Sutton Smith and Jamari Hawkins, who also come in at 85.
Carter Stoutmire and Donovan Faupel are both at 83, while Jahiem Johnson joins them in that tier at 83. Kobe Branham checks in at 82.
A group of players lands in the low 80s, including David Oke at 81, Chris Marshall at 81 and Bradley Shaw at 81. John Howse IV, Jaden Platt, Bryant Williams and Miguel Mitchell are all rated 80. CJ Brown is at 79.
The 78s include Caden Kitler, Jelani Watkins, La'Khi Roland and Charlie Collins. Ismael Cisse, Khmori House, Hunter Osborne, Steven Soles Jr., Xadavien Sims, Courtney Crutchfield, Ben Bogle, Jamonta Waller, Christian Harrison, Braydon Lee and Shelton Lewis all appear in the 76 range, with Jasper Parker, Cam Settles, Max Gilbert, Terence Roberson Jr. and Carlon Jones at 75.
KJ Jackson is among the quarterbacks at 74, along with Josiah Clemons, Ja'Quavion Smith and Kavion Broussard. Phoenix Jackson is at 73. Ian Williams, AJ Hill, Trajen Odom and Wyatt Simmons are all at 72, while Tyler Scott, Keiundre Johnson, Gavin Rush, Tay Lockett, Kyeaure Magloire, Maddox Lassiter, Brooks Edmonson and Ty Lockwood sit at 71.
The lower end of the roster includes Adam Hawkes, Markeylin Batton and Braeden Fuller at 70, Jeremy Evans at 68, Kash Courtney and Matt Adcock at 67, Nsongbeh Ginyui at 66, Adam Johnston at 64, Hank Hendrix at 63 and DJ Hairston Jr. at 62.
In Other News...
Calipari May Have Finally Built Arkansas To Match College Basketball's Giants
Arkansas is heading into next season looking a lot less like a conventional college lineup and a lot more like the kind of roster that can bother almost anybody on the floor. John Calipari has loaded the Razorbacks with length at every level, from guards Jordan Smith, Jr., JJ Andrews and Abdou Toure to wings Billy Richmond III and Miikaa Murrinen, then kept adding size with frontcourt options like Cooper Bowser, Paulo Semedo and Ilia Frolov. Even before a ball is tipped, the physical profile is obvious enough to make Arkansas feel built to match the major programs it has to chase.
The most interesting part is how many different ways the rotation could take shape once the season begins. Smith brings elite guard status, Andrews and Toure add more size and talent on the perimeter, and Murrinen gives Arkansas a stretch forward who can do far more than just stand near the rim. Semedo and Bowser give the staff more bulk to work with inside, while Frolov adds another layer to the frontcourt mix, and the only real cloud hanging over the group is Isaiah Sealy's injury status. For a program trying to turn roster length into a real edge, the unanswered questions may be just as important as the size itself. [Read more 🡒]
Silverfield Just Raised The Stakes In Arkansas' QB Battle
Ryan Silverfield still has the Razorbacks quarterback race in front of him, and it remains one of the clearest pressure points on the roster as summer turns toward fall camp. The competition has narrowed to KJ Jackson and AJ Hill, two quarterbacks who each showed enough this spring to keep the staff from moving quickly, while also bringing different traits to an offense that needs the right fit before the season starts.
Silverfield expects the call to come around mid-August, giving the eventual starter enough runway to settle in before the opener. Jackson and Hill both made their case in spring work, and with camp practices ahead, Arkansas is still sorting out whether the job tilts toward Jacksons RPO style or Hills more traditional pocket approach. For now, the answer is still waiting to be written. [Read more 🡒]
EAs First Rating For New-Look Arkansas Will Fire Up Razorbacks Fans
With College Football 27 set to land July 9, Arkansas fans finally got an early look at how EA Sports sees the Razorbacks entering the Ryan Silverfield era. The new ratings show a program still trying to climb back into the SEC conversation, with the Hogs landing at 80 overall, a mark that puts them 46th nationally and gives them an interesting place in the games updated pecking order.
The Arkansas ranking will probably spark plenty of debate around the fan base, especially with the Razorbacks sitting 16th in the SEC picture. For a team introducing a new coach and a fresh reset, the number feels like both a challenge and a starting point, and it is the kind of first impression that tends to stick with players long after the early-access period begins. [Read more 🡒]