"That's such bulls**t" "we are rioting": Fans go wild at LB Noah Knigga's reported exclusion from EA Sports College Football 26

The EA Sports College Football 26 was released on Thursday, but not everything is going as fans had hoped. While the game has hundreds of players from across the country, one surprising omission has fans speaking out: Eastern Michigan freshman linebacker Noah Knigga.

On Monday, Dov Kleiman reported that Knigga, a fan favorite despite being a true freshman, will not be included in the game’s rosters.

Fans voiced their frustration regarding the same on X.

“We are rioting,” a fan wrote. “Great job EA. Completely ruined my plans for the transfer portal,” another fan said. “That’s such bullsh*t,” one commented.

Similar comments continued.

“Well that's just messed up. Lol,” a fan wrote. “We are not buying,” another fan said.

While the frustration grew, one fan offered a possible explanation.

“Most true freshmen don’t make it onto the game unless u enroll early.”

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Noah Knigga arrived for his first football practice at Eastern Michigan in June

Noah Knigga took up his first football practice at Eastern Michigan in June as a member of the Eagles. The three-star recruit out of Lawrenceburg High School (Indiana) committed to EMU in December and signed his letter of intent to join the program’s 2025 class earlier this summer.

Knigga has an accomplished high school career behind him. Rated as the No. 1,958 overall prospect in the 2025 class by 247Sports, he also ranks as the No. 184 linebacker in the nation and the No. 44 player in Indiana.

Despite the modest national ranking, Knigga’s production on the field speaks for itself. He finished his high school career with 318 total tackles, including a school record 67 tackles for loss. As a senior in 2024, he totaled 111 tackles, 25 TFLs, seven sacks and two interceptions.

Noah Knigga was a four-year varsity student at Lawrenceburg, receiving All-EIAC honors all four seasons. During his time there, he helped take the Tigers to two conference titles, two sectional championships and a trip to the state finals in 2022. He had a spot on the Class 3A Junior All-State team in 2023.

Known for his hard hits and strong play in coverage, Knigga is expected to be a key part of Eastern Michigan’s defense in the future.

Edited by Ribin Peter