Shohei Ohtani’s free agency is the talk of baseball, with the two-time AL MVP expected to set the North American sports record by signing for around $500 million.

Trade talks are always a focus of the winter meetings and San Diego Padres outfielder Juan Soto could be moved ahead of the 2024 season, his final year before becoming a free agent next winter.

Here’s a look back at the news from Monday at the winter meetings:

Mookie Betts making full-time move to second base in 2024

Former MVP Mookie Betts is returning to his roots.

HOT STOVE UPDATES: MLB free agency: Ranking and tracking the top players available.

No, he isn’t being traded back to Boston. The Los Angeles Dodgers’ seven-time All-Star is going back to the position he originally played when he made his major league debut.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts on Monday told MLB Network ‘it’s pretty safe to say that No. 50 Mookie Betts is going to be our everyday second baseman’ this coming season.

Roberts said it gives the team more flexibility to have Betts at second with veteran Jason Heyward patrolling Mookie’s former spot in right field (at least against right-handed pitchers).

Betts, 31, has won six Gold Gloves in the outfield, but has said he feels more comfortable at second base. Looks like he’ll get his wish this season.

Brewers adding two veterans to pitching staff

On a day in which they locked up their top prospect to a long-term deal, the Milwaukee Brewers have reached an agreement with free agent pitcher Joe Ross, formerly of the Washington Nationals. Ross, 30, hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2021 after undergoing a second Tommy John surgery.

Ross’ agreement was first reported by FanSided’s Robert Murray.

In addition, the Brewers re-signed free agent left-hander Wade Miley, who declined a $10 million option with the club earlier this offseason.

Miley, 37, made 23 starts for the Brewers in 2023, going 9-4 with a 3.14 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. Terms of his new deal were not revealed.

– Steve Gardner

Shohei Ohtani front remains eerily quiet, but could a decision be near?

MLB’s annual Winter Meetings are normally one of the biggest catalysts of personnel moves each offseason. However, Shohei Ohtani and his agent are nowhere to be found in Nashville, according to USA TODAY insider Bob Nightengale.

Nevertheless, there have been reports and rumors about which teams are in on Ohtani and what a timeline for his decision may be.

On Monday morning, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reported that the Braves are an under-the-radar team that’s still in on the two-time MVP.

In the same report, Morosi stated he believes Ohtani could make a decision very soon.

‘I was told in the last 24 hours it’s increasingly possible he will make his choice within the next week,’ the MLB Network insider stated.

However, the Los Angeles Dodgers still seem to be the front-runners for Ohtani’s services, as Nightengale told Jomboy Media’s Jack Oliver at the Winter Meetings.

– Jack McKessy

Brewers officially sign top prospect Jackson Chourio to long-term deal

A deal that had been in the works for a while became official Monday as the Milwaukee Brewers signed outfielder Jackson Chourio to an eight-year contract extension worth $82 million that includes a pair of team options and incentives that could take the total value to around $142.5 million.

Chourio, who doesn’t turn 20 until March, is the consensus No. 1 or No. 2 overall prospect in the minors. The long-term extension will open the door for him to begin the 2024 season on the major league roster, and potentially take over as the Brewers’ starting center fielder.

‘We are extremely excited to make this unprecedented commitment to a player we believe to be a generational talent who has all the tools to be the face of our franchise,’ Brewers GM Matt Arnold said in making the official announcement.

He’s not overselling the significance of the deal either. The contract is the largest in baseball history ever given to a minor leaguer with no previous MLB experience.

WHO IS JACKSON CHOURIO? Important things to know about the Brewers’ top prospect

Chourio was signed by the Brewers as an international free agent and made his professional debut in 2022. He hit .280 with 22 home runs, 89 RBI and 43 stolen bases last season for Class AA Biloxi (Miss.) before appearing in six games at Class AAA.

– Steve Gardner

Report: Japanese star Yamamoto ready for face-to-face talks

The most sought-after free agent pitcher this offseason, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, is expected to travel to the United States in the next week or so to meet with officials from several MLB teams, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post.

Yamamoto, 25, has dominated the Japan Pacific League, especially the past three seasons − winning three consecutive awards as the league’s top pitcher and two league MVP awards.

WHO IS YOSHINOBU YAMAMOTO? A closer look at the Japanese ace

Puma reports the Mets will be one of the teams to meet with Yamamoto. Also expected to be in the running: the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers.

The right-hander has until Jan. 4 to reach an agreement with an MLB team.

– Steve Gardner

Winter Meetings put spotlight on Nashville as potential MLB expansion team

Former World Series MVP Dave Stewart envisions a beautiful retractable-roof ballpark along the Cumberland River as the home of a new MLB franchise, the Nashville Stars.

Taking its name from a historic franchise in the Negro Leagues, Stewart would be the face of MLB’s first majority-Black owned team.

‘This project means everything to me,’ Stewart tells USA TODAY Sports. ‘We are going to have a franchise that’s truly diverse, and one the whole world can be proud of.’

Stewart, 66, the three-time World Series champion and four-time 20-game winner who’s in the Oakland Athletics Hall of Fame, has spent the past three years spearheading Nashville’s efforts to attract an expansion team. 

He’s expected to speak to high-ranking MLB officials this week during baseball’s annual winter meetings at the Gaylord Opryland Resort. 

– Bob Nightengale

OF Jung-Hoo Lee available to sign with MLB team

While almost all the attention is focused on star pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, he isn’t the only Japanese player who is likely to find a home in the majors this season.

Outfielder Jung-Hoo Lee was officially posted on Monday by the Kiwoom Heroes, his team in the Korean Baseball Organization. Lee, 25, has been playing in the KBO for the past seven seasons – accumulating a career slash line of .340/.407/.491 in nearly 4,000 plate appearances.

Lee missed time last season with injuries, but posted career highs in 2022 with 23 homers and 113 RBI, while hitting .349 and winning the KBO’s MVP award. He’s also a five-time Gold Glove center fielder.

– Steve Gardner

Report: Dodgers agree to terms with RP Joe Kelly

Veteran reliever Joe Kelly is returning to the Los Angeles Dodgers on a one-year deal, Rob Bradford of WEEI in Boston is reporting. The Dodgers had declined the right-hander’s $9.5 million option earlier this offseason.

Kelly, 35, won a World Series ring with the Dodgers in 2020 and was acquired last season in a deal with the Chicago White Sox. Although his overall 2023 numbers weren’t great, he did post a 1.74 ERA over 11 appearances with the Dodgers after the trade.

– Steve Gardner

Braves acquire OF Jarred Kelenic from Mariners

The Atlanta Braves got the winter meetings off to a fast start Sunday night, agreeing to a five-player trade with the Seattle Mariners that partially fills their vacancy in left field.

The Braves received outfielder Jarred Kelenic, veteran left-handed pitcher Marco Gonzales and first baseman Evan White from the Mariners in exchange for right-hander Jackson Kowar and 20-year-old pitching prospect Cole Phillips. The Braves also received an unspecified amount of cash.

Kelenic, 24, is a former top prospect with the New York Mets who was sent to Seattle exactly five years ago in the deal that brought back reliever Edwin Diaz and second baseman Robinson Cano.

However, he has failed to deliver on his prospect pedigree with the Mariners, hitting .204/.283/.373 over his three seasons in the majors. He did show some improvement in 2023, hitting above the major league average with a 109 OPS+.

The left-handed hitting Kelenic is expected to be part of a left field platoon in Atlanta along with youngster Vaughn Grissom, who is being converted from a middle infielder.

In addition to the 27-year-old Kowar, a former first-round pick of the Kansas City Royals in 2018, the Mariners get a measure of salary relief by shedding the contracts of Gonzales ($12.25M in 2024) and White ($15M over next two years).

– Steve Gardner

Ranking MLB’s top free agents

For the first time in free agent history, Major League Baseball awaits the dual impact of one player’s decision.

SP/DH Shohei Ohtani, AngelsSP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Orix Buffaloes, JapanSP Blake Snell, PadresOF/1B Cody Bellinger, CubsSP Aaron Nola, Phillies – SIGNED with PhilliesSP Sonny Gray, Twins – SIGNED with CardinalsRP Josh Hader, Padres3B Matt Chapman, Blue JaysSP Jordan Montgomery, CardinalsSP Eduardo Rodriguez, TigersSP Marcus Stroman, CubsOF/DH Jorge Soler, MarlinsOF Lourdes Gurriel Jr., DiamondbacksDH J.D. Martinez, DodgersOF Teoscar Hernandez, Mariners

– Gabe Lacques

MLB Winter Meetings start: Few free agents have already signed

NASHVILLE — While anticipation of the most celebrated free-agent signing in baseball history continues, with teams poised to make Ohtani the first $500 million player in North American team sports, there is a genuine fear that the winter meetings could come and go without any big deals.

It has been an eerily quiet winter so far. 

Aaron Nola, who re-signed with the Philadelphia Phillies for $172 million, and Sonny Gray, who signed a three-year, $75 million deal with the St. Louis Cardinals, are the only free agents to receive more than $50 million. 

“There’s just not a lot of good players,’ one GM told USA TODAY Sports. “Nobody is jumping out and grabbing mediocre players. And agents are just waiting it out to see if teams start to panic.’

Baseball GMs, executives and agents remind everyone that the World Series ended just five weeks ago, and there are still two full months of shopping days before spring training. 

– Bob Nightengale

Supply and demand: Every MLB team needs starting pitchers

Forget about upgrading your starting rotation. Most Major League Baseball clubs would do well simply to tread water this winter.

Although free agency has barely begun, dueling market forces – including a weak free agent class and an inordinate number of teams aiming for contention – will create significant challenges for clubs seeking increasingly elusive reliable starting pitching.

And an analysis of major league rosters indicates demand is outkicking supply by a roughly 2-to-1 margin.

Of course, necessity will be the mother of invention. Many teams will go without a fifth – heck, perhaps even a fourth – starter, opting for bullpen games or piggyback situations. But those practices are not necessarily sustainable over 162 games, especially for teams shooting for a berth in the expanded playoffs.

Perhaps we’ll look back and laud the St. Louis Cardinals, who doled out eight-figure guarantees to veteran innings-eaters Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn before the Thanksgiving table was set, and then added All-Star Sonny Gray on a three-year, $75 million deal.

– Gabe Lacques

College football conference championships are wrapped. The College Football Playoff field is set. The final US LBM Coaches Poll of the regular season is out. We know the complete bowl schedule. Now, the college football transfer portal opens, with eyes on some of the top players who might enter and where they may go.

USA TODAY Sports will track the moves of all college football’s top players as they make decisions on where they will play next season. (Need a refresher on how the transfer portal works? We got you covered here.) Follow along. 

When does the transfer portal open for football? 

In the Football Bowl Subdivision, a 30-day window to enter the transfer portal begins Dec. 4. There is also a spring window from April 15-30. It’s worth noting that these windows restrict when an athlete’s name can be entered into the portal, not when they actually transfer to a different school. 

When does the transfer portal close? 

The transfer portal window closes on Jan. 2, 2024.

Ohio State football players entering the transfer portal

DE Omari AborS Cam MartinezOL Victor CutlerRB Evan PryorCB Ryan TurnerK Parker LewisCB Jyaire BrownS Kye StokesQB Kyle McCordOL Jakob JamesLB Reid CarricoWR Julian Fleming

Walter Nolen transfer portal

Texas A&M defensive lineman Walter Nolen, who was the No. 2 overall recruit in 2022, announced his intent to enter the transfer portal with an Instagram post on Sunday night.

Nolen played 22 games for the Aggies, compiling 66 tackles, five sacks and 11 tackles for loss.

Nolen was a five-star recruit when he signed with Texas A&M. He has two years of eligibility remaining.

Julian Fleming transfer portal

Ohio State senior wide receiver Julian Fleming thanked Ohio State fans with a post on X and said he will enter his name into the transfer portal for his final season.

‘It was an amazing four years and I have built relationships that will last a lifetime with so many of my fellow players as well as coaches,’ Fleming wrote Monday.

Fleming caught 79 passes for 963 yards and seven touchdowns in four seasons with the Buckeyes. His 2022 season was his best, as he hauled in 34 receptions for 533 yards and six touchdowns.

Spencer Petras transfer portal

After recently entering the transfer portal, former Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras has found a new home. Petras is headed to Utah State with his final remaining year of eligibility.

The quarterback served in a coaching role this season as he rehabbed his shoulder following an injury late in the 2022 season that required surgery. Petras is headed back west after spending five years on Iowa’s roster.

Petras joins the Aggies just as they have an opening in their quarterback room due to some rather uncommon circumstances. Utah State quarterback Levi Williams is going to play in the Aggies’ bowl game but then forego his final year of eligibility. Rather than transferring or heading to the NFL, he is going to undertake Navy SEAL training. — Hawkeyes Wire

Tyler van Dyke transfer portal 

All Van Dyke could need is a change of scenery. He was a revelation as a redshirt freshman in 2021, tossing at least three touchdowns in each of his final six starts and 25 overall against six interceptions. While that made him a Heisman contender heading into 2022, his career quickly fizzled: Van Dyke has 17 picks across the past two years and has looked uncomfortable and hesitant since coach Mario Cristobal arrived. There will plenty of coaching staffs that look at Van Dyke and see an impactful reclamation project, and they may be right. — Paul Myerberg 

Taylen Green transfer portal

Boise State sophomore quarterback Taylen Green announced on X that he will be entering the transfer portal after two seasons with the Broncos.

‘I love Boise State University, and I have truly enjoyed my time here,’ Green wrote. ‘From the bottom of my heart, it has been an honor competing for this great University, and there is nothing I have taken more pride in than representing all of you when I took the field in the Blue and Orange every week.’

Green passed for 3,794 yards, 25 touchdowns and 15 interceptions the past two years. He added more than 1,000 rushing yards and 19 scores on the ground.

Blake Shapen transfer portal

Baylor junior quarterback Blake Shapen has entered the transfer portal following a season during which he threw for 2,188 yards and 13 touchdowns as the Bears’ leading passer.

Baylor’s quarterback room now consists of junior RJ Martinez, sophomore Sawyer Robertson and freshmen Brayson McHenry and Cade Tessier.

Samuel Okunlola transfer portal

Pittsburgh edge rusher Samuel Okunlola, who led the Panthers in sacks this season, has entered the transfer portal.

Okunlola just completed his freshman season and has three years of eligibility remaining.

South Carolina football players entering transfer portal

QB Tanner BaileyDB Kajuan BanksWR O’Mega BlakeQB Colten GauthierDL Felix HixonWR Kylic HortonPK Mitch JeterDL D’Andre MartinDL Xzavier McLeodOL JonDarius MorganDB Isaiah NorrisWR Landon SamsonWR Zavier ShortWR Antwane WellsDL Donovan Westmoreland

Juice Wells transfer portal

South Carolina senior Antwane ‘Juice’ Wells Jr. enters the transfer portal as an intriguing option at wide receiving, and one with two years of eligibility remaining.

Wells went to South Carolina after spending his first two seasons at James Madison. He had 68 receptions for 928 yards and six touchdowns in 2022. He played in just three games in 2023 due to a foot injury he suffered during the preseason.

How has the transfer portal changed college sports? 

It’s important to understand that the NCAA transfer portal is merely a tool used by coaches and players to find new schools. What really changed the landscape of college sports, and allowed a sort of free agency frenzy, was the NCAA’s rule change on immediate eligibility. 

It used to be that if athletes wanted to transfer, they had to sit out a year before suiting up for their new school. But in spring 2021, the NCAA voted to allow athletes to transfer once and become immediately eligible. (Athletes are allowed to transfer a second time without penalty if they’ve completed their undergraduate degrees and are enrolling in a graduate program.) Since that rule change, hundreds of athletes have entered the portal each offseason, though not all find what they’re looking for in their decision to switch schools. 

Will Howard transfer portal

After an ugly start to his career upon being thrust into the lineup as a freshman, Howard developed into one of the most prolific and accomplished passers in Kansas State history. But the writing is on the wall: Avery Johnson is ready to take over as the Wildcats’ starter, making this a good time for Howard to hit the open market. As a veteran starter with a proven track record and noticeable year-to-year improvement, Howard should draw interest from some of the biggest programs in the country. Though his biggest suitors should come from traditional members Big Ten, Howard will draw interest from Notre Dame and Big Ten newcomers Oregon, Washington, UCLA and Southern California. — Paul Myerberg

Can players choose to stay at their school if they enter the transfer portal? 

Absolutely, though it’s somewhat rare in high-level college football. According to NCAA data, only 5% of FBS athletes who entered the transfer portal in 2020 or 2021 later withdrew and are assumed to be back at their original school. 

Will Sheppard transfer portal

Vanderbilt senior wide receiver Will Sheppard announced on social media that he is entering the transfer portal.

Sheppard has pulled in 2,067 yards and 21 touchdowns over the past three seasons with the Commodores.

QB transfer portal 2024 

This week, Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said the price for a Power Five-caliber starting quarterback is ‘$1 million to $1.5 million to $2 million right now.’ That’s for a transfer portal class that is currently deep in experience but devoid of a transcendent passer. 

But programs in the Bowl Subdivision will pay the cost, and sometimes the investment will pay off. Bo Nix and Jayden Daniels were not seen as game-changing transfers when they joined Oregon and LSU, respectively, and the pair head into Saturday as the overwhelming favorites to win the Heisman Trophy. Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. is a third former transfer in the mix for postseason hardware. 

Coaches are looking at three different types of quarterbacks: one-year rentals looking to cash in a final year of eligibility, plug-and-play starters with more than one season on campus, and high-ceiling but inexperienced players who transfer as redshirt freshmen or sophomores. 

What does entering the transfer portal mean? 

Because the transfer portal is really just an online database, entering it just means that an athlete’s name is uploaded to the database. When an athlete decides they want to explore transferring to another school, they have to notify their current school’s compliance office. And the compliance office then has two business days to put that athlete’s name in the portal. 

Dillon Gabriel transfer portal

Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel announced Monday that he will be leaving Norman with a social media post that thanked Sooner Nation.

‘My time in the palace was a game time experience I will never forget,’ Gabriel wrote. ‘Sooner Nation, you held me accountable and I am better for it.’

Gabriel is a redshirt senior and could decide to enter the NFL draft, but he also has one more year of eligibility remaining. He played his first three seasons at UCF before transfer to Oklahoma in 2022. He threw for a career-best 3,660 yards with 30 touchdowns and six interceptions last year, and also posted a career-best 172.0 passer rating.

Freshman Jackson Arnold would likely become the front-runner to take over for Gabriel. Arnold was a five-star recruit who got playing time in a handful of games, throwing for 202 yards on 18 of 24 passing with two touchdown passes and another TD on the ground.

Who are the top transfer portal players? 

Here are the best quarterbacks available: Washington State’s Cam Ward, Oregon State’s DJ Uiagalelei, Kansas State’s Will Howard, UCLA’s Dante Moore, Duke’s Riley Leonard, Coastal Carolina’s Grayson McCall, Arizona State’s Drew Pyne, Miami’s Tyler Van Dyke, Texas Tech’s Tyler Shough, Ohio State’s Kyle McCord, New Hampshire’s Max Brosmer and Holy Cross’ Matthew Sluka. — Paul Myerberg 

How does the transfer portal work? 

The transfer portal is not a shortcut for the rest of the recruiting process. Coaches still have to recruit. Athletes still have to ensure they’re eligible to compete at a new school. The portal is simply a way to help the two sides connect more easily, and earlier. 

Kyle McCord transfer portal

Ohio State junior quarterback Kyle McCord, who started all 12 of the Buckeyes games in 2023, has put his name in the portal, according to the Columbus Dispatch, which is part of the USA TODAY Network.

In his debut season as a starter, McCord threw for 3,170 yards with 24 touchdowns and six interceptions and received third-team All-Big Ten recognition last week. But his status as the starter moving forward was unclear.

Ohio State coach Ryan Day was noncommittal about McCord remaining the starting quarterback as a senior next season or even for the Cotton Bowl at the end of this month as he met with reporters at a news conference Sunday.

‘We’ll just kind of see how practice goes,’ Day said.

Day mentioned all of the passers would have opportunities to compete for reps ahead of the matchup against Missouri on Dec. 29. Ohio State has three other scholarship quarterbacks on the roster with sophomore Devin Brown, as well as graduate student Tristan Gebbia and Lincoln Kienholz. — Columbus Dispatch

What is a transfer portal in college football? 

A 2019 article on the NCAA’s website describes the transfer portal as a ‘compliance tool to systematically manage the transfer process from start to finish.’ Put more simply: It’s a database. The NCAA made this database in an attempt to simplify the first step in the transfer process. In the pre-portal days, athletes would have to ask their coach for permission to contact other schools, then find ways to get the word out that they were available. Coaches, meanwhile, would have to use their connections and word-of-mouth referrals to identify transferring athletes. Now, it’s all just there in one spot.

In a completely unsurprising twist, the Alabama football program has become a lightning rod for criticism after the College Football Playoff selection committee put the Crimson Tide into the playoff at No. 4 to play Michigan in the Rose Bowl.

The ACC’s undefeated champion, Florida State, was left on the outside looking in at No. 5. The committee cited the injury to quarterback Jordan Travis as the reason for the Seminoles’ snub, which paved the way for Alabama to get in after defeating Georgia for the SEC championship game.

Nick Saban, as the head of the program, has been on the receiving end of a significant amount of the ire. And to make matters worse, his number was leaked to the public.

“I’ve had probably over 250 anonymous callers today, calling me every name in the book, talking about how we shouldn’t be in the playoff,” Saban told his players at the Crimson Tide’s award’s banquet Sunday, per Rivals’ Alabama site. “So we still have naysayers out there. We still have players who don’t believe in us.”

This is, of course, the kind of blatant disrespect on which Saban and his programs thrive. And although Kirby Smart and Georgia have copied the playbook with some infamous downplaying in the past few seasons, this time the doubters are actually real.

“Most of these people are from Florida,” Saban added. “I don’t know how in the hell they got my number, but it is out there.”

Being doxed is never a good thing. But it can be motivating. Saban and Alabama will be looking to make their case in Pasadena, California on New Year’s Day.

The Florida State Seminoles women’s soccer team is national champions for the fourth time in program history —and for the first time under second-year head coach Brian Pensky — following a 5-1 victory over Stanford on Monday night.

FSU finishes a perfect season at 22-0-1, handing Stanford its first loss of the season. The five goals are the most in a women’s championship game since 2003 and the most Stanford has allowed since the 2000 season.

Jody Brown scored two goals for the Seminoles, while Beata Olsson had a goal and two assists. Onyi Echegeni and Jordynn Dudley each added a goal and an assist.

Florida State became the first undefeated champion in over a decade, joining the 2011 Stanford squad that went 23-0. The Seminoles and Cardinal (20-1-4) made history as the first NCAA Division I women’s national championship game pitting two undefeated teams.

Stanford had a 36-match streak of allowing one or fewer goals snapped in its quest for a fourth championship. The Cardinal had allowed just 10 goals all season — with no multiple-score games.

Jordynn Dudley, Lauren Flynn win Most Outstanding College Cup honors

Freshman forward Jordynn Dudley earned the Most Outstanding Offensive Player, while junior defender Lauren Flynn earned the honor for the Most Outstanding Defensive Player.

FSU is second all-time in national championships with four. The Seminoles entered Monday night’s championship game tied with Stanford with three. UNC has won 22.

FSU football head coach Mike Norvell congratulates soccer team

Florida State football head coach Mike Norvell congratulated the soccer team following the national championship.

Colorado football coach Deion Sanders is in the market for “older quarterbacks” in the transfer portal this month after a recent series of developments at that position for the Buffaloes, including a back injury suffered by his starting quarterback son Shedeur.

Sanders said in an interview with USA TODAY Sports Monday that Shedeur was on pace to heal from a fracture in his back by the spring and will return to Boulder for his final season of college eligibility as a senior in 2024, along with his brother Shilo, a safety for Colorado. Their father still wants insurance for the most important position in football and downplayed the recent decision by two high school quarterback recruits to change their minds about joining Colorado in 2024 and 2025.

Sanders discussed these topics and more during an interview about Season 2 of his documentary series “Coach Prime” on Amazon Prime Video, which debuts Thursday.

“Right now, we’re looking for older quarterbacks, because we plan on winning,” Deion Sanders said. “So if something were to happen to Shedeur, they could step right in and make it happen. That’s what we’re looking for. We’ve already mapped out what we need in each position way before the season concluded. So we already knew and know what we’re looking for. So we’re right on pace to go find what we’re looking for, and we know where it is.”

What does Deion Sanders have in mind?

“Portal QBs, plural,” Sanders said.

It works to his advantage that Season 2 of “Coach Prime” on Amazon starts Thursday, the same week the portal opens, helping serve as a high-profile recruiting advertisement for the Colorado football program with its behind-the-scenes look at Sanders’ first season at Boulder in 2023. Sanders and his agents have editorial control over the project. That’s the goal of it.

“It’s going to instill hope in a multitude of people,” Sanders said via Zoom. “I love everything about it. It helps us recruit. It helps us establish who these young men are.”

Will Shedeur Sanders definitely return to Colorado in 2024?

Despite setting a school record for most passing yards in a season, Shedeur Sanders was the most-sacked quarterback in major college football in 2023 with 52 sacks. He missed the last game and a half after suffering an arm injury, an ankle injury and a fracture in his back.

He only has one season of college eligibility remaining and could enter the NFL draft next year if he wanted to, especially to cash in on his football value instead of risking further injury in college. So could his brother Shilo.  But both have been expected to return to Colorado in 2024 after the team finished 4-8 in 2023. Sanders reaffirmed that notion when asked if they are definitely returning to Boulder.

“I would think so,” he said with a laugh. “They’re my sons. I would pray so.”

But it’s ultimately up to them, right?

“It’s up to us,” Sanders said. “We do things as a family, and my sons respect the heck out of me and my decision-making and getting them to where they desire to go. … It’s always been our dream that they’re going into the draft together, and we didn’t know how that would manifest itself with (the COVID-19 pandemic) and everything. It just so happened properly that they’re going in the same draft at the conclusion of next season.”

What is Shedeur Sanders’ health status?

A back injury can be a serious thing. Will he be able to throw again at spring practice?

“He’s OK,” his father said. “Shedeur is on some island right now having a good time enjoying the fruits of his labor. So he’s gonna be OK. Shedeur’s a trouper. He’s a fighter. He’s strong-willed. He does what he needs to do to heal to get the process started. He just needs rest. He took a lot of shots. He took more shots than probably any other quarterback in the country, and that’s our fault, because we’ve got to shore up that offensive line. That’s what we’re doing in the portal today − trying to shore up that offensive line to make sure we have protection for him, because he can flat-out play this game.”

What about quarterbacks after Shedeur Sanders?

Colorado recently lost two starting offensive linemen who said they plan to enter the portal and leave the team. The Buffs also recently had two high school quarterback recruits renege on their commitments to join the team in 2024 and 2025. Sanders didn’t talk about those recruits by name but noted one of them was a recruit closely tied to former Colorado offensive coordinator Sean Lewis, who recently left to become head coach at San Diego State. The other quarterback, Antwann Hill, was set to join the team in 2025.

“That’s a long way away to stay in love,” Sanders said of 2025.

Sanders then noted that freshman quarterback Ryan Staub performed well in Shedeur’s absence in Colorado’s last game, a 23-17 loss at Utah.  

“You’ve got to understand our backup quarterback did a great job in the last game,” Sanders said. “Now that discouraged some people as well. He played a great game against Utah, so that was discouraging to some recruits as well.”

Will Pat Shurmur be the offensive coordinator in 2024?

“Yeah, most likely,” Sanders said.

Shurmur, a former NFL head coach, took over play-calling duties for the final four games of the season after Lewis called plays for the first eight. The team’s offensive production went down under Shurmur, but that also could be attributed to the demise of Shedeur’s health and a beaten-down offensive line.

What did Deion Sanders say about Sean Lewis leaving?

Sanders was seen expressing displeasure at Lewis after a sack of Shedeur in a loss to UCLA. Lewis’ subsequent demotion from play-calling duties increased speculation of friction between Lewis and Sanders. But Sanders boasted of Lewis’ elevation to head coach at San Diego State as a badge of honor for his program.

“I get my wisdom from (Alabama) coach (Nick) Saban,” Sanders said. “Man, there’s not a year goes by that Coach Saban don’t lose how many coaches? Because they elevate. That’s part of the game, and I want them to elevate. … Coach Lewis came with the intention of having a great year and leaving. That’s what it was … That what the plan was, and the plan was executed. Nothing has transpired that has caught us off guard. Not one thing.”

Will there be a Season 3 of ‘Coach Prime’ on Amazon?

“I would welcome it, because this stuff is good,” Sanders said.

Season 2 debuts Thursday and picks up after Season 1, which focused on Sanders’ final season as coach at Jackson State, right up to when he was announced as Colorado’s head coach on Dec. 4, 2022, one year ago Monday.

Sanders noted a storyline in the new season which delves into the relationship between Colorado receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. and his incarcerated father.

“The promise I made to his father was I was going to look out for him and take care of him,” Sanders said of Horn Jr. “And some of the things we talk about throughout the game, like, ‘Hey man, Pop is watching you. Let’s go!’ And then he goes out and makes (a big play). It’s phenomenal. I mean, this stuff is made for television, and you get a chance to see behind the curtains.”

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschroten@usatoday.com

An NFL official that suffered a gruesome injury during the New Orleans Saints and Detroit Lions game on Sunday will have surgery on his broken leg.

In the second quarter of the game at Caesars Superdome, Saints running back Alvin Kamara was attempting to get a first down on a third down play when he was pushed out of bounds. Kamara’s momentum took him into sideline official Nick Piazza. Kamara collided with Piazza, who then fell to the ground. Fox cameras showed Piazza grabbing his leg and yelling in pain before cutting away.

Play was stopped as medical teams worked with Piazza, who was then stretchered away from the field while wearing a leg cast.

NFL official medical update

Piazza was taken to a nearby hospital and was initially said to have a dislocated knee, according to a Saints spokesperson. On Monday, the Saints revealed Piazza not only suffered a dislocated knee, but he also suffered a fractured fibula in the collision.

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

The good news is Piazza’s blood vessels remain intact and likely will have surgery next week, according to a team spokesperson, adding the official appreciates the well wishes he’s received from fans.

Piazza was working as a member of the chain crew for Sunday’s game, which the Lions won 33-28.