Team USA is dealing with a slew of injuries before playing Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off final on Thursday at TD Garden in Boston.

The Americans lost to Sweden 2-1 on Monday and played with a depleted lineup as forwards Matthew Tkachuk and Auston Matthews sat out and forward Brady Tkachuk was injured in the first period, returned from the dressing room for one shift and didn’t return for the second period.

Team USA coach Mike Sullivan told reporters Tuesday he expects those three to be available for Thursday’s game.

Defenseman Charlie McAvoy is also on the shelf. The Boston Bruins on Tuesday announced that McAvoy was admitted to Massachusetts General Hospital to undergo testing related to an ‘upper-body injury’ and will not play in the championship game on Thursday.

Charlie McAvoy injury

McAvoy, a 27-year-old defenseman, was admitted to Massachusetts General Hospital on Monday night to undergo testing related to an upper-body injury sustained during the 4 Nations Face-Off and was being evaluated on Tuesday, the Bruins announced.

The team, which also announced that McAvoy will not play in Thursday’s championship game, said it will provide further updates on McAvoy’s condition and status as they become available.

Sullivan said Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes is coming to Boston ahead of the final.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told USA TODAY by email that ​Hughes can play ‘only in the event Team USA has an injury emergency prior to (the) game on Thursday that leaves them at below six healthy defensemen.’

Hughes, last year’s Norris Trophy winner, was named to the original team but was ruled out because of a pretournament injury. He has 59 points, matching the total of the USA’s top-scoring defenseman, Zach Werenski.

In 2022, McAvoy underwent a left shoulder arthroscopic stabilization procedure, which put him out for six months. He has also had numerous upper body injuries during his eight-year NHL career.

McAvoy is married to Sullivan’s daughter, Kiley, and the two welcomed a son last month. Sullivan is the Penguins head coach.

“We’re hopeful we’re going to get some of these guys back. I would anticipate we would. We’ll have to wait and see how things play out here over the next day or so,’ Sullivan said Monday night. ‘Obviously, there will be contingency planning in the event that we need people.’

McAvoy has seven goals and 16 assists this season for Boston.

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Harlow, 30, and her NBA star beau Kyle Kuzma, 29, revealed in an exclusive interview with Vogue, published Tuesday, that they got engaged during a romantic trip to Turks and Caicos. Disguised as a getaway for the long weekend, Kuzma chartered a private plane filled with roses, balloons, Champagne and chocolate to jet them off to the Caribbean islands.

‘We’re over the moon,’ Harlow told Vogue.

There, the 6-foot-9 Milwaukee Bucks newcomer ‘threw me off the scent’ by choosing Feb. 13 for his proposal. Harlow gushed to Vogue. ‘I was just like, ‘This is so cute for Valentine’s Day, oh my gosh!”

The Cay Skin founder started to have her suspicions when Kuzma started reading her a poem he’d written but tried to not have any expectations. That is, until he read his final line: ‘Will you be my wife?’

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Vogue noted Harlow gave an immediate yes before her newly minted fiance could propose with the 8.5-carat oval-cut engagement ring he’d spent three months custom designing.

Of the design, which features two baguette stones on the side, Kuzma said: ‘I never really asked her what type of ring she liked or anything. I just wanted to draw a picture of what I felt resembled her — something that was elegant, but very timeless and simplistic at the same time.’

To top it all off, both their families were there to celebrate the couple’s milestone.

A DJ played Jagged Edge’s ‘Let’s Get Married’ as the happy couple arrived at their villa, and everyone enjoyed a surf and turf dinner on the beach. A fireworks show was the cherry on top for Kuzma and Harlow’s engagement story.

Just a week earlier, Harlow had a prime role in opening Christian Siriano’s fall/winter 2025 runway show at New York Fashion Week. She took the lead as the first model to kick off the show, donning a black minidress with red draping in the skirt and off the shoulder, USA TODAY’s Anika Reed reported from the star-studded event. The star-studded front row featured the likes of Katie Holmes, Whoopi Goldberg, Laverne Cox, Danielle Brooks and Julianne Hough.

She also closed out the show with Siriano muse Coco Rocha, with the two holding hands for the grand finale.

Kyle Kuzma ‘slid in the DMs’ twice to get Winnie Harlow’s attention

Kuzma and Harlow first connected ‘at the top of quarantine’ in 2020, when the NBA forward messaged Harlow on Instagram. It was actually his second time reaching out to the model, because Harlow never saw his first message from a year prior.

‘He shot his shot, you know? He slid in the DMs,’ Harlow explained on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2021. ‘That was cute. I was like, ‘Oh hey, how has quarantine been? We kind of just started talking from there.’

‘After a month of being on FaceTime for 24 hours every single day for a month, he was like, ‘You’ve got to come to LA.’ And I’ve been in LA every since,’ she added.

The two-week window for NFL teams to apply the franchise tag to pending unrestricted free agents (UFAs) opened Tuesday.

Among stars with expiring contracts, the tag is often an unpopular mechanism as it hinders (or completely eliminates) the ability to negotiate with other clubs during free agency. And while the one-year tag pays well – generally speaking, its value is based on the average of the top five salaries at a player’s respective position – it doesn’t offer the security of a long-term contract and prevents players from approaching the top of their financial market … though for some, typically players not drafted in the first round, the tag is a welcome windfall after they’ve outperformed a rookie contract.

Yet tags can also be a precursor to a trade or simply a placeholder that allow a player and his camp more time to hammer out a long-term arrangement (see Lamar Jackson, circa 2023). However when those outcomes don’t materialize, they can lead to missed training camps, occasional early season absences or – like in the infamous case of former Steelers star Le’Veon Bell – skipping a whole campaign and an entirely altered career arc. Consequently, buyers tend to be leery – especially considering, as the Jackson case ostensibly proved, other teams are apparently completely unwilling to part with two first-round picks, the cost to lure away a franchised player.

As all 32 teams mull their tag options preceding the 4 p.m. ET deadline on March 4, here’s a bit of advice for each (notes: salary cap projections courtesy of Over The Cap; teams listed alphabetically):

Arizona Cardinals

Plenty of free agent money (nearly $70 million) in the bank for a team that seems very close to a postseason breakthrough … but no reason to use any in the tag space.

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Atlanta Falcons

Be nice to keep C Drew Dalman, 26, but he doesn’t warrant the offensive line tag – effectively a left tackle tag – especially for a team that has to do nearly $12 million worth of belt tightening.

Baltimore Ravens

The big question is what they’ll do with Pro Bowl LT Ronnie Stanley. He’s fantastic when on the field and a key component of what was the NFL’s top-ranked offense in 2024. But he’ll be 31 next month, just played a full season for the first time and could cost nearly $25 million if tagged – and Baltimore would have to clear cap space to franchise him. Seems like the best play is to let Stanley assess his market while leaving the door open for him to re-sign.

Buffalo Bills

Not only are the perennial AFC East champions nearly $17 million over the cap, none of their significant free agents – WR Amari Cooper, CB Rasul Douglas, S Damar Hamlin – are at an age or performance level worthy of a tag. This could be a second straight offseason where Buffalo struggles to make noticeable additions or retentions.

Carolina Panthers

It appears like they might be on the way up after bottoming out. But no need for GM Dan Morgan to get too far over his skis with a fairly tight cap (about $17 million to spend) and no marquee free agent on his roster, which wasn’t the case last year when OLB Brian Burns was tagged.

Chicago Bears

GM Ryan Poles can best use his $60+ million on outside UFAs – maybe the O-line specifically with two starting spots about to be vacated – rather than consider a tag for anyone positioned to depart.

Cincinnati Bengals

The fate of WR Tee Higgins, who was franchised last year, might be the most compelling question of any free agent – he’s ranked No. 1 by USA TODAY Sports – this offseason. A second tag would grant a 20% bump to nearly $26.2 million for Higgins, the only franchised player in 2024 who didn’t ultimately sign an extension. With more than $46 million in cap space, the Bengals can afford to do it. The question is whether they should given their significant defensive needs – and at a time when WR1 Ja’Marr Chase and DE Trey Hendrickson, among the top players at their respective positions league-wide, are both seeking top-of-market compensation. QB Joe Burrow hasn’t been shy about his desire to keep all of the above. However the roster might be best served with a tag-and-trade approach to Higgins, which would better enable Cincinnati to pay Chase and Hendrickson and perhaps pick up draft picks to flesh out the depth chart’s weak points.

Cleveland Browns

They’re overspent by more than $31 million, most in the NFL after New Orleans. Zero reason to make one of this organization’s many pressing challenges worse.

Dallas Cowboys

Kickers aside, no position can be tagged more cheaply than a running back. Therefore, case to be made here to franchise Rico Dowdle, who’s only 26, coming off a breakout season (1,328 yards from scrimmage) and relatively low professional usage prior to 2024. But considering Dallas has no wiggle room at present and will need to create some to extend LB Micah Parsons, that case for Dowdle falls apart pretty quickly.

Denver Broncos

After paying former QB Russell Wilson handsomely not to play for them in 2024, the Broncos are now out of cap purgatory with nearly $35 million available. But they have no reason to devote a sizable chunk of that to any of their UFAs.

Detroit Lions

They couldn’t convert the NFC’s No. 1 playoff seed into their first-ever Super Bowl berth, so they probably should spend a good portion of their $45 million free agency budget for depth – not a tag for CB Carlton Davis III or anyone else – after being ravaged by injuries late in the 2024 season.

Green Bay Packers

Similar situation to the NFC North rival Lions in that the Pack can be competitive in free agency – and have been much more so recently – but need not reserve any of their bankroll for a tag … especially given the opportunity to perhaps reel in a veteran wideout.

Houston Texans

Their only noteworthy free agent is WR Stefon Diggs … who is 31 and coming off reconstructive knee surgery. Moving on.

Indianapolis Colts

C Ryan Kelly has been a faithful, accomplished player here for nine seasons. He’ll also be 32 at the start of next season. Might make sense to retain Kelly but at a more prudent price point.

Jacksonville Jaguars

G Brandon Scherff, 33, has been a standout for most of his decade in the NFL. But, like the case with Kelly, tags are generally reserved for players with their best years ahead of them.

Kansas City Chiefs

They have several key players on expiring deals: LB Nick Bolton, G Trey Smith and S Justin Reid. What they don’t have is cap room … or, as their failed three-peat highlighted, a serviceable left tackle or sufficient pass rush depth.

Las Vegas Raiders

Their new regime has more than $92 million in available cap space … but no UFAs worthy of a tag. Hard to believe the Silver and Black won’t be more aggressive in pursuing a quarterback in the coming weeks, but stands to reason new coach Pete Carroll will otherwise be more focused on resetting the culture than trying to immediately spend this team out of its AFC West talent deficit.

Los Angeles Chargers

OLB Khalil Mack, who turns 34 on Saturday, remains a very effective player … if not one you tag to the tune of $25+ million. RB J.K. Dobbins just turned 26 and comes off his first NFL season with more than 1,000 yards from scrimmage … but his injury history makes him a dicey proposition – especially with his positional tag likely to jump past $13 million. The Bolts would be better served targeting players like Higgins and Smith while trying to re-up Mack at a more reasonable rate.

Los Angeles Rams

Could be some significant moving parts here, the futures of Super Bowl 56 heroes Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp currently in flux, Kupp revealing that the Rams are looking to deal him. Either way, with more than $37 million available, the Rams are in position to tag Alaric Jackson, a 26-year-old who’s held down the left tackle spot for the past two seasons. And if they stick with Stafford, paying the premium for Jackson makes further sense.

Miami Dolphins

They’ve already begun cutting costs, parting with players like CB Kendall Fuller and RB Raheem Mostert. That will need to continue for this bloated roster if the Fins  want to tag talented S Jevon Holland – though easy to argue they’re better off letting him go in order to focus on a pair of lines with significant issues.

Minnesota Vikings

With $55 million in the player acquisition coffers, they could tag QB Sam Darnold – even at roughly $40 million – and that might be the optimal strategy given this year’s light supply of quarterbacks, whether in free agency or the draft, even if it precedes a trade that brings back more draft capital to help 2024 first-round QB J.J. McCarthy. But there’s also a case to just keep Darnold to see if he can replicate or improve upon his Pro Bowl breakout. Barring that, franchising CB Bryon Murphy Jr., 27, at half the cost of Darnold, is equally sensible, especially as a bridge to a long-term deal.

New England Patriots

A ton of needs and ton of cap room here – nearly $120 million at present, most in the NFL – but no need to resource any of those funds on any players about to shake loose here.

New Orleans Saints

As is the case most years, no cap credit card is more maxed out – the Saints $54 million overbudget in 2025, highest in the league. Though the cap gymnastics here will begin soon enough, no reason to make them more difficult by adding a tag to the mix.

New York Giants

Lot of issues here but worrying about where to allot a tag isn’t one of them.

New York Jets

Among their slew of free agents, 28-year-old CB D.J. Reed is the most appealing. But for a team in the midst of its latest reboot and with limited cap space (shy of $17 million) – not to mention with stars like WR Garrett Wilson and CB Sauce Gardner newly eligible for extensions – a tag doesn’t make sense.

Philadelphia Eagles

The recently crowned champs will likely be raided in free agency with LB Zack Baun, G/T Mekhi Becton, OLB/DE Josh Sweat and DT Milton Williams poised to hit the market. With only $18 million in cap space, using the tag probably isn’t judicious – especially since Baun isn’t a pass rusher and Becton isn’t a regular tackle (here anyway). But with fellow LB Nakobe Dean rehabbing from a major knee injury suffered last month, EVP/GM Howie Roseman might want to figure out some way to re-sign Baun, a Defensive Player of the Year finalist, while relying on his depth and the draft to backfill the other spots.

Pittsburgh Steelers

They more than $53 million available for free agency. Doesn’t mean they should overspend on potential departures such as QBs Justin Fields and Russell Wilson or RB Najee Harris. Fields, who turns 26 next month, seems like the wisest investment among that trio. But even if the Steelers somehow wind up in a bidding war for him, it certainly wouldn’t justify such a prohibitively expensive tag.

San Francisco 49ers

Copious fluidity here, from the presumption that QB Brock Purdy will get his long-awaited extension while WR Deebo Samuel currently sits on the trade block. The Niners have nearly $44 million in cap room, and a good portion could go to Purdy. But they could quite feasibly pay their quarterback and also tag S Talanoa Hufanga, 26, who’s two years removed from an All-Pro season and one from a major knee injury. However his age and position should make him a preferable option to CB Charvarius Ward, who’s almost 30.

Seattle Seahawks

Even if they had cap room and a free agent worthy of a tag, they’re better off (belatedly) importing more players – on both sides of the ball – who better fit the way coach Mike Macdonald wants to operate.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Great as it would be to keep Chris Godwin in the building, you can’t risk paying an aging wideout coming off a dislocated ankle anything close to $25 million for one season of labor.

Tennessee Titans

They have more than $44 million at their disposal but need to spend more wisely than they did in 2024. That means no tag and a careful assessment of the quarterback market, which can provide the Titans an upgrade – whether via free agency or the draft.

Washington Commanders

As far as the culture and talent have come here in the last year, HC Dan Quinn and GM Adam Peters will doubtless try to maintain (and augment) it tag-free – and have more than $75 million to assist with that aim – despite how reliable soon-to-be 35-year-old LB Bobby Wagner remains.

What is the NFL franchise tag?

It’s a one-year tender that provides a player with a significant raise from his current team but impedes his ability to test the free agent market. A tag’s value is based on a player’s position. Per the NFL CBA:

“The Nonexclusive Franchise Tender shall be a one year NFL Player Contract for (A) the average of the five largest Prior Year Salaries for players at the position . . . at which the Franchise Player participated in the most plays during the prior League Year, which average shall be calculated by: (1) summing the amounts of the Franchise Tags for players at that position for the five preceding League Years; (2) dividing the resulting amount by the sum of the Salary Caps for the five preceding League Years . . . ; and (3) multiplying the resulting percentage by the Salary Cap for the upcoming League Year . . . (the ‘Cap Percentage Average’) . . . ; or (B) 120% of his Prior Year Salary, whichever is greater.”

Tag values rarely decrease year over year.

Franchised players have until July 15 to reach a long-term deal with their team. Otherwise, they must play the 2025 season on the tag.

Non-exclusive franchise tag: They allow players to negotiate with other clubs. If the player signs an offer sheet with a different team, his current one has the option of matching it or letting him go and receiving two first-round draft picks as compensation – a scenario that hasn’t occurred since 1998. However players can be franchised and traded for alternative compensation if an arrangement is reached.

Exclusive franchise tag: A player receiving this version of the tag cannot negotiate with another team.

Transition tag: Slightly less lucrative than a franchise tag, it returns no draft compensation to a player’s original team if it declines to match an offer sheet.

How much are franchise tags worth?

The value for each tag in 2025 has not yet been finalized. The following are the tag values, by position, in 2024:

Quarterback: $38.3 million

Running back: $11.95 million

Wide receiver: $21.82 million

Tight end: $12.69 million

Offensive lineman: $20.99 million

Defensive end: $21.32 million

Defensive tackle: $22.1 million

Linebacker: $24.01 million

Cornerback: $19.8 million

Safety: $17.12 million

Kicker/punter: $5.98 million

Which players received the franchise tag in 2024?

Giants OLB Brian Burns: Franchised by the Panthers, he was later traded to New York and signed a five-year, $141 million contract.

Bengals WR Tee Higgins: Played last season on the $21.82 tag for wideouts.

Jaguars OLB Josh Hines-Allen: Eventually signed five-year, $141.3 million contract.

Bears CB Jaylon Johnson: Eventually signed four-year, $76 million extension.

Ravens DT Justin Madubuike: Eventually signed four-year, $98 million extension.

Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr.: Eventually signed three-year, $70 million extension.

Titans CB L’Jarius Sneed: Franchised by the Chiefs, he was later traded to the Titans and signed a four-year, $76.4 million contract.

Buccaneers FS Antoine Winfield: Eventually signed four-year, $84.1 million extension.

Patriots S Kyle Dugger (transition tag): Eventually signed four-year, $58 million extension.

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Colorado football coach Deion Sanders just finished another recruiting season in Boulder with the same highly unusual track record as before:

No in-home visits for recruits. No off-campus visits to high schools.

The university confirmed this after USA TODAY Sports requested records of any recruiting trips he’s made in the last year after not making any before that, either. The latest recruiting period for head coaches to make off-campus contact with player prospects ended earlier this month, shortly before national signing day on Feb. 5.

“Head coach Deion Sanders did not make any in-home or off-campus recruiting visits,” the university said recently.

This remains unique in college football as a completely different way of convincing recruits to play for a college team. It’s also worked for Sanders so far, as shown by his results on the field last year and the major upgrade in talent he’s made to Colorado’s roster since his hiring there in December 2022.

But wouldn’t he be even better at Colorado if he invested himself more in recruiting high school prospects?

That’s one way of looking at it, recruiting experts told USA TODAY Sports. His employment contract at Colorado even includes a $200,000 annual budget for him to use private air travel for recruiting, which he didn’t use.

On the other hand, off-campus recruiting for a head coach doesn’t matter nearly as much in this rapidly changing era of college football.

Sanders, 57, seems to be proving that singlehandedly, even if few other college coaches could get away with this approach. He’s meeting the moment in his own way after the rise of wide-open free agency for transfer players and recruits now picking schools based more on money and exposure than having the coach sit down to dinner at home with mom.

Here’s how it breaks down after his third winter recruiting season in Boulder:

What is Deion Sanders’ recruiting strategy?

Instead of the standard practice of visiting the homes and high schools of recruits – and having those recruits visit campus, too – Sanders has used his national fame to lure in recruits to meet him on campus only. He even recently started a weekly entertainment talk show on Tubi to help reach recruits and their families another way – on their screens.

“That’s how I recruit,” Sanders said last month on a different show, hosted by Tamron Hall on ABC. “I don’t go to nobody’s school or nobody’s house. I’m not doing that. I’m too old to be going to somebody’s school, somebody’s house. All the kids that I’m recruiting, as a matter of fact, they in the (transfer) portal. They’re grown men with kids. They don’t need me to come around their crib and try to convince them to come play for me, nah.”

Sanders primarily has recruited transfer players, who generally aren’t recruited with off-campus visits from head coaches like high school players are because they’re older and have been through the recruiting process before as high school players. Sanders’ latest recruiting class signed during the early signing period in December − 17 transfer players and 14 high school recruits. It ranked 27th nationally overall, according to 247Sports.

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Using fame and media to cast wider recruiting net

Sanders made those comments in New York on Jan. 10, which came during the limited winter contact period when head coaches are allowed by NCAA rules to visit recruits at high schools or homes. But instead of being on the road recruiting like other head coaches, he was on a publicity tour to promote another show of his on Amazon Prime Video – the documentary series “Coach Prime,” which showcases his program in Boulder.

These are recruiting tools that other coaches would want but aren’t getting because they’re not as famous or in-demand as Sanders – a Tubi show, an Amazon Prime show and a publicity tour that even included him appearing on ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ last month on CBS. Sanders also grants access to three video bloggers who showcase his program regularly on YouTube, including his eldest son, Deion Jr., who has more than 530,000 subscribers.

All combined, it’s a recruiting outreach program of sorts that’s unlike any other program. And it casts a wider net with potential recruits than a visit to the local high school.

But the lack of off-campus recruiting still comes with risk.

What is the risk?

When he’s competing against other head coaches for top high school recruits, the other head coaches could use this against him by telling those recruits, “If Sanders cared as much about you as we do, why doesn’t he get to know you better by visiting you and your family at home like we are?”

Sanders doesn’t go to them, in other words. The recruits instead are asked to come to him on the Boulder campus. Other coaches do both – hosting recruits on campus and visiting them off-campus, too.

“I definitely think he’s chosen not to put in that needed effort to get all of the best kids in the class, but the way he’s doing it is definitely working for him,” said Adam Gorney, national recruiting director for Rivals.

Gorney noted Sanders signed a “good class” of prospects in December but thinks he’d do even better “if he really put the work in of getting on a plane somewhere and going to visit kids.”

“He’s taking a different approach to basically this whole thing,” Gorney told USA TODAY Sports in December. “Before Deion, there weren’t rap concerts in locker rooms after the game … There weren’t documentarians on the sidelines on every play. But I do wonder how much more he could do.”

How unusual is Deion Sanders’ recruiting approach?

USA TODAY Sports contacted several top teams in college football and found none that had a record of zero recruiting visits by a head coach. By contrast, LSU head coach Brian Kelly made 257 off-campus recruiting contacts from December 2022 to early February 2024, including 46 home visits, according to records obtained by USA TODAY Sports from LSU. Nebraska’s Matt Rhule made 486 off-campus contacts during that same time, school records show. At Alabama, Nick Saban’s home recruiting visits often became popular fodder on social media.

Rhule described it as a way to stake out territory.

“The best way to establish (recruiting) areas is to establish relationships with the (high school) coaches,” Rhule told USA TODAY Sports last April. “The best way to establish relationships with the coaches is to go be present and be at their school.”

Rhule declined to offer his opinion on Sanders’ approach. Sanders’ team beat Nebraska in 2023 but lost to Rhule’s team last year, 28-10.

Hall-of-Fame pitch to recruits

Sanders’ assistant coaches have made off-campus recruiting trips instead, just like other assistant coaches across the nation. But another recent assistant coaching hire by Sanders signals his commitment to his different approach. He hired Pro Football Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk as his running backs coach, even though he has no apparent coaching or recruiting experience.

Maybe Faulk doesn’t need that experience, and his name will be enough to draw recruits, especially if those players’ goal is to make money and move on to the NFL. Sanders seems to be banking on this. Colorado now has three Pro Football Hall of Famers on staff, including Sanders, Faulk and Warren Sapp, a graduate assistant coach.

None of the three have recruited off-campus. (By NCAA rule, Sapp is not allowed to recruit off-campus as a graduate assistant.)

Does that experience even matter, though?

It depends on the viewpoint – and results

Colorado offensive tackle Jordan Seaton was the nation’s No. 1 offensive tackle prospect for 2024 and came to Boulder from the IMG Academy in Florida despite not getting a home visit from Sanders.

He didn’t choose Colorado because of money, either. Colorado boosters and businesses haven’t provided nearly as much to CU players as those at schools like national champion Ohio State, which recently had a roster earning an estimated $20 million from name, image and likeness deals (NIL).

“NIL is cool, but the real money is in the league (NFL),” Seaton said in October.

Sanders can show him how to get there, along with many others on the Colorado staff with NFL experience. In April, the Buffaloes are expected to have two top picks in the NFL draft, starting what Sanders hopes is a pipeline from Boulder to the NFL.

It’s another way to appeal to future prospects, along with all of those cameras that follow Sanders. Colorado ranked 11th nationally last season with an average of 3.86 million viewers per game in the regular season, according to the school. The Buffs finished 9-4 last year, improving from 4-8 in 2023 and 1-11 before Sanders’ arrival in 2022.

Is Coach Prime ahead of the curve?

Meanwhile, the times are still changing as schools prepare to start paying players directly. Coaches are still adapting. Some have left because of it. Some tried new ways of doing things.

Similarly, the COVID-19 pandemic sparked changes in the way many companies do business. Before that, working from home wasn’t as much of a thing. But now it’s an efficient way to get the job done for some companies, with workers also saving time and money by not having to drive into the office every day.

Former Colorado head coach Gary Barnett sees the similarities.

“I sort of use that as an analogy with this whole situation,” Barnett told USA TODAY Sports last year. “My first reaction would be ‘Is this (recruiting approach) sustainable? Is this really the right thing to do?’ But if you look at it from the other side, it’s ‘All of that (travel) is a waste of money and time.’ ‘

Being different also doesn’t mean being wrong. History might even judge Sanders as being ahead of the curve. The jury’s out on it.

“It certainly wouldn’t be the way I would do it, but man, there’s a lot of changes that have occurred,” Barnett said of college football. “That doesn’t make me right. It just makes me old.”

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

Cam Ward knows he will likely be peppered with questions about sitting out the second half of Miami’s Pop-Tarts Bowl 42-41 loss to Iowa State at the 2025 NFL combine.

The potential No. 1 overall pick has a simple answer to those queries mapped out, as he shared Monday before receiving the Davey O’Brien Award, given annually to college football’s top quarterback.

‘Okay, you’re either going to draft me or you’re not,’ Ward told the Associated Press. ‘If you don’t draft me, that’s your fault. You’ve got to remember you’re the same team that’s got to play me for the rest of my career, and I’ll remember that.’

Ward wouldn’t be the first quarterback to adopt a chip-on-the-shoulder mentality if he isn’t the top player selected. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has shown one throughout his career. He famously counted to 10 after scoring a touchdown during a 26-3 win over the Chicago Bears in 2019. Mahomes was the 10th pick in the 2017 NFL draft and the second quarterback off the board; the Bears selected Mitch Trubisky No. 2 overall.

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Of course, vengeance-seeking quarterbacks don’t always achieve their end goals. Josh Rosen, the 10th pick in the 2018 NFL draft by the Arizona Cardinals, famously opined, ‘There were nine mistakes ahead of me.’ Rosen lasted just one season with the Cardinals and was out of the NFL by 2023.

Regardless of how Ward’s career goes, he doesn’t believe his sitting out the second half of the Pop-Tarts Bowl should impact him. He was also adamant the decision to split the game between himself and Emory Williams was predetermined by the coaching staff and him.

‘I just think we all got what we needed out of it. They seen things that they think they need to work on … for this season coming up. And they also knew, you know, what I had on the line,’ Ward said. ‘We feel like we’re doing what’s best for the program and myself. I mean, it was a hard decision, especially when, you know, some guys on our team didn’t play who I thought should have played. It was also, you know, those guys thought about their future the same way I thought about mine.’

As such, Ward harbors few regrets about his final collegiate game, during which he beat CaseKeenum’s record for the most career touchdown passes in Div. I history (156).

‘If I could do it again, I’d do it the same way,’ Ward said.

Still, one Ward has one lamentation about the contest.

‘I wish we could have ended up winning the game,’ he said. ‘If we had won the game, they wouldn’t have said nothing. And so, that’s usually how it goes. And you know, you just got to take it on the chin and just keep pushing.’

The Detroit Lions are facing the arduous task of replacing offensive coordinator Ben Johnson in 2025 after the 38-year-old took the Chicago Bears head coaching job.

Dan Campbell granted that assignment to John Morton, who spent the 2022 season with the Lions before spending a couple of seasons with Sean Payton’s Denver Broncos.

Suffice it to say that both Morton and Jared Goff are excited about the possibility of teaming up again. The veteran quarterback even credited the 55-year-old coach with being ‘a big part’ of his success during the 2022 season, when he made it back to the Pro Bowl after a three-year drought.

‘That was Ben’s first year as a coordinator and I think he helped Ben a ton,’ Goff told the Detroit Free Press of Morton at Super Bowl 59. ‘I think Ben would say that himself. But yeah, it’ll be exciting for him. I’m excited to work with him and get going.’

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Morton shares Goff’s enthusiasm about the 2025 season and beyond. He believes that the familiarity between the two of them will be ‘big’ and allow Detroit to continue to build upon the success it enjoyed under Johnson.

‘I think it’s big because it all starts with the quarterback,’ Morton told Fox 2 Detroit’s Dan Miller when discussing his existing relationship with Goff and the Lions coaching staff. ‘Just kind of knowing him – and when I was here, I was in the quarterback room. So, I have a feel of what he likes, what he doesn’t. That’s important as a play-caller. We’ll continue here when the players come back and stuff, so I’ll get to know more about him and the plays that he really likes a lot and what they’ve been doing good here.’

Morton is particularly intent on listening to Goff, Campbell and other members of the Lions offense as he takes over as the team’s play-caller. He made it clear that he isn’t trying to reinvent Detroit’s offense, which was the top-scoring unit in the NFL last season.

‘They’ve already established a philosophy here,’ Morton said. ‘It’s just my job to continue the vision of how Dan wants things. We’ll tinker with things here and there, and we’ll see how we can make it better.’

Improving upon Johnson’s offense, which ranked top five in both points and yards per game in his three seasons with Detroit, won’t be an easy task.

But if Goff and Morton show early synergy in 2025, losing Johnson may be more of a bump in the road than a death knell for Detroit’s Super Bowl chances.

MEDLEY, Fla. – The second half of Unrivaled’s inaugural season continues Tuesday as the 3-on-3 women’s basketball league approaches its postseason.

Angel Reese and the Rose (3-4) will meet Rhyne Howard and the Vinyl (3-4) in the first of two games at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Sabrina Ionescu and the Phantom (2-5) will face Tiffany Hayes, Kayla McBride and the Laces (4-3) in the second game an hour later.

Only four of the six Unrivaled clubs will reach the playoffs. The semifinals are set for March 16, and the final is scheduled March 17.

Here’s everything you need to know about Unrivaled’s games Tuesday night, and stay tuned for live updates from USA TODAY Sports:

How to watch Unrivaled games Tuesday night on TV

Unrivaled is available on cable television on TNT in the United States, and TSN+ in Canada.

Watch: Unrivaled games on Sling TV

How to live stream Unrivaled games on Tuesday night

Unrivaled games are also available to live stream on Max, and internationally on YouTube.

Unrivaled standings

Here are the Unrivaled standings heading into the second half of the season:

Lunar Owls (8-0)
Laces (4-3)
Rose (3-4)
Vinyl (3-4)
Phantom (2-5)
Mist (2-6)

Rose (3-4) vs. Vinyl (3-4) preview

The Rose hope to extend a two-game winning streak, while the Vinyl hope to break a four-game skid in tonight’s game.

Chelsea Gray leads Unrivaled with 44 assists, while Reese is first in offensive rebounds (3.1) and fourth in total rebounds per game (9.6) for the Rose. Kahleah Copper won’t be available for the Rose due to a right leg injury.

Dearica Hamby is Unrivaled’s third-leading scorer (21.2 points) and the fourth-leading rebounder (10.4), while Rhyne Howard (13.2 points) and Arike Ogunbowale (13.0) round out the Vinyl’s starting lineup.

Phantom (2-5) vs. Laces (4-3) preview

The Laces hope to have five players active for tonight’s game. Tiffany Hayes (concussion protocol), Kate Martin (left leg), Alyssa Thomas (right leg) are out for tonight’s game.

Kayla McBride is second in Unrivaled with 24.7 points, but questionable to play due to a left leg injury. Jackie Young is also questionable with a left leg injury. Stefanie Dolson is healthy and available.

The Laces have Natisha Hiedeman, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton and Kiki Jefferson signed to player-relief contracts. If McBride or Young play, Jefferson would not be eligible to play.

The Phantom hopes to snap a two-game skid behind its stars Ionescu, Brittney Griner and Satou Sabally. Ionescu had a breakout game for the Phantom on Jan. 31, where she had 38 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in the club’s last win against the Rose.

Napheesa Collier wins Unrivaled 1-on-1 tournament

Napheesa Collier of the Lunar Owls won Unrivaled’s 1-on-1 tournament, taking home $200,000 after eliminating Aaliyah Edwards in the final. Collier’s Lunar Owls teammates each received $10,000 for her victory.

Edwards earned $50,000 as a runner-up, while Arike Ogunbowale and AzuráStevens each earned $25,000 as semifinalists.

What is Unrivaled?

Six teams with 36 of the best women’s basketball players in the world, including Sabrina Ionescu and Brittney Griner, will compete in the 3-on-3, full court games.

Where is Unrivaled playing games?

Games will be played at Wayfair Arena in Medley, Florida, which is in the Miami metropolitan area, about 7 miles from Miami International Airport.

Unrivaled team names and rosters

Laces: Stefanie Dolson, Tiffany Hayes, Kate Martin, Kayla McBride, Alyssa Thomas, Jackie Young, Natisha Hiedeman (relief player contract), Betnijah Laney-Hamilton (relief player contract), Kiki Jefferson (relief player contract).
Lunar Owls: Shakira Austin, Napheesa Collier, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Allisha Gray, Courtney Williams, Cameron Brink (IR).
Mist: DiJonai Carrington, Aaliyah Edwards, Rickea Jackson, Jewell Loyd, NaLyssa Smith (relief player contract), Breanna Stewart, Courtney Vandersloot.
Phantom: Natasha Cloud, Brittney Griner, Sabrina Ionescu, Marina Mabrey, Satou Sabally, Katie Lou Samuelson.
Rose: Kahleah Copper, Chelsea Gray, Lexie Hull, Angel Reese, Azura Stevens, Brittney Sykes.
Vinyl: Aliyah Boston, Rae Burrell, Jordin Canada, Dearica Hamby, Rhyne Howard, Arike Ogunbowale.

Unrivaled rules to know 

Unrivaled games start with three seven-minute quarters, and games end when the target winning score is reached in the fourth quarter. The target winning score is 11 points higher than the highest team’s score after the third quarter, known as the Elam Ending. 
Players also take just one free throw after being fouled: A free throw equals two or three points depending on the shooting foul. 
How long is the Unrivaled court size? It is 72 feet long by 49.2 feet wide. NBA and WNBA courts are 94 feet long and 50 feet wide. 

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