Daniels, a fifth-year quarterback, won the Heisman and AP player of the year honors last week after accounting for 50 touchdowns and nearly 5,000 yards of offense this season.

He was joined in the backfield by Missouri’s Cody Schrader, a sixth-year running back and former Division II player who leads the nation at 124.9 rushing yards per game.

The other sixth-year player of the AP first team was North Carolina State linebacker Payton Wilson, who won the Chuck Bednarik Award as national defensive player of the year.

Kansas State guard Cooper Beebe, edge rushers Laiatu Latu from UCLA and Jalen Green from James Madison, and Texas defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat were the other fifth-year players to make the first team.

College players who were in school during the 2020 pandemic season were granted an extra year of eligibility and they are still making their presence felt around the country.

Eleven more fifth-year players made the second and third teams and there were eight sixth-year players selected to those teams, including Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr., the Heisman runner up. Penix and the second-ranked Huskies face No. 3 Texas in the College Football Playoff’s Sugar Bowl semifinal on Jan. 1.

Colorado Buffaloes sophomore receiver and cornerback Travis Hunter was named to the first team. Colorado State junior tight end Dallin Holker made the second team and Air Force senior safety Trey Taylor earned a third-team nod.

Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt and Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. were selected first-team All-Americans for the second straight year. Beebe and Georgia tight end Brock Bowers moved up from second team last season to first this year.

No. 5 Alabama led all teams with three first-team All-Americans, all on the defensive side: cornerbacks Kool-Aid McKinstry and Terrion Arnold and linebacker Dallas Turner.

The Crimson Tide, seeded fourth in the College Football Playoff, faces No. 1 Michigan in the Rose Bowl semifinal on Jan. 1.

First-team All-Americans (by conference)

• SEC — 9.
• Big Ten — 6.
• Pac-12 — 4.
• Big 12 — 3.
• ACC — 1.
• MAC — 1.
• Sun Belt — 1.
• Independent — 2.

The AP All-America team was selected by a panel of 18 college Top 25 poll voters.

First team

Quarterback — Jayden Daniels, fifth-year, LSU.

Running backs — Ollie Gordon II, second-year, Oklahoma State; Cody Schrader, sixth-year, Missouri.

Tackles — Joe Alt, third-year, Notre Dame; Olu Fashanu, fourth-year, Penn State.

Guards — Cooper Beebe, fifth-year, Kansas State; Zak Zinter, fourth-year, Michigan.

Center — Jackson Powers-Johnson, third-year, Oregon.

Tight end — Brock Bowers, third-year, Georgia.

Wide receivers — Malik Nabers, third-year, LSU; Marvin Harrison Jr., third-year, Ohio State; Rome Odunze, fourth-year, Washington.

All-purpose player — Travis Hunter, second-year, Colorado.

Kicker — Graham Nicholson, third-year, Miami (Ohio).

Edge rushers — Laiatu Latu, fifth-year, UCLA; Jalen Green, fifth-year, James Madison.

Interior linemen — T’Vondre Sweat, fifth-year, Texas; Jer’Zahn Newton, fourth-year, Illinois.

Linebackers — Payton Wilson, sixth-year, North Carolina State; Edgerrin Cooper, fourth-year, Texas A&M; Dallas Turner, third-year, Alabama.

Cornerbacks — Cooper DeJean, third-year, Iowa; Kool-Aid McKinstry, third-year, Alabama.

Safeties — Malaki Starks, second-year, Georgia; Xavier Watts, fourth-year, Notre Dame.

Defensive back — Terrion Arnold, third-year, Alabama.

Punter — Tory Taylor, fourth-year, Iowa.

Second team

Quarterback — Michael Penix Jr., sixth-year, Washington.

Running backs — Audric Estime, third-year, Notre Dame; Omarion Hampton, second-year, North Carolina.

Tackles — Taliese Fuaga, fourth-year, Oregon State; JC Latham, third-year, Alabama.

Guards — Tate Ratledge, fourth-year, Georgia; Clay Webb, fifth-year, Jacksonville State.

Center — Sedrick Van Pran, fourth-year, Georgia.

Tight ends — Dallin Holker, fifth-year, Colorado State.

Wide receivers — Troy Franklin, third-year, Oregon; Malik Washington, fifth-year, Virginia; Luther Burden III, second-year, Missouri.

All-purpose player — Ashton Jeanty, second-year, Boise State.

Kicker — Jose Pizano, third-year, UNLV.

Edge rushers — Jonah Elliss, third-year, Utah; Jared Verse, fourth-year, Florida State.

Interior linemen — Byron Murphy II, third-year, Texas; Howard Cross III, fifth-year, Notre Dame.

Linebackers — Jeremiah Trotter Jr., third-year, Clemson; Jason Henderson, third-year, Old Dominion; Jay Higgins, fourth-year, Iowa.

Cornerbacks — Quinyon Mitchell, fourth-year, Toledo; Beanie Bishop Jr., sixth-year, West Virginia.

Safeties — Tyler Nubin, fifth-year, Minnesota; Caleb Downs, first-year, Alabama.

Defensive back — Kris Abrams-Draine, fourth-year, Missouri.

Punter — Matthew Hayball, sixth-year, Vanderbilt.

Third team

Quarterbacks — Bo Nix, fifth-year, Oregon.

Running backs — Blake Corum, fourth-year, Michigan; Kimani Vidal, fourth-year, Troy.

Tackles — Javon Foster, sixth-year, Missouri; Troy Fautanu, fifth-year, Washington.

Guards — Christian Haynes, sixth-year, UConn; Luke Kandra, fourth-year, Cincinnati.

Center — Zach Frazier, fourth-year, West Virginia.

Tight end — Ben Sinnott, fourth-year, Kansas State.

Wide receivers — Ricky White, fourth-year, UNLV; Brian Thomas Jr., third-year, LSU; Tetairoa McMillan, second-year, Arizona.

All-purpose player — Xavier Worthy, third-year, Texas.

Kicker — Will Reichard, fifth-year, Alabama.

Edge rushers — Chop Robinson, third-year, Penn State; Bralen Trice, fifth-year, Washington.

Interior linemen — Kris Jenkins, fourth-year, Michigan; Braden Fiske, sixth-year, Florida State.

Linebackers — Nathaniel Watson, sixth-year, Mississippi State; Edefuan Ulofoshio, sixth-year, Washington; Danny Stutsman, third-year, Oklahoma.

Cornerbacks — Ricardo Hallman, third-year, Wisconsin; T.J. Tampa, fourth-year, Iowa State.

Safeties — Trey Taylor, fifth-year, Air Force; Dillon Thieneman, first-year, Purdue.

Defensive back — Sebastian Castro, fifth-year, Iowa.

Punter — James Ferguson-Reynolds, second-year, Boise State.

The Denver Post contributed to this story.

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“We bought it used. Very used,” Keith Matocha, father of Colorado School of Mines QB John Matocha, told me with a laugh as his son’s top-ranked Orediggers pounded Kutztown, 35-7, to punch a second straight ticket to the NCAA Division II football national championships.

“And we weren’t very smart. We’re from Texas. It’s 2-wheel drive in a pickup, so he gets stranded quite often. So his lineman roommates ended up hauling him around quite a bit.”

As the snow that frosted Marv Kay Field reminded Keith of the worst decision of his son’s young life, the party below us reminded him of the best.

“Definitely the goal was to get back (to the NCAA championship),” the elder Matocha said of his son, who completed 30 of 37 passes, threw for three scores and ran for another to improve Mines’ record to 14-0 and launch them into a winner-take-all title game against Harding (Ark.) on Saturday in McKinney, Texas.

“So they can talk about ‘one game at a time’ all they want. But at the end, it was always about getting back to McKinney. So, yes, very determined. Very focused.”

A friend slid carefully to Keith along the icy bleachers, patting Dad on the shoulder as he passed.

“Bring home one more!”

Then another friend.

“Five years. It’s been great.”

Then another.

“Happy for all of you. Way to go.”

And another.

“You won’t have to fly out again.”

Keith, whose family lives in Houston, smiled at that last one.

“My brother lives very close to (McKinney),” dad explained. “So we get to go sleep on their floor.”

One more. One. More.

At least they know the drill. More to the point, so do the Diggers. In hindsight, John Matocha reflected, just getting to the title game for the first time as a program last December felt like Mines’ big victory.

The Diggers were just happy to be there. Ferris State was angrier. And faster. And bigger. Much, much, much, much bigger.

“When I sat up there (in the stands at McKinney) and (Ferris) ran that first sweep,” reflected Mines alum Tom Dimelow, who sat a few rows over from the Matochas. “I said to myself, ‘My God, Vince Lombardi must be smiling today.'”

Marv Kay, bless his soul, not so much. Ferris went up 27-0 at the half and rolled to a 41-14 victory.

“We felt we’d made it,” the younger Matocha, who just passed Chicago Bears QB Tyson Bagent for the No. 1 spot on the NCAA’s all-time carer passing TD chart, recalled earlier in the week. “We felt like the hype overcame us, and it may have affected our preparation and our execution.

“This year, it’s not a surprise, or ‘Oh my gosh, we made it.’ We have the experience to back it up now. … We’ll be more prepared.”

They’ve got the beef, too, if Saturday was any harbinger.

Mines nose tackle Kyle Bahnsen, a 305-pound ball of angry, split a double-team in the first half and forced Bears QB Judd Novak to throw the ball to the Heavens or risk an early audience with the angels. Novak heaved a wounded duck that got picked off in the end zone by Diggers safety Collin Romero. Kutztown never really threatened through the air again.

And despite the Golden Bears making a concerted effort to load up in the box, Mines racked up 165 rush yards on 29 carries anyway. And the fakes off the read option allowed Matocha to find 6-foot-4 Flynn Schiele (11 catches, 181 receiving yards) either all alone or matched up in single coverage against 5-9 corner Antaun Lloyd, whom he posted up the way Nikola Jokic posts up small-ball centers.

“They’ve got a great offensive line,” Kutztown coach Jim Clements said. “They are going to be hard to beat (in the championship).”

One more. One. More.

Mines athletic director David Hansburg had Texas on the brain Saturday, too. He watched the postgame news conference, leaning against a far wall, in a gray cowboy hat.

“You get that in McKinney?” I asked.

“Aspen,” he said with a grin.

“Is that from the Coach Prime collection?”

Hansburg shook his head, removed his chapeau and pointed at the tiny name burned into the brim: OREDIGGERS.

Welcome to Golden, where the dream lives.

“It’s what they play for,” Keith Matocha reflected proudly. “And a lot of these kids stuck around to go make it happen, right? I mean, you’ve got a lot of kids — I think (Mines coach Pete) Sterbick has said, they’ve got other things to do. And they stuck around to go for it. … I didn’t know if they could make it this far. Certainly not with the consistency that they have. But they’ve proven it.

“All of a sudden, it’s a reality now.”

One more, Blaster. One. More.

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FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — Joshua Jefferson scored 16 points including a key 3-pointer down the stretch and Saint Mary’s sent No. 13 Colorado State to its first loss of the season 64-61 on Saturday night. Augustas Marciulionis led the Gaels (5-5) with 18 points before fouling out, and Aidan Mahaney added 10 points. Isaiah Stevens had 20 points to lead Colorado State (9-1). Patrick Cartier had 16 points and Nique Clifford added 15 points and 11 rebounds. “It was a huge step for us,” St. Mary’s coach Randy Bennett said. “We’ve had a tough schedule. We weren’t put together at the start of the year for a couple of reasons. But we’ve been building it, building it. I thought we were getting better. We have to get tougher. We have to get better so we can turn this thing around. But this was the best team we’ve played and it’s the best we’ve played so this was a good step in the right direction.” Defense was central to the Gaels’ upset of the Rams, who were held to a season low in points. “If we’re good on that side of the ball, we always have a chance to win,” Jefferson said. “It was being as tough as we can, as tight as we can and then just playing hard every single time.” Colorado State coach Niko Medved credited his players for putting up a fight to end. “We had our chances late, but they made a couple more plays than we did,” he said. “That stings. I guess we’re not going to be Indiana, the ’76 Hoosiers, right? We’re not going undefeated. We’ll grow from this and learn.” Up 33-32 at the break, St. Mary’s moved out to a 51-42 lead on a 3-pointer by Mahaney and a driving layup by Mitchell Saxen on successive possessions midway through the second half. They went ahead by nine points on Jefferson’s layup with 6:48 left to play. Colorado State fought back with a 9-0 run, tying it at 55 with 4:09 remaining on a pair of free throws by Stevens. The Rams went in front 57-56 on Cartier’s two free throws with 2:10 left. Jefferson answered with a hook shot seconds later and the Gaels expanded the lead to 61-57 with less than a minute left when he connected on a 3-pointer. “I was ecstatic,” Jefferson said of the late long-distance shot. “It was like, ‘Let’s get the win now.’ That was my main focus. Just get the win, so I’m happy with it.” Colorado State had a chance to tie in the last 10 seconds but Stevens and Clifford both missed 3-point attempts. St. Mary’s took a halftime lead on Saxen’s jumper in the lane a second ahead of the buzzer. The Gaels had led by as many as 10 points but the Rams overcame early offensive problems to put together a 16-5 burst. Clifford capped the run with a pair of free throws to put the Rams in front by a point with 25 seconds left in the half.

BIG PICTURE

St. Mary’s lived up to its stout defensive reputation, suffocating Colorado State’s offense and forcing repeated scoring droughts to deny the Rams’ comeback bids.

The Rams never could find a shooting rhythm, converting just 37% of their shots.

POLL IMPLICATIONS Colorado State, which at No. 13 achieved its highest ranking ever in the AP poll, went 1-1 this week and figures to slip after its first loss of the season.

UP NEXT St. Mary’s: Visits Phoenix to play UNLV on Dec. 16 in the Jerry Colangelo Classic. Colorado State: Hosts Colorado State-Pueblo on Dec. 17.

___

AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

Ron, free thinker

Kiz: As a kid who first fell in love with sports through college football, I’m a guy that loves voting for the Heisman Trophy. But it frustrates me that being a quarterback is now almost a prerequisite for winning the award. In years past, I have voted for dominant defenders such as Will Anderson Jr. and Ndamukong Suh. While I think quarterback Jayden Daniels of Louisiana State is an intriguing NFL prospect who might look good in a Broncos uniform, the only finalist for this year’s award I seriously considered putting anywhere on my three ballot slots was Michael Penix Jr., whose transfer to Washington after an injury-plagued career at Indiana struck me as a near-perfect fit for the story of college football in 2023.

With the instant media coverage of sports, nothing is a surprise anymore, including the Heisman winner.

B.V., San Antonio

Kiz: The 24/7/365 sports babble is fine by me. It’s fun. When it gets to be too much, I can easily switch to music by The National, Spoon or Olivia Rodrigo. But it bugs me when my media brethren get entrapped by groupthink. My Heisman ballot seldom follows the crowd, which leaves me open to ridicule. And that’s also fine by me. The players I voted for in 2023: No. 1, receiver Malik Nabers, who’s the best player on LSU’s team; No. 2, Jordan Travis of Florida State, the quarterback who had a huge impact on both an unbeaten team and the playoff field, and No. 3, Colorado School of Mines quarterback John Matocha, whose grit and spirit represents everything college football should be.

The Heisman Trophy reveal used to be exciting. When Colorado running back Rashaan Salaam won the award in 1994, it was awesome. But by 2015, when Valor Christian alum Christian McCaffrey should’ve won it and finished second, it became less exciting to me. Now? The Heisman is like the NFL, completely quarterback centric.

Chuck, SkoBuffs!

Kiz: With all the debate about whether Dak Prescott, Brock Purdy or some other quarterback deserves to be MVP of the NFL in 2023, let me humbly add: Are y’all nuts? I’ve never been granted the privilege of determining something so important as most valuable player of America’s sports obsession, and maybe that’s best for all concerned. But, in my not-so-humble opinion, two candidates you won’t hear mentioned anywhere else stand above this year’s field: Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill and McCaffrery, whose versatility as a running back makes San Francisco the most dangerous championship contender.

And today’s parting shot takes offense to my crazy idea that the Avs need to address a hole in their lineup at second-line center.

Keep trying, Kiz. You once again are trying to show your three readers that you know something about hockey. But you don’t!

Scott, hockey enforcer

The University of Denver junior midfielder was named second-team All-American by the United Soccer Coaches on Friday for his performance over the course of the 2023 season. Bassett is only the third Pioneer to earn the distinction and is the first since 2018, when former Rapids player Andre Shinyashiki got the honor.

Bassett stepped up in the attacking midfield role this season as he helped lead the Pioneers to the second round of the men’s NCAA Tournament for a third consecutive season. He scored a career-high eight goals and added seven assists to lead the team to a 12-3-5 record. Internally, the program was expected to be a national title contender, but injuries to three preseason watchlist players — Trevor Wright, Ben Smith and Ronan Wynne — played a key factor in not making a deep run.

Still, Bassett told The Post on Friday he was proud of the way he stepped up and led the side. Like Cole talked about this season at the podium, Sam was also determined to lead by example on the field.

“I think it’s really nice to start seeing that the work I’ve done over the past 15 years since I started playing soccer, it is starting to pay off. Also, it motivates me even more for next season because I know there’s more in me and I can prove I’m the best, and we can prove that our team is the best,” Bassett said.

For head coach Jamie Franks, who’s seen Bassett in action since he was 15 years old, the work he put in to get into position to be an elite college player speaks volumes about his development and where he can go.

“What I’m proud of is is where he was at 15 or 16 and he wasn’t happy with his development,” Franks told The Post. “So he had to work so hard on his diet, in the gym, on his shooting, on his passing. He’s just outworked everybody and put in the work every day. For somebody that’s that good of a person, it means everything to us. It sets an example. You wanna be an all-American, this is what it looks like.”

Bassett is “pretty positive” he’ll be back at DU next season instead of entering his name into the MLS SuperDraft because he believes the program is in its strongest spot since 2016, when the Pios reached the College Cup.

“I really don’t think we’re finished here. You only have so much time to finish what you started, and we’re aiming for a national title next season,” Bassett said.

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There are reasons for it coming across that way, one of which we’ll get into shortly. But let’s say this, too: To be fair to the GTW peanut gallery, not a single soul on our crack team said Coach Prime couldn’t recruit. Or that he couldn’t sell, as confirmed by the commitment of mega high school tackle Jordan Seaton, the latest feather in the man’s talent-building cap, earlier this week.

But GTW’s overall stance hasn’t changed. Yes, 4-8 is a heck of a lot better than 1-11. Yes, Boulder is back on the national college football map. But as to other parts of The Great Deion Sanders Experiment? Jury’s still out.

Coach Prime wants … “privacy?” — F

And Prime hasn’t exactly engendered our sympathies when he stiff-arms local media outlets in favor of video operations run by family members and friends — or in favor of paid business partners.

His program. His media team. His rules. His message. Sanders has had multiple camera crews following him around darn near everywhere for the 12 months in which he’s been employed by CU, and fair enough. But you can’t have it both ways. Because Sanders also had the gall, during a series of interviews with national outlets earlier this week, to tell People magazine this:

“You always wish that you had a little more privacy. But the same thing that makes you shine will show your blemishes. So, you’ve got to take the good with the bad. You can’t just want everyone there when the hype machine is rolling, you have to understand there’s another side to this.”

There is. And good on a man who brought his own Amazon Prime crew and at least two YouTube channels north with him to acknowledge that, at least. Still: A reality show and reality itself, even on Planet Prime, aren’t always the same thing.

You signed up for this, Coach. Both sides. All sides.

More Denver college hoops cred — A-.

Our little “football” state keeps building up steam as a college hoops one, doesn’t it? CU features a future NBA lottery pick (Cody Williams) and has the seeds of a potential NCAA tourney resume already planted. CSU, king of the locals, heads into a big Moby Arena tussle with Saint Mary’s on Saturday sitting at 13th in the AP Poll, unbeaten (9-0) and a sexy pick to win the Mountain West.

Don’t tell anybody, but an early strain of March Madness seems to be catching on at other men’s hoops outposts across the Centennial State, too. Air Force sports a 7-2 record with three “true” road wins, already tying a single-season record for away victories before the middle of December. DU — hockey school, not a football one — sports the nation’s points leader, and No. 2 points-per-game scorer as of Friday, in guard Tommy Bruner. Yeah, he’s a volume shooter (Bruner leads the country in shots, with 180, going into Saturday). But when you’re connecting on your treys — Bruner was good on 4 of 9 attempts from distance in a loss at CSU this past Wednesday — at a 46.3% clip, dude, fire away.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A federal lawsuit filed by a group of states that includes Colorado alleges the NCAA’s transfer rule for college athletes violates antitrust law.

The lawsuit, filed in West Virginia’s northern district, challenges the NCAA’s authority to impose a one-year delay in the eligibility of certain athletes who transfer between schools. The suit said the rule “unjustifiably restrains the ability of these college athletes to engage in the market for their labor as NCAA Division I college athletes.”

The lawsuit filed by West Virginia and six other states alleges violations of the Sherman Act. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser is listed as a plaintiff in the lawsuit, and he released a statement Thursday afternoon in the wake of it being filed.

“The spirit of athletic competition at the heart of college sports is undermined by this rule, which is another in a long line of NCAA policies that courts have overturned for harming the rights of athletes to develop freely and fairly,” Weiser said in the statement. “By restricting mobility of athletes, the NCAA is adversely hindering student athletes from finding the best opportunities for themselves. We support having all of our Colorado higher education institutions to be able to recruit and build their best possible teams without the transfer restrictions.”

NCAA rules allow underclassmen to transfer once without having to sit out a year. But an additional transfer as an undergraduate generally requires the NCAA to grant a waiver allowing the athlete to compete immediately. Without it, the athlete would have to sit out for a year at the new school.

The NCAA this year has implemented stricter guidelines for granting those waivers, reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

NCAA spokeswoman Michelle Hosick didn’t immediately return a message seeking comment Thursday afternoon.

In an interview with The Associated Press, North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein said the target is the waiver process.

“As long as the kid is in good academic standing and on track to graduate, that kid should be able to decide for him or herself what’s in their best interest, for their personal growth, their happiness, their economic opportunity,” Stein said. “That is absolutely the American Way. And that’s a requirement of federal law. The rule offends that requirement.”

The states seek a temporary restraining order against the NCAA from enforcing the transfer rule. Other states involved in the lawsuit are Illinois, New York, Ohio and Tennessee.

The complaint alleges requiring athletes to sit can mean the loss of potential earnings from endorsement deals with their name, image and likeness (NIL) or even professional careers. It points to exposure from competing in national broadcasts, noting: “One game can take a college athlete from a local fan favorite to a household name.”

“It is ironic that this rule, stylized as promoting the welfare of college athletes, strips them of the agency and opportunity to optimize their own welfare as they see fit,” the lawsuit said.

Stein, a Democrat running for governor in North Carolina, got involved in the recent transfer-waiver case involving Tar Heels receiver Devontez “Tez” Walker.

The NCAA initially denied the Kent State transfer’s waiver as a two-time transfer after his stop at North Carolina Central, even though he never played there because the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the 2020 season. UNC fought for months to get Walker on the field in a testy case before the NCAA reversed its position in October.

Stein had also sent a letter on behalf of Wake Forest men’s basketball player Efton Reid III, who had started his career at LSU before transferring to Gonzaga. The 7-footer finally received a waiver to play Tuesday and made his season debut in the Demon Deacons’ win against Rutgers on Wednesday.

Stein told the AP the lawsuit grew out of a national conference in Washington, D.C., this week for attorneys general. Stein participated in a panel discussion on the NCAA there with Colorado AG Phil Weiser, Ohio AG Dave Yost and Ohio Deputy First Attorney General Shawn Busken.

“I have not heard from any other institutions, but I know that other student-athletes in North Carolina are similarly being denied the opportunity to play,” Stein said. “So rather than continue to do case-by-case, we decided let’s strike the rule down, because the rule itself is illegal.”

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, a Republican running for governor next year, got involved after the NCAA denied West Virginia basketball player RaeQuan Battle a waiver to play immediately following his transfer from Montana State. Battle had previously played at Washington, but he hasn’t played this year after the NCAA denied Battle’s waiver and appeal.

Battle, who grew up on the Tulalip Indian Reservation in the state of Washington, said his mental health is a big reason why he’s at West Virginia. Battle said in a recent video that he has lost “countless people” to drugs, alcohol and COVID-19.

After Battle visited West Virginia, he learned that now-coach Josh Eilert had lived on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota with his mother following his parents’ divorce.

Battle’s coach at Montana State, Danny Sprinkle, left for Utah State after the 2022-23 season. Battle said Sprinkle was one of his main pillars of support and guidance, so staying at Montana State wasn’t an option. And although Battle would have kept his eligibility had he followed Sprinkle, Battle said his graduation date would have been significantly delayed.

Morrisey said in a statement that the NCAA “failed to recognize the underlying issues involving RaeQuan and many other student athletes in similar situations — there’s no reason for the NCAA to deny this young man the ability to play the sport he loves and that helps him with his mental health.”

The lawsuit also cited mental health issues in the transfer cases of Southern Illinois basketball player Jarrett Hensley and Southern Illinois football player Noah Fenske. Hensley previously attended UNC Greensboro and Cincinnati, while Fenske also attended Iowa and Colorado.

The Denver Post contributed to this report.

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In this edition of the Kickin’ it with Kiz podcast, Denver Post columnist Mark Kiszla talks sports betting, bourbon, Broncos and the controversy surrounding the College Football Playoff. Among the topics discussed:

• Kiz is joined by Denver Post staff Nuggets beat writer Bennett “Benito” Durando as they break down the College Football Playoff and the game lines they are eyeing this weekend.
• Kiz talks Broncos and their chances for a playoff Berth after winning five of their last six games.
• Nate Kiszla, son of Kiz, stops by to talk bourbon with his pops.

The Kickin’ it with Kiz podcast is brought to you by Argonaut Wine & Liquor, featuring Buffalo Trace.

Subscribe to the podcast

SoundCloud | iTunes | Google Music | RSS

Producer: AAron Ontiveroz
Music: “Bumble Bees” by Schama Noel

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Jordan Seaton, the nation’s No. 1 offensive tackle recruit as ranked by 247Sports.com’s composite rankings, announced on Fox Sports 1’s “Undisputed” on Thursday morning that he’s committing to the CU Buffs.

The 6-foot-5, 287-pound blocker played his senior season of football at IMG Academy in Florida after transferring in from St. John’s High School in Washington, D.C.

“You’ve got to believe in Coach Prime,” Seaton told Fox Sports 1. “Having the opportunity to play with somebody who’s done it at the highest level, a (Hall of Fame) level. Very few can say they did that. I’ve got two Heisman candidates (to play with) — Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, they’re amazing. You know how they go.

“If you ain’t rocking with us and you claim you’re a dawg, why are you not coming to Colorado? Why you not helping somebody who looks like you?”

The Buffs hosted Seaton, a five-star recruit, during their loss to Oregon State on Nov. 4. The tackle had offers from 29 Power 5 programs, per the 247Sports database, and had been considering CU along with Ohio State, Alabama, Texas, Florida and Tennessee.

Seaton represents one of Coach Prime’s biggest recruiting wins as a head coach in a short career that’s seen several already.

Sanders shocked experts by landing cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter, the nation’s No. 1 prep recruit in the Class of 2022, at Jackson State. Hunter then followed Coach Prime from Jackson, Miss., to CU. Hunter, a sophomore, was recently presented with the 2023 Paul Hornung Award, given annually to “the most versatile player in major college football.”

Floridian Cormani McClain, 247Sports’ No. 1 cornerback recruit for the Class of 2023, committed to the Buffs in January and appeared in nine games as a true freshman, recording two pass break-ups.

Seaton also addresses the Buffs’ most glaring weakness in Sanders’ first season as an FBS coach: the offensive line.

CU allowed the most sacks (56) of any Power 5 program this past fall, and Sanders’ son Shedeur, the Buffs’ starting quarterback, was sacked 52 times in 11 starts.

“That will never happen again,” Seaton told Fox Sports 1.

It’s presumed that, like Shedeur, Seaton will start from Day 1 at CU.

The Buffs’ starting left tackle this past season, Gerad Christian-Lichtenhan, recently entered the transfer portal.

“He’s an elite-level football player,” Pat Ward, Seaton’s former coach at St. John’s, told The Post last month. “Just a very good athlete, great work ethic, wants to be a great player. One of the best players I’ve ever coached.”

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“You guys are gonna make me cry,” CU Buffs coach Deion Sanders told a crowd of roughly 4,600 at the CU Events Center on Wednesday night for a special screening of the Amazon Prime reality television show “Coach Prime.”

“You have been the best set of fans I have ever experienced in my entire life.”

After thanking those fans, who sold out CU’s football season despite a 4-8 finish and a 1-8 mark in Pac-12 play, Buffs faithful were treated on the arena jumbotron to episodes two and three of the reality program’s second season, which detailed the NFL icon’s move to Boulder last December and his debut campaign with the Buffs.

Episodes 1 and 2 of “Coach Prime” are slated to drop Thursday via Prime Video.

Sanders addressed the crowd and thanked Sports Illustrated, which recently named him its 2023 Sportsperson of the Year, via a makeshift stage on the Events Center floor.

While CU finished last in the Pac-12, interest in Sanders’ FBS debut as a head coach was such that the Buffs wound up playing in two of the top 10 most-watched college football games of the 2023 regular season.

CU’s 42-6 loss at Oregon finished No. 2 in the regular-season ratings, with 10.03 million viewers, while the Buffs’ 43-35 overtime win over CSU in the Rocky Mountain Showdown at Folsom Field drew 9.3 million, which ranked fifth in viewership.

A few minutes before the coach’s presentation, Sanders, his family and CU luminaries such as former Buffs quarterback Kordell Stewart, a longtime Coach Prime friend and confidant, walked through a quick series of “gold carpet” interview sessions backstage.

“I mean, this is what it’s about, right?” Stewart reflected when asked about the first year of Sanders’ reign in Boulder.

“Imagine if we have social media back when. I’m talking (from ex-CU QB) Sal Aunese to the Darian Hagans, the Charles Johnsons. And then coming in and having a chance to be a part of it.

“So at the end of the day, man, it’s a new time. It’s a new day. The landscape was totally different. But it’s still transparent …

“But it couldn’t be any better this.”

And on a night that celebrated his 1-year anniversary at CU, Sanders wouldn’t leave the stage without trying to raise the bar for Year 2.

“It’s my challenge … that we’re gonna get Peggy (Coppom) to a bowl game next season,” Sanders said of the CU superfan, who was also in attendance.