Nearly two years after the retired coach was first charged with child molestation, the school said 23 deals were fully signed and three were agreements in principle. It did not disclose the names of the recipients.

The school faces six other claims, and the university says it believes some of those do not have merit while others may produce settlements.

University president Rodney Erickson issued a statement calling the announcement a step forward for victims and the school.

"We cannot undo what has been done, but we can and must do everything possible to learn from this and ensure it never happens again at Penn State," said Erickson, who announced the day Sandusky was convicted in June 2012 that Penn State was determined to compensate his victims.

The settlements have been unfolding since mid-August, when attorneys for the accusers began to disclose them. Penn State has not been confirming them, waiting instead to announce deals at once.

Harrisburg lawyer Ben Andreozzi, who helped negotiate several of the settlements, said his clients were satisfied.

"They felt that the university treated them fairly with the economic and noneconomic terms of the settlement," said Andreozzi, who also represents some others who have come forward recently. Those new claims have not been presented to the university, he said.

One client represented by St. Paul, Minn., attorney Jeff Anderson signed off on an agreement in the past week and the other is basically done, he said. Anderson counts his two clients as among the three that have been classified as agreements in principle, which Penn State said means final documentation is expected to be completed in the next few weeks.


MARSHALL 'SHOULD BE OK'


Auburn offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee says quarterback Nick Marshall "should be OK" for the Arkansas game.

Lashlee says Marshall participated in Sunday's brief practice but his right (throwing) shoulder was sore.

Freshman Jeremy Johnson took over after Marshall hurt his shoulder early in Saturday night's 45-10 victory over Florida Atlantic. He didn't return to the game.

Marshall completed his only passing attempt. Lashlee said Sunday that the Tigers have confidence in both players.

Johnson finished 10-of-16 passing for 192 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He started the Western Carolina game while Marshall recovered from a knee injury.

Lashlee says he's "extremely confident" Johnson would be able to handle the road environment.


UW LOSES WIDEOUT


Washington wide receiver Kasen Williams is expected to miss the rest of the regular season after undergoing surgery on Tuesday to repair a fracture in his lower left leg and an injury to his left foot.

Washington coach Steve Sarkisian said Monday that Williams was scheduled for an MRI later in the day, but a timeline on how long Williams will be out won't be known until after the surgery.

Williams was injured in the first half of Saturday's 41-17 win over California. Williams attempted to adjust to an underthrown pass and had his left leg pinned underneath the defensive back as he came down.

Williams was Washington's leading receiver last season, but he had been less of a factor in the Huskies, offense this year. He has 29 catches for 421 yards and one touchdown this season.


ILLINOIS WR OUT FOR SEASON


Illinois football coach Tim Beckman says starting wide receiver Ryan Lankford will miss the rest of the season because of a shoulder injury.

Beckman said Monday the senior broke a bone in a shoulder in Saturday's loss to Michigan State. The coach said after the game he suspected Lankford's injury would be season-ending.

Lankford has 15 catches for 308 yards and a touchdown. His total yardage is second on the team behind running back Josh Ferguson's 361 yards.

Lankford finishes his career at Illinois with 70 catches for 1,014 yards and seven touchdowns.


THORPE CANDIDATES ANNOUNCED


Alabama's Landon Collins, Oregon's Ifo Ekpre-Olomu and Florida State's Lamarcus Joyner are among the 15 semifinalists for this year's Jim Thorpe Award, given to the country's top defensive back.

Three finalists will be named Nov. 25, with the winner announced Dec. 12 on ESPN. The award is presented by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame and Jim Thorpe Association in Oklahoma City.

Other semifinalists for the honor include: Ohio State's C.J. Barnett, Washington State's Deone Bucannon, Oklahoma's Aaron Colvin, Michigan State's Darqueze Dennard, Virginia Tech's Kyle Fuller, Florida's Vernon Hargreaves, Oregon State's Steven Nelson, Ole Miss' Cody Prewitt, Louisville's Calvin Pryor, TCU's Jason Verrett, Northern Illinois' Jimmie Ward and Kansas State's Ty Zimmerman.

Last year's award went to Johnthan Banks of Mississippi State.

Contributors: Carl Moritz, The Associated Press