EA Sports’ College Football 27 is almost here, and Wisconsin’s roster comes into focus with the game’s latest player ratings.
The Badgers’ top 10 is heavily shaped by the transfer portal, with several newcomers sitting near the top of the list ahead of the game’s full release on July 9. That group includes running back Abu Sama and cornerback Javan Robinson, both rated 85 overall, followed by quarterback Colton Joseph at 84.
Here’s how Wisconsin’s 10 highest-rated players land at launch:
- RB Abu Sama, 85 overall
- CB Javan Robinson, 85 overall
- QB Colton Joseph, 84 overall
- DL Hammond Russell, 83 overall
- S Marvin Burks Jr., 83 overall
- K Gavin Lahm, 81 overall
- RB Bryan Jackson, 80 overall
- RB Darrion Dupree, 80 overall
- DL Junior Poyser, 80 overall
- LB Mason Posa, 80 overall
Sama looks like the kind of player who could be a handful in the game. He’s listed with 92 speed and 89 agility, giving him the burst and wiggle to cut, spin, hurdle and break free in space.
Wisconsin’s portal class isn’t just front and center in the ratings - it also fills out much of the group expected to carry the Badgers in 2026. Russell, Burks, Jackson and Poyser are all projected to become key pieces.
One spot that stands out on the defensive side is inside linebacker, where Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano are both expected to matter a lot for Wisconsin. Posa is rated 80 overall, while Catalano checks in at 73, even though both are coming off freshman seasons in which they led UW’s defense in stops. The two should be among the first players considered for any regular-season rating updates as they take on the middle of the defense this fall.
In Other News...
Badgers Recruiting Surge Just Put Them In The Mix Again
Wisconsins recruiting momentum has started to look like something more than an early-class blip. The Badgers already have three commitments in their 2027 group, highlighted by four-star wing Baboucarr Ann, the top recruit in Minnesota and a Rivals top-40 prospect nationally, and that haul has Wisconsin sitting near the top of the national team rankings for the cycle.
The next layer is already taking shape, too, with the staff jumping into the 2028 race by offering Cole Kelly, a top-40 recruit from Illinois. It is another sign the Badgers are trying to stay ahead of the curve and build on the early buzz, even as the real challenge now becomes turning this surge into something that lasts. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Boyd Just Got The Shot Badgers Fans Were Waiting On
Nick Boyds path to the NBA took a little longer than some hoped, but the former Wisconsin guard is still getting his shot. After going undrafted, he has landed in a place where the next stage of his career can actually begin, and for a player whose age and draft status shaped the way teams viewed him, the opportunity matters just as much as the label attached to it.
Boyd now gets a chance to compete for a roster spot in summer league, which is often where undrafted guards have to prove they belong all over again. For Badgers fans, it is another reminder that the route to the league is rarely linear, but it does give Boyd a legitimate opening to show he can stick at the next level. [Read more 🡒]
Badgers Fans Needed This From One Of Wisconsins Biggest Commits
Yahzeen Zion has been one of the more important names in Wisconsins class since his commitment, a highly regarded edge prospect whose rise has given the Badgers a needed boost on the recruiting trail. For a program that has to fight for every high-end pledge, keeping a player with his profile lined up matters well beyond the usual pledge-watch chatter.
The concern, of course, is that these situations rarely feel settled until signing day arrives. Zion has already drawn outside attention, and the kind of recruiting tug-of-war that follows a top commit can turn quickly, which is why any sign of reassurance from him lands so well in Madison as the calendar keeps moving toward the finish line. [Read more 🡒]