'A Completely Different League' - CFB 27 Director Talks New Features, AI Logic, NIL, MVP+ & More

The first week of July has always been a dead period for college football fans. This year, it marks the unofficial start of fall with College Football 27 releasing in early access today at 2 p.m. ET - the earliest calendar release for a football video game since EA Sports first secured the NCAA license in 1997.

For Scott O'Gallagher - the senior game design director for both College Football 27 and Madden NFL 27 - the season started months ago. After leading the revival of the best-selling sports video game in U.S. history in 2024, he's been all over the map producing and promoting two of the biggest titles in the industry within a five-week span.

"To give you a line from my basketball days: it feels like March Madness ..." said O'Gallagher, a former All-American guard at Warner Pacific (NAIA), in an exclusive interview last week with Covers. "It's just been absolute madness. But it's been fun. You could have other worse problems. We're super fortunate to be in this spot."

That spot, by the way, is the loftiest perch in the industry after O'Gallagher and his team resuscitated EA Sports' dormant college football franchise two years ago and shattered expectations with a record-setting debut. Last year, College Football 26 and Madden NFL 26 both ranked in the top seven across all video games in domestic sales, trailing only NBA 2K26 among sports titles.

Last month, O'Gallagher took center stage in Chicago at EA Sports Opening Drive, where he teased a bevy of new features in a live showcase event featuring top athletes and creators in a hands-on environment.

The response in the room was the same across social media as "OG" revealed one feature after the next: did they really need to go that hard?

"This is the best reception since like Madden '05 in terms of the gameplay response," he said. "So selfishly, I'm really excited for our team and where we've been at."

The pressure is mounting ahead of the third installment of the CFB franchise, which promises to upend norms dating back before the game's 11-year hiatus ended in 2024.

Many of the game's newest features - like custom adjustments and timing-based catching - have clear roots in O'Gallagher's six years as a producer for the NBA 2K franchise, where he helped NBA 2K21 set the all-time sales record for a U.S. sports game before returning to EA Sports in September 2020 and breaking that record four years later.

Other features, like new pre-play controls on defense and expanded coverage tools, have "OG" written all over them. And if the early feedback is any indication, we could be in store for another monumental release.

"I was breathing a sigh of relief (after the beta)," O'Gallagher said, "because our gameplay group in particular has really taken some chances for the benefit of our players."

I spoke with EA Sports' lead designer for over an hour in a wide-ranging conversation about the biggest gameplay changes in CFB 27; catering to casual vs. hardcore gamers; improving AI logic with behavior cloning; introducing NIL in dynasty; the community response to the MVP+ subscription; replacing Kirk Herbstreit; and so much more. The following has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

1. 🏈 Game design & philosophy

2. 🎮 Rebuilding the controls

3. 🤖 Better tools & AI logic

4. 💰 Dynasty in the NIL era

5. 🎙️ Legacy changes & community feedback

🏈 Game design & philosophy

Covers: When I interviewed you last year ahead of the CFB 26 release, you were saying, "We scored last year, now let's put the game away. Let's run the 'four-minute offense' and knock out all the football fundamentals." You could have milked the clock this year, and I think you probably would have printed a lot of money. Instead, you took some really big swings. What was the design philosophy behind this year's game?

Scott O'Gallagher: It was more of a "punch them in the face" type of deal - I say that from a football perspective, but that's what it was. We got the right guys on the bus, we have a lot of really incredible and talented people, and so we've been very aggressive and taking chances. With this team, as long as we're all here, that's going to be the continued progression of it.

And you hear things, you're always keeping your ear to the streets: "What about the tush push?" or "Why isn't that in Madden?" So we changed the QB sneak this year. (With) pre-play controls, the analogy I was giving (to the team) was like when you have kids and you tell them to clean up their room and they just start shoving stuff in empty spaces. We had subs and cameras on up and down on the D-pad, but yet you had changing your linebackers and D-line on the D-pad, as well. Nothing contextually made sense. And so it was like, this is going to be the year that we change it.

It feels like this is more of an experimental cycle than I can remember for a football game in a really long time. Is that how it felt in the room?

Yeah, I wouldn't say experimental. It was more or less like, "We're going to do it." It had gotten to a point ... our game has come so far, but there were points of friction both visually and schematically that just had to get fixed. So we just put our head down and went right to it.

When you're taking big swings like this, how do you protect that core gameplay experience while still building upon the foundation of the last two releases?

You're always going to die on the hill of balance and football authenticity. So that's why I don't let our designers use the word "fun." The games are fun, right? But you and I may think one way is fun and somebody else may say, "Well, 15-minute quarters is fun to me." And you're like, "OK dude." I get it, and I am a sim head at my core. You're trying to make something that an 8-year-old can have fun with because he just got done watching his favorite team, and then obviously our core guys who are playing the game 20 hours a week.

Ultimately, in game design, it's about making it easy to pick up and hard to master. You want to make sure that you're building mechanics with depth and breadth to them. But there's the other side to it, as well. I like to coin it "the sweat fest" that was our pre-play controls. Internally there were some saying, "OG, you can't do that. You're changing stuff of 20 years."

And I'm like, "What do you mean we can't do that?" To be honest, I really didn't give a damn because there were too many people who knew football and the game wasn't accessible enough to them. It was like, "I know your quarterback's scrambling, but I've got to go through the sweat fest of the pre-play controls to stop it." And that's where custom adjustments came in.

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🎮 Rebuilding the controls

Covers: Your team completely overhauled the strongest element of muscle memory that your game has with the pre-play adjustment menu. How many different iterations of the pre-play controls did you run through before coming to that final version?

O'Gallagher: Gosh, so that was just an absolute headache ... We must have gone through six iterations before we landed on our final one. And then there's always a fear of failure. There have been subtle changes to controls before and then somebody on the internet is just going crazy, and now you're going to literally change everything.

But we did it for the right reasons. We didn't do it just to change. We didn't want to have a strategy pad situation from Madden 11. We did everything. We threw stuff against the wall. We had all of our QA guys thoroughly go through everything just to make sure that you were faster, so not only was it more accessible for younger kids and new players, but it also made more contextual sense.

It got to a point where just double-teaming the receiver was like using the Contra Code. It was so bad. Some of these were non-negotiable. So we came up with custom adjustments and had that fill in the gaps. Now you can just hit L1 and say I want to stop the QB scramble - so now you have both ends in contain and your linebacker in a spy - where that would have taken you 10-plus clicks to make all that stuff happen.

Once it got out there, once the beta was out and people were going, "This is a much better way to do it," I was like, alright, we did good.

There are now "Custom Adjustments" in College Football & Madden 27

Think of these as Adjustments you can set before the game

Let's say you want to do these 5 things every play on Defense

1. Pinch your DL
2. Shade your Coverage Underneath
3. Spy your Defensive End
4. Contain
5.… pic.twitter.com/UbSEOfryRD

— Civ (@MisterCiv) June 5, 2026

Whose idea was it to introduce custom adjustments this year, and how early in your pre-development process did you know it would make the final cut?

That was an idea I had dating back to my days in basketball (working for NBA 2K). So if you remember those adjustments like "no threes." Well, what's no threes? That's hugging up tight, switching all pick and rolls - that was essentially a macro, right? I always thought about it on the football side, and then a close friend of mine had a similar idea and helped drive that thing home. Total team effort.

And then it always drove me crazy on hot routes when the camera keeps backing up 30 times (between adjustments). I think visually it wasn't the best, and this will limit some of that. Another component that the fans played into: we made home-field advantage a weapon (in previous games), and guys on Twitter would say, "In real life, they would just signal to this combo call." And they were absolutely right. So custom adjustments will be immune to home-field advantage.

The more I learn about custom adjustments and all of the different options available for each player on the field, it feels to me like create-a-play with guardrails. Is that a fair characterization? Am I seeing the upside of this properly?

Yeah, definitely to a degree. I think some people want to create their own setups and you start to see it when you really watch (competitive players). There are also guys that just know our game, veterans of the system, that are not great at the pre-play controls. And they're like, "I know you're going to run that RPO and I just can't stop it."

I do think it's the one feature, at least initially, that is as accessible for an 8-year-old as a 50-year-old. I'll put that up there in terms of accessibility and impact, if you go through the history of Madden and College Football, I'd throw that up there near the top. I think the only thing I'd rank above it is the hit stick.

I will have 100s of hours on this screen pic.twitter.com/v57eOcOHGH

— Is EA Sports College Football 27 Out (@IsItOutEa) June 10, 2026

Speaking of the hit stick, I haven't seen many people talk about the new tackle stick. How did that feature come to be?

I think tackling, blocking, coverage - those three are a lot of your core that you're always going to look at putting heavy resources in at some point. So this year we asked: how do we keep evolving this space? Because tackling has so many different permutations with the physics-based engine in there.

So along the lines of being more accessible, we realized we have two sides here (on the hit stick) that don't have any inputs on them. How do we make it so you never really have to take your hand off the sticks if you choose not to? As you're going through different pre-play controls, now you're moving your linemen and linebackers with the right stick, you start to see different ways to deliver from there.

Another major gameplay feature you added this year was timing-based catching. I could see your face light up through the screen when you revealed it at Opening Drive. Was that your idea initially, and why did you feel that it was important to take that type of swing this year?

I know people know my background with shooting meters and stuff like that, but there were multiple guys in the studio that brought it up. And to be honest with you, at first I was kind of like, "I'm not sure about this." It wasn't a no-brainer. We had messed with prototypes in years prior that couldn't make it to the big leagues. So there was absolutely a chance it didn't make it this year.

But we did know that we needed to give you control over situations if you wanted it. We have not been able to solve the catch in traffic, the toe drags, the mossing ... you were always leaving it to chance and ratings. People have been wanting something new, and there were enough people using it that were liking it. The goal I've always had is just give you as many tools as you possibly want - let you guys live in your own sandbox with all the tools that you want to play your way.

TIMING BASED CATCHING | CFB27 🚨

• Hold Aggressive, RAC or Possession after the ball is thrown
• Release within the green timing window for the best catch outcome
• Coverage & catch difficulty shrink the timing window
• Catch in Traffic & Spectacular Catch ratings help… pic.twitter.com/y68kOWqh1z

— Ace (@aceoffmeta) June 5, 2026

Do you ever worry about too many meters on the screen?

Sure. But if it makes sense, you do it. My design rule has always been what's easy for a pro to do should be easy for a user to do. That's it. Let's not overcomplicate things. And if you give them that optionality - I won't use (timing-based catching) on quick throws, for example, I'll use it more for mossing somebody or deeper throws because that's how I play. That doesn't mean it's the right way. I know certain guys internally that have been using it for every catch on everything because they want total control.

🤖 Better tools & AI logic

Covers: Aside from the new controls, coverage was the top priority for the gameplay team this year. You've called this the biggest coverage revamp in EA Sports history. What makes it such a big leap, and why was this the year to focus on pass coverage?

O'Gallagher: Without question, it's the best thing we've done in coverage in the history of the game. From the depth and breadth of coverage options, on-the-fly tools, adjustments you can set in the front end - it's not even close. Michael Vick was at the reveal event and he goes, "Oh my gosh, you guys did all that?" I would like to get this to a level where it's a scouting report for the NFL and college teams. That's my ultimate goal.

I think there's strides that you make each year. We had hired somebody from the outside this year who was a Super Bowl-winning defensive backs coach, and when we were initially looking to hire for that position - I like the former athletes and those guys who just have a different resiliency about them. And we needed that type of knowledge, so I was like, "Let's just go all in on making this happen."

What were some of the difficulties in implementing all of those new coverage checks and the smart zone behavior for AI defenders?

First it was like, fundamentally, where are we? There were definitely subtle improvements (to coverage) year over year, but it wasn't taking the leaps that the rest of the game was. So it was like, alright, let's just start from scratch.

For example: mesh spot has been a killer in Madden for years. Why doesn't my outside linebacker know this drag is coming to him? He had no perception of what's going to happen. So you start there. And then it's like, "Well, what if I don't want him to do that and I want him to prefer routes behind?"

That's where the smart zones came in. You look at someone like my son, who's really good at the game, and he's gonna stay in trips bunch - what are you going to do against trips bunch? Well, in real life, they have these other checks, so you go through and add all those different checks. I'm assuming next year we'll just keep adding more of those on top of it.

It's the same thing in basketball: you don't just have one pick and roll coverage, you have them all. So you have to add all those different intricacies in. We were watching the game, playing against the CPU multiple times a week. We call it "the film room." Sometimes you can barely get through a quarter because everybody's critiquing every particular area. That brings attention to details within blocking and wide receiver/DB and then it's like, "Why can't we jostle? Why can't we do this?" OK, let's knock this out and prioritize it.

You highlighted something in the gameplay deep dive that I haven't seen many people talk about: improved ball-carrier pathing using behavior cloning and machine learning. Can you walk me through that process and what struck you most about the impact it had on this year's game?

The first thing was how do we start getting the CPU ball carrier to feel more human-like? That was the goal. We've used machine learning before, but the cloning technology - we got with a really veteran engineering squad to do that, and then we put the control in the hands of some of the best guys in the studio and literally just had them train this model.

You're still looking at the vision and all the different ratings to play into it because we don't want a 72 overall back feeling like Christian McCaffrey, but its responsiveness, how it's moving, what holes it's finding - is it now going up the middle and then bouncing outside like a real human would to get to space?

You're going to see that right away. It's one of the first things you'll notice if you play against the CPU. And I keep saying with where it's at now, it was a little bit later in the cycle when we started to do it, and how well it came out and where we're going to go in the future with it is what really excites me.

What was the spark that led you down this path to using this technology?

Just watching people play against the CPU. You're watching real life and you're watching the elite backs in college, or I'm watching my guy Bijan (Robinson) run the ball and you're like, "Man, our Bijan doesn't look like that."

We're always trying to replicate what we're seeing on Saturdays and Sundays. I want you to be able to put it in broadcast mode when your homies come over and they're like, "Wow, that's Madden?" or "Wow, that's College Football?" And we were starting to get that at the event. And I'm like, "You're damn right it is." I say that humbly but with confidence because it's like, yeah, dudes are working. So it's a lot of fun to get this out.

💰 Dynasty in the NIL era

Covers: Last year I asked you about the challenges of representing NIL in the game, and you talked about needing to wait on more concrete direction before investing too heavily in that as a game concept. This year, NIL is inescapable and a central part to the dynasty experience in just about every way. How quickly did that shift for you internally?

O'Gallagher: Yeah, that is what it is. It's crucial to roster building, and people were asking for it. So then it was about, how can we deliver this in a way that makes sense and is accessible for the users? I think that part is the more challenging aspect. What do the menus look like? How do you interact with the interface? I think what is being delivered this year is what those dynasty guys have asked for.

One issue that dynasty players often bring up is how easy it can be to recruit those four-star and five-star prospects at a smaller school. I know the team has made some changes this year with NIL to make that harder, but it was still an issue in the beta. How do you balance that autonomy and flexibility that dynasty players want while still saying, hey, we don't really want Kennesaw State to be recruiting five-star guys?

You're always looking at data in real life, and you look back and say, "Well, would somebody have said this about Indiana football?" Curt Cignetti just pulled off probably the best coaching feat in sports history. So how long does it take to turn around a real team like Indiana, or an even bigger school? All that stuff is just tuning - the tools are there. And in your dynasty, was that the exception and you got lucky, or is it the rule? A lot of times, it's more or less the exception.

Speaking of tuning, have you considered allowing users to tweak sliders for CPU recruiting? What about dynamic pipelines?

All that stuff has been discussed at some point. It's always just a matter of prioritization and feasibility. What needs to get fixed with the core? How else can we do this, how do people feel about it now? Can it work both offline and online? Those are always being discussed.

So nothing is imminent on those two dynasty features in particular, but it's a conversation that you're aware of and maybe could be implemented at some point?

Yes. And what you may prioritize, I may agree with you, but there are others that say something else. That's the whole challenge with any game in the industry - I had the same thing in basketball. There are always tough cuts, but there was nothing substantial right now that I remember like maybe there were in the past.

This year definitely felt like we landed the plane pretty smoothly and with a very player-first mindset. That was the whole thing: how do we just keep giving them options? People don't like dropped picks - OK, here's timing-based catching. And, again, where it makes sense within the authenticity of football.

🎙️ Legacy changes & community feedback

Covers: One of the biggest staples missing from this year's game is longtime color commentator Kirk Herbstreit, who's been in every release since 2003 but will be replaced in the booth this year by Joel Klatt. What was it like re-recording all of those lines with Klatt for the "Big Game" broadcast with Chris Fowler, and how did he help bring the revamped commentary to life this year?

O'Gallagher: Joel Klatt is awesome. I am a Joel Klatt homer. He is a fan of the game and we couldn't be more excited to have him. He has a really good football intellect, and he also has a great story about not wanting to change his number (as a walk-on at Colorado) because the starting QB in the game wore his jersey number.

I'm glad he's in our game now - he killed it. He did a great job and was easy to work with; he's just a grinder who wants to make it sound like when he's doing his thing on Saturdays. That's what you're always trying to get these guys to be when they come in: "Just sound like yourself, just do your thing. Here's this situation, go ahead and drive it home." And that's what he did.

I wanted to ask you about the EA Sports MVP+ subscription, which launched for the first time this year. There has been some strong pushback from the community about gating things like dynasty coaching archetypes and Mascot Mashup unlocks behind a paywall. I was curious if you could shed some light on those decisions and how you decide, as a lead designer, what is fair to monetize beyond the purchase of the game and what do you feel like crosses a line?

I look at the MVP+ membership and just how valuable it is and what it provides, and that's pretty much the most I've thought about any of that stuff. From my perspective, I encourage people to go get it, get on early access, and that's how I feel. I just look at what it provides and the value it provides.

I've seen some criticism within the community that on launch day, the game releases in a certain state and people love it and it's exactly what they wanted ... and then after the streamers get ahold of it and online players complain about it, the game changes and we never get that Day 1 version back. Can you offer folks any assurances about what's actually happening there and what people can expect in terms of how the game will look on Day 1 vs. Day 100?

Anything that goes into an update is for the betterment of the game. It's usually what a lot of our guys have asked for, but it's always in the balance of the game. Two years ago, the (Quinshon) Judkins spin went viral and some people were upset that we balanced that out. But that was the same when I worked in basketball, you'd hear certain things. And, no, there's definitely no truth there. I remember we would make changes to body-ups or transition defense and somebody would say that shooting changed, even though shooting never got touched.

So I don't put too much stock in that at all. I'm not gonna debate that stuff when they don't know the code. And you respect them - they're just passionate. I've been on both sides of the coin as a community guy and now on this side of it. I appreciate the love and support, and we're always going to try to make them happy and do (what they ask for). But it's always for the betterment of the balance and authenticity of the game. Nothing more and nothing less.

You talked about the early reception for this year's gameplay as the best in two decades. When people are looking back on this game in five years, what do you want them to remember it for? What's the ethos that you hope comes through?

This is the most authentic and accessible game that the studio has ever shipped - point blank on both sides, both Madden and College Football. The depth, the breadth, the accessibility, things like the pre-play controls, custom adjustments ... and then schematically, it's not even close. We're in a completely different league. I'll take this three-year run over any run that the studio has had.

You can follow Scott O'Gallagher on Twitter/X @ScottOGallagher for more information about College Football 27 and Madden NFL 27. You can also pre-order the EA Sports MVP Bundle to play both games three days early.

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