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Fantasy sports games let us experience the thrill of being a star athlete, excelling on the field and enjoying a lavish lifestyle. However, in college football, stepping into the role of a coach can be even more rewarding. You can transform a smaller program into a powerhouse or build on the success of an established team to win multiple championships.
College Football 26 offers a Dynasty mode that immerses you in this exciting challenge. Achieving greatness means you’ll need to gather the right talent, so be prepared to hit the recruiting trail hard. Here’s how to attract the players you want.
Choosing Your School
If you want an edge in recruiting top talent, it’s wise to start at a well-regarded program. Look for nationally ranked schools (marked by a number next to their logo) and review their star ratings.
Strong programs will attract many of the best recruits, who want to win championships, enhance their personal brands, and prepare for a future in the NFL.
Understanding Coach Backstories
Before diving into your dynasty, you must decide what type of coach you want to be. You can take over an existing coach’s position or create your own.
If you create a new coach, you’ll choose from three backstories: Motivator, Recruiter, or Tactician.
Each backstory has its advantages and disadvantages, but being a Recruiter is ideal if you’re focused on landing top players. You’ll receive a boost to your scouting abilities, allowing you to evaluate prospects more effectively and increase your chances of signing them.
Additionally, consider your pipeline, which represents the region you will focus on. You’ll receive a recruiting boost when interacting with players from that area.
The best pipelines are often found in the southern U.S., especially in Texas and Florida, though California and the East Coast also offer potential.
Choosing a pipeline close to your school may be advantageous, as local players often prefer to stay near home.
Adding Prospects to Your Board
You’ll access your recruiting menu as soon as you start your Dynasty. You can view your team’s needs at the top of the prospect list, which helps identify the positions you need to fill. You can then add your target players to your recruiting board (with a maximum of 35) to begin pursuing them.
We suggest filtering players by Top Prospects (Right Trigger) and then by position groups you need (Left Trigger). From there, sort by Interest to see which players are already considering your program.
Recruiting Prospects
Once your board is established, you have several options. In the top right, you’ll see your available Hours, which can be used in various ways. Scouting will gradually reveal a prospect’s ratings, helping you determine if they’re worth your time.
Some prospects might display a gem icon, indicating their stats exceed their initial star rating, making them a valuable addition to your roster.
You can also start engaging prospects through actions like connecting with them on social media, reaching out to their family, or making strong offers. You’re limited to 50 hours per prospect each week, so using these strategies is crucial to maintaining interest over time.
Prioritize your favorite players, as failing to make it into their top contenders could mean you miss out on signing them altogether.
Offering scholarships is another effective way to show you are serious about a prospect. You’ll have 35 scholarships to distribute each year, which act as formal offers from your university.
Promoting Your School and Scheduling Visits
As time goes by, recruits will narrow their choices to their top five schools. At this stage, you can employ more persuasive methods, providing a soft or hard sell to boost your influence. Make sure to choose the right approach that aligns with their motivations for effectiveness.
Use soft sells when you’re unsure of a player’s interests since the penalties for making a mistake are less severe compared to hard sells.
You can also try to influence a player if you know what they value. This allows you to present a tailored pitch that aligns with their interests, increasing your chances of success. If your approach works, you can then use a hard sell during the following weeks for better influence gains.
Additionally, you can now start scheduling visits with your prospects. These visits should coincide with your games, but you’ll only be able to assign a limited number of visits per date.
Be mindful of the players attending each game, as having compatible visits can boost influence, while bringing in prospects competing for the same position may have negative effects. You should also select activities for each recruit based on what matters to them.
Don’t attempt to sell, persuade, or schedule visits too early. As the weeks progress, you’ll learn more about their motivations, enabling you to choose more effective pitches or activities. Engaging with a prospect prematurely could jeopardize your chances of securing them.
Utilizing the Transfer Portal
The transfer portal is now a key element in college football and has been seamlessly integrated into Dynasty mode. You’ll gain access after the offseason, allowing you to add players from other colleges to your recruiting board.
Recruiting from the transfer portal works similarly to high school prospects but operates on a much tighter timeline. Being proactive is essential—so go after any four or five-star players you need, and begin the pitching process. Within a few weeks, you could bring new talent to your squad.
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