Yamamoto: Would’ve picked Dodgers sans Ohtani
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Jesse Rogers, ESPN Staff Writer
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto said his desire to win trumped all other reasons in choosing his new team, including Shohei Ohtani also picking the Dodgers.
“I wouldn’t say he was the sole reason in deciding to come here, and if he went somewhere else I probably would have still ended up in L.A,” Yamamoto said through his interpreter in a Wednesday news conference. “Winning now and winning into the future was probably the most important thing in making this decision.”
Yamamoto, 25, donned a No. 18 jersey as the Dodgers introduced their latest star just a few weeks after doing the same with Ohtani. Yamamoto signed a 12-year, $325 million deal with L.A. after being swayed by the team’s plan to keep winning. He expressed appreciation that Ohtani structured his 10-year, $700 million deal in a way that allowed the Dodgers to pursue other players such as Yamamoto.
“Through my talks with the front office it was really clear that they wanted to win,” Yamamoto said. “On top of that, the fact that Shohei was doing that also signaled that it wasn’t just the front office, it was also the players that bought into this winning atmosphere. That really resonated with me.”
Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said the entire organization scouted Yamamoto and came away impressed with his ability and routine from the moment he took the field for games in Japan.
“When you get to the ballpark, one of the first things you notice is an incredibly impressive game of long toss, where the ball feels like its never coming off of a line and oftentimes looks like its going to knock the catcher’s mitt right out of his hands,” Gomes said. “There’s a different level of intent and focus with each and every throw he makes leading up to that night’s game.”
Yamamoto joins a staff that includes Tyler Glasnow, who recently arrived in a trade, and Walker Buehler, who is due to return next season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
Yamamoto was asked if seeing Japanese pitchers of the past such as Kenta Maeda in an L.A. uniform drew him to the team.
“I wouldn’t say that was the sole reason for choosing the Dodgers, but when I was 19 I did come to watch a playoff game here, and in that game Kenta Maeda did throw and it made me feel more strongly about coming overseas to play in the big leagues,” Yamamoto said.
Yamamoto introduced himself in English before deferring to his interpreter for questions. He’ll be the face of the pitching staff until Ohtani returns to the mound in 2025.
“He said, ‘Ask me anything you ever need,'” Yamamoto said, referring to Ohtani. “So it really felt comfortable talking to him about it. To be able to play with him from here on out definitely means a lot.”
Yamamoto indicated that he always liked the Dodgers but stopped short of calling himself a Dodgers fan while growing up. His ascension to the big leagues — and with a historic team — isn’t something he necessarily thought could happen.
“Looking back on my high school self, I probably would be very surprised at where I am now,” he said, “but I really feel like I’ve been doing the same things since I entered the league at 18 years old.”
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Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior Writer
Wisconsin fired offensive coordinator Phil Longo on Sunday, a day after the Badgers’ 16-13 home loss to No. 1 Oregon.
In a statement, Badgers coach Luke Fickell thanked Longo for his two seasons with the program, while adding, “We are not where we need to be and believe this decision is in the best interest of the team.”
Wisconsin ranks 97th nationally in scoring and 102nd in passing while operating an Air Raid-style offense that Longo brought with him from North Carolina and other stops.
The Badgers, who lost starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke to a season-ending injury Sept. 14, had only three points and 88 yards in the second half against Oregon, which rallied from a 13-6 deficit entering the fourth quarter.
Wisconsin ranked 101st nationally in scoring in Longo’s 23 games as coordinator and failed to eclipse 13 points on its current three-game losing streak. Quarterback Braedyn Locke had only 96 passing yards against the Ducks.
Fickell did not immediately announce an interim coordinator for Wisconsin’s final regular-season games against Nebraska and Minnesota.
Fickell had long targeted Longo for a coordinator role, going back to his time as Cincinnati’s coach. Longo, 56, oversaw productive offenses at Ole Miss, North Carolina, Sam Houston State and other spots but never consistently got traction at a Wisconsin program that had operated dramatically differently on offense before his arrival.
“This team still has a lot in front of us and I am committed to doing everything we can to close out this season with success,” Fickell said in his statement.
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Eli Lederman, ESPN Staff Writer
Four-star quarterback Tramell Jones Jr. has committed to Florida, he told ESPN on Sunday, joining the Gators’ 2025 class four days after pulling his pledge from Florida State.
Jones, a four-year starter at Florida’s Mandarin High School, is ESPN’s No. 9 dual-threat passer in the Class of 2025. After multiple trips to Florida throughout his recruitment, Jones returned to campus Saturday, taking an official visit with the Gators during the program’s 27-16 win over LSU. A day later, Jones stands as the lone quarterback pledge in a 2025 Florida class that includes five pledges from the ESPN 300.
“I pretty much saw everything I needed to see when I visited last spring — I just love everything around the campus,” Jones told ESPN. “And then hanging out with the guys yesterday, seeing the camaraderie with each other, that really just sealed it for me.”
Jones was the longest-tenured member of Mike Norvell’s 2025 class at Florida State before his decommitment from the Seminoles on Thursday morning.
Jones’ exit came days after Norvell announced the firings of three assistant coaches on Nov. 10, including offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Alex Atkins. Jones was the first Florida State commit to pull his pledge in the wake of the staff shakeup but marked the Seminoles sixth decommitment since the start of the regular season, joining five ESPN 300 recruits who have left Norvell’s recruiting class across the program’s 1-9 start.
Jones’ commitment follows a key late-season victory for Billy Napier on Saturday and marks the Gators’ first recruiting win since athletic director Scott Strickland announced on Nov. 7 that Florida would stick with the third-year coach beyond the 2024 season.
Uncertainty over Napier’s future had weighed down Florida’s recruiting efforts in the 2025 class as the Gators began November with the No. 39 class in ESPN’s latest team rankings for the cycle. But Jones’ pledge comes as a boost for Florida one day after the Gators hosted a handful of high-profile flip targets, including five-star offensive tackle Solomon Thomas (Florida State pledge) and four-star wide receiver Jaime Ffrench (Texas pledge).
When Jones signs with Florida, he’ll arrive on campus flanked by fellow in-state offensive talents in four-star wide receivers Vernell Brown III (No. 44 in the ESPN 300) and Naeshaun Montgomery (No. 115), as well as four-star running back Waltez Clark (No. 223). Florida is also set to sign a pair of in-state defenders from the 2025 ESPN 300 between four-star defensive end Jalen Wiggins (No. 68) and four-star cornerback Ben Hanks Jr. (No. 121).
With Jones’ commitment, Florida has another jolt to its momentum on the recruiting trail as the Gators seek to chart a strong finish in the 2025 cycle next month. More imminently, Florida will host No. 11 Ole Miss on Saturday.
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