QB
CTop-3 of 72.0.
**Dynasty-start roster (CFB 26)**DC Rating 4.4 / 10
Central Michigan
Tactician Drinkall with a senior MIKE anchor and the rare Option offense at 1.5-prestige MAC bottom.
The Dynasty Verdict
If you want a Matt Drinkall program where a Tier-3 Michigan home meets a 66 overall floor, the rare Option offense, and an 8-of-10 senior cliff, Central Michigan is the MAC team built for a senior-LB-led Year 1 push and a deep multi-year repaint. Kwiatkowski anchors the second level at senior MIKE 85 with injury 92 and play recognition 91. Spann and Cochran pair at senior SS-and-WILL (80 each). Heldman holds the senior REDG at pursuit 87. Carroll patrols the boundary at junior CB 77 with toughness 92. Biggins and Cornist split the senior-and-sophomore HB carries. The home pipeline is one Tier-3 in Michigan plus two Tier-2 reaches (Big Apple, Central Florida).
What makes Central Michigan different from the other 1.5-prestige MAC programs is the Option offense paired with a senior LB-and-secondary cluster. Bowling Green asks you to ride a senior OL trio behind the Multiple Offense. Eastern Michigan asks you to ride A- coach stability and a senior LG anchor. Central Michigan asks you to ride Drinkall's Tactician archetype, the rare Option offense, Kwiatkowski's senior MIKE 85, and a Tier-3 Michigan home — under D+ coach prestige and D+ stability. Same conference, very different scheme and roster shape.
The 4.4 lands on Kwiatkowski's senior anchor and the rare Option scheme. Don't pick Central Michigan for a quick MAC contender push. Pick Central Michigan for the Option-and-senior-LB save where Kwiatkowski commands the middle Year 1 while Carroll's junior CB and Cornist's sophomore HB carry the multi-year skeleton. Drinkall's Tactician depth has to convert the Michigan Tier-3 home into Year 1 OL and HB recruits before the senior cliff hollows out the front seven and secondary entirely.
Head Coach
Matt Drinkall
TacticianThe launch hands Drinkall a 66-overall MAC roster with Kwiatkowski as the senior MIKE program identity and Carroll, Cornist, Davis, Ploucha, and Temple as the multi-year top-10 bridges. D+ coach prestige and D+ stability is the structural caution: the recruiting math doesn't compound, and the staff turnover that grade implies disrupts the pipeline before it bites. The Tactician archetype rewards game-management depth, but the dynasty math runs through whether the Year 1 recruiting class converts the Michigan Tier-3 home into multi-year talent. Without that, the program holds at the 1.5-prestige floor.
Team at a Glance
| Conference | MAC |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | Matt Drinkall · Tactician |
| Team Prestige | 1.5 stars |
| Team Overall (in-game) | 66 |
| Top Position Group | Linebacker · B · top-3 avg 80.0 |
| Weakest Position Group | Wide Receiver · C · top-3 avg 71.0 |
| Stadium Atmosphere | F |
| Brand Exposure | D |
| Coach Prestige | D+ |
| Coach Stability | D+ |
| Top-10 Senior Departures After Year 1 | 6 of 10 |
Top 10 Players
By overall rating at dynasty start
| # | Player | Pos | Yr | OVR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Jordan Kwiatkowski | MIKE | Sr | 85 | Injury 92 |
| 02 | Caleb Spann | SS | Sr | 80 | Toughness 91 |
| 03 | Dakota Cochran | WILL | Sr | 80 | Toughness 93 |
| 04 | Michael Heldman | REDG | Sr | 80 | Pursuit 87 |
| 05 | Kalen Carroll | CB | Jr | 77 | Toughness 92 |
| 06 | Nahree Biggins | HB | Sr | 77 | Stamina 93 |
| 07 | Trey Cornist | HB | So | 77 | Injury 91 |
| 08 | Tyson Davis | WR | Jr | 77 | Acceleration 93 |
| 09 | Brady Ploucha | RG | Jr | 76 | Toughness 89 |
| 10 | Decorion Temple | TE | Jr | 76 | Stamina 89 |
Position Group Grades
RB
C+Biggins at HB (77, senior, stamina 93) and Cornist at HB (77, sophomore, injury 91). Top-3 of 75.0.
WR
CDavis at WR (77, junior, acceleration 93). Top-3 of 71.0, the weakest unit on the roster.
TE
CTemple at TE (76, junior, stamina 89). Top-3 of 72.3.
OL
CPloucha at RG (76, junior, toughness 89). Top-3 of 73.0.
DL
C+Heldman at REDG (80, senior, pursuit 87). Top-3 of 75.3.
LB
BKwiatkowski at MIKE (85, senior, injury 92) and Cochran at WILL (80, senior, toughness 93). Top-3 of 80.0, the strongest unit on the roster.
DB
B-Spann at SS (80, senior, toughness 91) and Carroll at CB (77, junior, toughness 92). Top-3 of 77.3.
ST
CTop-3 of 72.0.
Recommended Playbooks
Offense
Option (Central Michigan Default)
Run Option because the senior-and-sophomore HB pair plus Davis's junior WR speed are the design's whole point. Biggins takes the senior workload at stamina 93 and toughness 91. Cornist rotates as the sophomore change-of-pace at injury 91 and toughness 90. Ploucha anchors the interior at junior RG with toughness 89. Davis stretches the field at junior WR with acceleration 93 and speed 91. Temple blocks and chains at junior TE with stamina 89.
Why this fits
A C+ RB grade with a senior-and-sophomore split plus three multi-year top-10 offensive players (Davis, Ploucha, Temple, Cornist) carry the Option scheme through the senior cliff.
Defense
Base 3-4 (Central Michigan Default)
Run the Base 3-4 because Kwiatkowski plus the senior front-seven cluster is the design's strength. Kwiatkowski commands the middle at senior MIKE with injury 92 and play recognition 91. Cochran pairs at senior WILL with toughness 93 and pursuit 90. Heldman sets the edge at senior REDG with pursuit 87 and power moves 86. Spann attacks downhill at senior SS with toughness 91. Carroll locks the boundary at junior CB with toughness 92 and acceleration 91.
Why this fits
A B LB grade and a B- DB grade let the Base 3-4's three-LB front feature Kwiatkowski as the play-caller while Carroll's junior eligibility carries the multi-year secondary bridge.
Recruiting Outlook
Pipeline regions
- MichiganTier 3
- Big AppleTier 2
- Central FloridaTier 2
- South FloridaTier 1
- OhioTier 1
- WisconsinTier 1
- PennsylvaniaTier 1
- IllinoisTier 1
- IndianaTier 1
- South GeorgiaTier 1
You'll recruit the Midwest narrowly. The in-state Michigan Tier-3 home anchors the plan, and Big Apple plus Central Florida widen the regional board with two Tier-2 reaches. That's a wider above-Tier-1 footprint than Bowling Green's, but narrower than Ball State's. Drinkall at D+ coach prestige can't compete head-to-head with bigger MAC programs for top Michigan recruits, but the in-state mid-tier prospects are reachable.
Position priorities for Year 1 are dictated by the 6-senior cliff plus the C+ DL grade. Linebacker is critical because Kwiatkowski and Cochran graduate as the program's spine. After LB, replacement REDG behind Heldman, replacement SS behind Spann, replacement HB behind Biggins, replacement OL behind a thin senior-junior line.
The Tier-1 cluster (South Florida, Ohio, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana, South Georgia) is for filling specific position gaps with single-player targets only. Don't burn time outside the Midwest unless you're chasing a specific recruit a Power-4 school hasn't already locked.
Your Year-by-Year Path with Central Michigan
Year 1
The Kwiatkowski Year
You're inheriting a 66-overall MAC roster with the senior LB-and-secondary cluster as the only above-grade unit. Don't experiment. Run Option, lean on the Biggins-Cornist HB pair while Davis stretches the field, let Kwiatkowski command the middle and Cochran-Spann-Heldman anchor the second level. Year 1 is bowl eligibility on the line and a 5-6 win baseline where Kwiatkowski carries the defense. While you're surviving, sign the Year 1 LB and OL classes that the Michigan Tier-3 board can deliver.
Goal
5-6 wins, MAC bottom-half finish, top-110 recruiting class.
Years 2-3
The Carroll-and-Cornist Window
Six senior anchors graduate, including Kwiatkowski. Carroll becomes the senior CB1. Cornist moves to senior HB1, Davis steps into the senior WR role, Ploucha and Temple anchor the offensive line and tight end. The Year 1 LB signings have to start by Year 2 because the room empties at MIKE and WILL. Drinkall's Tactician archetype gives him the game-management depth to keep the offense functional, but D+ stability still threatens the staff continuity development depends on.
Goal
5-6 wins, MAC middle, Cornist at 81+ as a senior, top-110 recruiting class.
Year 4+
The MAC Floor
By Year 4, Central Michigan's dynasty depends on whether Drinkall's Year 1-2 recruiting closed enough Michigan talent to backfill the senior cliff and whether his staff survived. A realistic Year 4+ ceiling is a 6-7 win MAC program with bowl eligibility on the line, with a 2-prestige climb contingent on a MAC West contender push.
Goal
6-7 win MAC program, 2-prestige climb if Michigan recruiting compounds.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Central Michigan good for dynasty mode in CFB 26?
Only for an Option-and-senior-LB save with a deep multi-year repaint, with caveats. Central Michigan enters CFB 26 with a 66-overall roster, D+ coach prestige and D+ coach stability under Drinkall's Tactician archetype, and a B LB room anchored by Jordan Kwiatkowski at senior MIKE 85 with injury 92. The 1.5-prestige floor and 6-senior cliff are the structural caps.
What's Central Michigan's prestige in CFB 26?
Central Michigan enters CFB 26 with a 1.5-star prestige rating, paired with D+ coach prestige and D+ coach stability. The Tier-3 Michigan home plus Big Apple and Central Florida at Tier-2 widen the regional board.
What playbook does Central Michigan use in CFB 26?
Matt Drinkall's Central Michigan runs the rare Option offense and the Base 3-4 defense. The Option fits the Biggins-Cornist HB pair plus Davis at junior WR. The Base 3-4 deploys Kwiatkowski at MIKE (85, senior, injury 92), Cochran at WILL (80, senior, toughness 93), Heldman at REDG (80, senior, pursuit 87), and Carroll at CB (77, junior, toughness 92).
Who is Central Michigan's best player in College Football 26?
Jordan Kwiatkowski at 85 OVR, senior middle linebacker, with injury 92, toughness 92, and play recognition 91. Kwiatkowski is the program's defensive identity and the centerpiece of the Base 3-4. Caleb Spann at SS (80, senior, toughness 91) and Dakota Cochran at WILL (80, senior, toughness 93) round out the top three.
Should I rebuild Central Michigan or take an easier team?
Central Michigan is an Option-and-senior-LB save with a deep multi-year repaint, not a quick contender flip. The Year 1 ceiling is 5-6 wins; the Year 2-3 floor depends on Carroll maturing into a senior CB1 and the Year 1 LB recruit replacing Kwiatkowski. Take Central Michigan if you want a 1.5-prestige MAC program with the rare Option scheme and a senior LB anchor. If you want a similar 1.5-prestige profile with stronger coach stability, look at Eastern Michigan.