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Colorado defensive back Shilo Sanders, son of head coach Deion Sanders, is $11 million in debt and filed for bankruptcy in October 2023, according to USA Today.  The petition for relief — which was filed under Chapter 7 in Colorado’s Bankruptcy Code — states Sanders is on the hook for $11.3 million stemming from a March 2022 civil trial in Texas. The initial filing noted Sanders owns $478,000 in assets, though an amendment in December brought that number down to $320,000. 

The filing obtained by USA Today states that Sanders brought in a gross income of $193,713 during the 2023 fiscal year. That number is actually down from the $216,950 he netted while playing at Jackson State in 2022. A large portion of his income can be attributed to name, image and likeness deals — Sanders reported a Mercedes valued at almost $76,000 among his assets — but it’s a far cry from some of the NIL projections that external metrics have placed on the Colorado star.

Here’s a look at the lengthy legal battle that brought Sanders to this point and what his bankruptcy filing could mean.  

Legal troubles stem from a high school incident

John Darjean, a former security guard at Triple A Academy in Dallas, Texas, filed a lawsuit against Sanders and his family in June 2016. The suit alleges that in 2015, Sanders — who was 15 at the time — assaulted Darjean after Sanders refused Darjean’s request to turn over his cellphone. 

Court documents obtained by Westword claim Sanders “slammed his elbow into Darjean’s chest and continued to hit Darjean after he fell. Darjean was taken to the hospital in an ambulance.”

Darjean alleges he “sustained severe and permanent injuries, including a broken neck, damage to his cervical spine, permanent neurological injuries…

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Remember the days when you followed high school football recruiting? Breathlessly anticipating the same quotes from different players about how much they enjoyed their official visit and how the coaching staff made them feel like they were family. Remember anxiously awaiting the announcement of a commitment and then white-knuckling it until National Signing Day, hoping nothing changed before they signed on the dotted line?

Those days feel like a long time ago, don’t they? Well, they weren’t. It was only a few years ago, but it speaks to the impact of the transfer portal that it feels like The Stone Age. These days, we don’t spend nearly as much time worried about what a high school junior is doing; we’re far more interested in the disgruntled player looking for more playing time or the ascendant superstar looking to move up a level (both on the field and in the checking account).

Transfers dominate the sport now. Five of the last seven Heisman Trophy winners were transfers. Instead of waiting for the four-star sophomore to develop into a reliable starter, title contenders not named Clemson fill gaps in the roster through the portal. Sometimes, they find another ruby to stick on an already jewel-adorned, gold-plated crown.

The portal means you can turn things around in one offseason, making it one of the most important roster-building tools available. Every season, well-known faces show up in new places, and in top conferences like the Big Ten and SEC, there is never a shortage of big-name newcomers.

As we head into the summer, here’s a look at the Big Ten transfers poised to make the most significant impact in the 2024 season.

Michigan State isn’t considered a threat in the Big Ten after finishing 4-8 last year, but if there’s one…

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MADISON – More than a decade after he played his final football game at Wisconsin, Montee Ball still holds several prestigious program records.

Ball, whose last college game was the 2013 Rose Bowl, is UW’s leader in all-time touchdowns (83), touchdowns in a season (39), all-time rushing touchdowns (77), rushing touchdowns in a season (33), points in a season (236) and all-time points (500).

His rushing total of 5,140 yards from 2009-12 is the No. 3 mark in program history, behind only Ron Dayne (7,125) and Jonathan Taylor (6,174).

On Monday, Ball was among 77 players on the ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame’s 2025 class.

The 2025 class will be announced sometime early next year. It will be officially inducted on Dec. 9, 2025, in Las Vegas, during the 67th National Football Foundation annual awards dinner.

Ball was also nominated for the 2024 class.

Montee Ball struggled early at Wisconsin before blossoming

Ball, 33, was not an immediate star when he arrived at UW in 2009 from Timberland High School in Missouri.

He played in only nine games that season and finished with 391 yards and four touchdowns. John Clay led the team in rushing with 1,517 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Ball was buried on the depth chart early in the 2010 season, behind Clay and freshman James White.

After not getting a carry in UW’s 31-18 victory over No. 1 Ohio State on Oct. 16, Ball contemplated asking to switch positions.

However, he stayed at tailback and got his chance when Clay and White suffered injuries the next week at Iowa.

He caught five passes for 41 yards and scored the decisive touchdown on an 8-yard run with 1 minute 6 seconds left in UW’s 31-30 victory.

That trio finished the season with a combined 3,060 rushing yards and 46 rushing touchdowns.

Clay led the way with 1,052 yards and 14 touchdowns. White added 1,012 yards and 14…

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There’s just something about playing underdog that Mike Gundy seems to love, no matter how much he wins. Oklahoma State was picked seventh in last season’s Big 12 preseason poll. Months later, the Pokes upset Oklahoma in the final Bedlam and played for a Big 12 championship. The Cowboys have reached double-digit wins eight times under Gundy’s watch. Half came after starting the year unranked in the preseason AP Top 25. 

But in 2024, the lack of attention is head-scratching. Oklahoma State has the seventh-best odds to win the Big 12 championship, behind teams like Iowa State and Texas Tech. The Cowboys are tied with UCF, which went 6-7 during a frustrating first season as a power conference team. Ironically, the only Knights win against a legacy Power Five team came against OSU. 

Granted, Oklahoma State was by no means dominant during its run to the Big 12 title game. Bizarre losses to UCF and South Alabama came by a combined 78-10. The Cowboys needed double overtime to survive a late charge from BYU. But still, Oklahoma State steadily held its ground. Heading into 2024, last season feels far more like an early arrival than a peak. 

For one, running back Ollie Gordon II is back after a Doak Walker Award-winning campaign. Gordon rushed for 1,732 yards and 21 touchdowns during a breakout sophomore season and will enter the 2024 season as the top returning rusher in the sport by a wide margin. 247Sports ranks his offensive line No. 1 in the nation, ahead of behemoths at LSU and Georgia. The unit boasts five starters, including tackles Dalton Cooper and Jake Springfield who combine for 89 starts. 

Overall, Oklahoma State ranks No. 3 in returning production nationally per ESPN, trailing only Iowa State and Stanford. An absurd 85% of…

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