AP Sports

As college football evolves, so does the relationship between players and their CEO-like coaches

This tumultuous and uncertain period of college football, with rules about player compensation and transfers seemingly changing every six months, has made more than a few coaches — including Nick Saban — question whether the job is really for them anymore. For younger coaches such as Oregon running backs coach Ra’Shaad Samples — the potential head coaches of the future — evolution is everything. Thirty-something head coaches such as the Rams’ Sean McVay Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham and now Oregon’s Dan Lanning have taught Samples: It’s not about keeping up with trends, but being a trendsetter.

Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu presented Olympic bronze medal first awarded to American Jordan Chiles

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu has received the Olympic bronze medal that was first awarded to U.S. gymnast Jordan Chiles but later revoked over a scoring controversy. At a ceremony in Bucharest on Friday, Barbosu was presented the bronze for her floor exercise performance at the Paris games, the first Olympic medal earned by a Romanian gymnast in 12 years. Barbosu said she hopes to represent her country at the highest level in the future and “bring home more medals.” The scoring controversy has been painful for both athletes, and Chiles was stripped of her bronze. USA Gymnastics has said it will continue efforts to let Chiles keep her medal.

Harbaugh says Kaepernick will not be a player or coach with the Chargers this season

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — If Colin Kaepernick wants to join the Los Angeles Chargers, it will not be until next year at the earliest. And it will only be as an assistant coach according to coach Jim Harbaugh. “I love Colin, but he’s not going to be on the coaching staff, which is set for this year. And he’s not going to be playing on the roster either,” Harbaugh said after Thursday’s practice. Harbaugh told USA Today Sports earlier this week that he reached out to Kaepernick about joining his Chargers’ staff shortly after being named coach on Jan. 24. Kaepernick, who turns 37 on Nov. 3, still has hopes of returning to the playing field, despite not playing since 2016. He told Britain’s “Sky Sports News” during the recent Paris Olympics that he is still training.

Mauricio Pochettino negotiating to succeed Gregg Berhalter as U.S. soccer coach, AP source says

A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that Mauricio Pochettino and the U.S. Soccer Federation are working toward a deal for him to be the men’s national team coach. Pochettino formerly coached Tottenham, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain. The person says Pochettino has agreed to become the U.S. coach but no final deal has been reached. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal wasn’t complete. Pochettino is a 52-year-old from Argentina. He would succeed Gregg Berhalter, less than 22 months before the Americans host the 2026 World Cup. The USSF declined to comment.

USWNT follows Olympic gold by reclaiming top spot in rankings after 12-month absence

ZURICH (AP) — The U.S. women’s soccer team has returned to the top of the FIFA world rankings after winning gold last weekend at the Paris Olympics. Mallory Swanson’s goal helped secure the team its fifth Olympic gold medal by beating Brazil 1-0 in the final on Saturday. That lifted the Americans up from fifth and ended a 12-month absence from the top of the rankings. England moved up to second ahead of Spain, Germany, Sweden and Canada. Brazil climbed one spot to eighth. The worst slide belonged to France, which dropped from second to 10th.

NBA schedule released. Among highlights: Celtics-Knicks on ring night, Durant going back to school

Boston will get its championship rings on Oct. 22, and the rival New York Knicks will be there for the celebration. The NBA schedule was released Thursday for the coming season, and Game 1 on the slate is the Celtics hosting the Knicks on opening night. The league released 1,200 of the 1,230 games on the schedule Thursday. The other 30 will be slotted in December, depending on how teams fare during the NBA Cup. Some were previously known, such as Miami and Washington playing in Mexico City on Nov. 2 and the San Antonio Spurs and Indiana Pacers playing a home-and-home in Paris on Jan. 23 and Jan. 25.

Weston Wilson becomes 1st Phillies rookie to hit for cycle with double in 8th inning vs Nationals

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Weston Wilson became the first rookie in franchise history to hit for the cycle in a 13-3 win Thursday over the Washington Nationals. He became the ninth Phillies player to ever hit for the cycle, Wilson tripled and singled in the fourth; homered in the seventh and, then — with fans chanting “Double! Double!” — doubled to right in the eighth, with Alex Call failing on a diving attempt. Wilson had the 10th cycle in Phillies history — Chuck Klein did it twice — and he was the first home player to accomplish the feat at Citizens Bank Park since David Bell in 2004.

American rider Sepp Kuss takes on leading role as he begins title defense in Spanish Vuelta

MADRID (AP) — This time the spotlight will be on Sepp Kuss from the start as he tries to retain his title in the Spanish Vuelta. Kuss won last year’s race over Primoz Roglic and Jonas Vingegaard, who then were the top riders for Team Visma-Lease a Bike. Roglic has now switched to Team Red Bull Bora-Hansgrohe while Vingegaard has skipped the Vuelta to rest and prepare for the birth of his child. Kuss arrives in good form to repeat as champion, having won the Burgos Vuelta last week. The American did not participate in the Tour de France because of COVID-19.

Is freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith the next big thing for No. 2 Ohio State?

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Jeremiah Smith might be the next big thing for No. 2 Ohio State. The pass-catching prodigy from Miami Gardens, Florida, was the country’s top-rated high school recruit when he signed with Ohio State in December and enrolled early amid a frenzy of hype. Since then, the 6-foot-3, 215-pound Smith has shown flashes of being what everybody expects he’ll be for the No. 2 Buckeyes. He’s impressed coaches and teammates with his work ethic, route-running and acrobatic catches as he goes against the Buckeyes’ experienced defensive backs in preseason practice. Smith is a cousin of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith.

Notre Dame suspends men’s swim team for one year after review finds NCAA gambling violations

Notre Dame has suspended its men’s swimming program for at least one year after an external review found members of the team violated NCAA rules by wagering among themselves on results of their competitions. The review also found that team members failed to “treat one another with dignity and respect.” Athletic director Pete Bevacqua said in a statement Thursday that not all team members participated in the poor conduct and that coach Chris Lindauer and his staff fully cooperated with the review. Members of the team will be permitted to transfer, though NCAA sanctions would follow those found to have broken rules against gambling.