If you want to build a powerhouse program in College Football 26’s Dynasty Mode, it all starts with recruiting. Winning games is great, but dominating the recruiting trail is what turns a middle-tier school into a national contender. Here’s a complete guide to mastering the new recruiting system and turning your team into a perennial title threat. Of course, having plenty of CUT 26 Coins will also be a great help.

Choosing Your Coach Setup

When starting a dynasty, you’ll choose between head coach, offensive coordinator (OC), or defensive coordinator (DC). Regardless of your choice, you’ll handle all recruiting responsibilities, so go with what feels right. Playing as the head coach gives you full control, while using the school’s existing coach makes things easier due to their higher level. If you’re looking for a challenge, create your own coach — it’s harder, but you’ll shape every ability yourself.

Next comes your coach’s backstory: Motivator, Recruiter, or Tactician. Early on, the Recruiter archetype offers the biggest advantage — it helps attract top prospects faster. Once you hit level 10, pick up Tactician as your second ability to strengthen your on-field and scouting strategies.

Don’t forget to set your alma mater and pipeline states carefully. Choose areas that match your current school’s region or your long-term career goals. For example, if you’re coaching Missouri (Mizzou), pairing Missouri and Central Florida as pipelines strengthens your recruiting base in those areas.

Understanding Abilities and Staff Synergy

Before spending ability points, check what your coordinators bring to the table. If your OC already has strong recruiter perks — like faster quarterback scouting or better visit bonuses for receivers — you don’t need to duplicate them. Instead, invest in complementary traits.

On defense, look for coordinators with Architect or Motivator traits. Architect is especially powerful because it can boost players’ skill caps when they win titles or level up — effectively giving you higher overall ratings than normal progression allows.

A great early-game combo is Program Builder and Strong Roots from the Recruiter tree. They enhance your pipelines, increasing both the number and quality of recruits interested in your school. Later in your career, CEO perks become game-changing — allowing multiple persuades in the transfer portal or increased chances for player development trait upgrades.

Building and Managing Your Recruiting Board

Your recruiting board is your control center. Follow the 75/25 rule: fill about 75% of it with players who meet your team’s needs, and use the other 25% for high-upside prospects or replacements for future departures.

Use the Team Needs tab first to understand your positional gaps, then sort by Interest to target players already leaning your way. If you’re a smaller school (1–2 stars), don’t waste time chasing five-star players early. Focus on realistic targets until your school prestige — which ranges from half a star to five — improves.

Limit your board to 15–20 prospects. Scout broadly at first, then narrow your focus to the players most likely to commit. Early on, you’ll have more weekly recruiting hours (around 750 for a mid-tier program), but this drops over time, so efficiency is key.

Scouting and Offering Scholarships

Scouting reveals key attributes and hidden “gem” traits. Players with both physical and mental abilities — such as “Clear-Headed” or “Winning Time” — are incredibly valuable long term. Don’t rush to offer scholarships until you’ve revealed these traits.

Be careful not to overload one position on your board. If you target too many QBs or RBs, recruits with “Playing Time” dealbreakers will back off completely. Keep your position groups balanced.

Weekly Recruiting Strategy

Each week, check your Weekly Advance Summary to see progress and player interest changes. Recruits move through stages — Open, Top 8, Top 5, Top 3 — before committing. When two schools are neck and neck, a new Recruit Battle system kicks in, resetting progress and forcing you to fight it out over several weeks.

Monitor the My School tab to identify why players may want to transfer or lose interest — it could be due to brand exposure, playing time, or NFL draft potential. Address these weaknesses by improving team performance or focusing on players who align better with your strengths.

Maximizing Visits and Hard Sells

Visits are crucial. Don’t schedule them too early, or CPU coaches may gain a bonus from visiting after you. Ideally, line up multiple complementary visits in a week you expect to win a big home game — rivalry or ranked matchups boost visit impact.

Recruit proximity also affects visit costs — local recruits cost fewer points (10–15), while cross-country trips can cost up to 40. Always aim for A or A+ visit grades, especially for recruits in your pipeline region.

Once a recruit reaches their Top 5, you can Hard Sell their top interests for big gains. Make sure at least three of their preferred categories (like Championship Contender or Program Tradition) are rated A or B for your school. If not, use Sway to shift their preferences over several weeks. It’s slow, but a successful sway can flip a battle in your favor.

Winning Recruiting Battles

When competing with big programs, don’t panic if they surge — powerhouse schools often overcommit early. Stay patient, keep your points consistent, and leverage pipeline tier bonuses to gain ground. Winning visits and maintaining “Hard Sell” bonuses are what close deals.

After each signing, move committed players to the top of your board to stay organized and track which positions are filled. Seeing those commits pile up is one of the most rewarding parts of Dynasty Mode.

The Transfer Portal Era

Finally, don’t overlook the Transfer Portal. Over 2,000 players can enter each year, and many will fill your most urgent gaps. The same recruiting logic applies: identify team needs, focus on realistic targets, and leverage your upgraded coaching abilities that make transfer players more interested in your program.

Master these systems — from ability synergy to visit timing — and you’ll consistently pull in elite classes. Recruiting in College Football 26 isn’t just about chasing stars; it’s about building relationships, planning ahead, and maximizing every hour of your season. Having plenty of CFB 26 Coins will help you a lot. Nail that, and you’ll turn any team — even a middle-tier one like Missouri — into a dynasty.