One of the Oklahoma Sooners’ best players was just given a perfect reason to play even better in 2026
The Oklahoma Sooners have one of the best defenses in the country, and it will be led by Taylor Wein on the edge.
The Oklahoma Sooners had one of the best edge rushers in the country last season, and College Football 27 from EA Sports doesn’t seem to agree.
Taylor Wein, who you could make an argument was Oklahoma’s best player last year, did not crack the top 10 edge rushers in the game’s recently released ratings. He may not even be a 90 overall, which is a tough pill to swallow for a player who dominated both the run and the pass in 2025.
EA Sports revealed its edge rusher ratings ahead of the game’s launch, and the list features some of the biggest names at the position across college football. Texas’ Collin Simmons sits at No. 1, which makes sense given his production.
Behind him are Oregon’s Matayo Uiagalelei, South Carolina’s Dylan Stewart, Michigan’s John Henry Daley, Louisville’s Clev Lubin, Minnesota’s Anthony Smith, Alabama’s Yhonzae Pierre, Ohio State’s Kenyatta Jackson Jr., and Arkansas’ Quincy Rhodes Jr. All of those players ranked ahead of Wein.
Wein’s case for a top-5 rating is strong
You could make the case that most of those names should not be ranked above Wein. If I were ranking these edge rushers, the top of the list would be Simmons and Stewart, then a couple of other names, and Wein should land somewhere around No. 5 or No. 6. The fact that he’s outside the top 10 entirely is hard to justify.
When you look at what Wein did last season, the numbers back it up. He was one of the highest-rated players in the country according to PFF, earning a 90 grade. He played the run and the pass at an elite level, arguably better than any other edge rusher nationally. For EA Sports to have Wein potentially ranked below a 90 overall in the game, while less productive players rank ahead of him, raises questions about the methodology behind these ratings.
A bigger 2025 season could make the snub look worse
The Sooners are expecting even more from Wein this season. If he takes another step forward and builds on what was already an outstanding year, EA Sports will look foolish for leaving him outside the top 10. Oklahoma needs Wein to be the anchor of its defensive front, and everything from his tape to his advanced metrics suggests he’s capable of being one of the best in the sport.
Ratings in a video game don’t carry real-world weight, but they do reflect perception. Right now, Wein’s national perception doesn’t match the player Oklahoma fans watched terrorize opposing offenses all season. That should change soon enough.