Saban’s deal extended

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama coach Nick Saban still reigns supreme over college football — in national championships and annual pay. The university announced a new eight-year deal Friday worth at least $74.4 million, which would appear to make Saban again college football’s highest-paid coach based on annual salary. The agreement runs through the 2025 season, boosting his average annual pay to $9.3 million if he sticks around for the duration. “Our family is thrilled to agree to a contract extension with the University of Alabama that will keep us in Tuscaloosa for the rest of our coaching career,” Saban said in a statement. Saban gets a one-year extension with a sizable raise for the 66-year-old coach, who has led the Crimson Tide to five national championships the past nine seasons. Ohio State’s Urban Meyer is set to make at least $7.6 million this season, and Texas A&M gave new coach Jimbo Fisher a 10-year, $75 million deal. Both Auburn’s Gus Malzahn and Georgia’s Kirby Smart are scheduled to make $7 million annually under seven-year deals, and Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh also pulls in $7 million a year. Clemson’s Dabo Swinney falls just shy of that mark under his new deal. Saban and fellow Alabama icon Bear Bryant are the only major college football coaches to win six national titles, including Saban’s 2003 BCS crown at LSU. Alabama is 125-14 over the past decade, with five Southeastern Conference championships. “We are so fortunate to have the best football coach in the country here at Alabama in Coach Saban, and we are very pleased that he has agreed to another contract extension,” athletic director Greg Byrne said. Saban’s salary will increase to $7.5 million this season and go up by another $400,000 in each subsequent year. He also gets an $800,000 signing incentive this year and would receive the same amount for completing each of the next three seasons.

CYCLING

› LARUNS, France — Having worn the leader’s yellow jersey over the Alps and through the Pyrenees, only one more challenging stage stands in the way of Geraint Thomas winning the Tour de France for the first time. Thomas takes an advantage of 2 minutes, 5 seconds over Dutch rival Tom Dumoulin into today’s 19-mile individual time trial in the Basque Country. The pressure of leading has reminded Thomas of the time he helped Britain to the gold medal in team pursuit on the track at the 2012 London Olympics. “It comes down to tomorrow, but I can take confidence with how I’m riding, and what will be will be,” he said. “There’s still one more big day to go.” While Dumoulin is the reigning time trial world champion, Thomas is quite capable in the discipline and acknowledged he should be able to protect his advantage. He increased his lead after the final mountain stage on Friday, while Sky teammate and four-time champion Chris Froome lost his potential spot on the podium. Slovenia’s Primoz Roglic won the 125-mile 19th stage through the Pyrenees with an attack on the dangerous descent from the Col d’Aubisque. Roglic finished 19 seconds ahead of Thomas, while Romain Bardet crossed third with the same time. Thomas received a six-second bonus for ending up second, while Dumoulin finished sixth and Froome eighth, both with the same time as the race leader. Roglic leapfrogged Froome into the third spot overall, 2:24 off the pace. Froome — a four-time winner and the reigning champ — now trails by 2:37. After the hilly time trial, the race concludes with the mostly ceremonial finish on the ChampsÉlysées in Paris on Sunday.

BASKETBALL

› HOUSTON — Clint Capela has signed a fiveyear, $90 million extension with the Houston Rockets. Capela, who was a restricted free agent, started a career-high 74 games last season while helping Houston reach the Western Conference finals. The 6-foot10 center averaged 13.9 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks — all career highs — last season. The 24-year-old had 42 double-doubles last season, and Houston was 25-2 when he scored 15 or more points. Capela, drafted 25th overall in 2014, has steadily improved in his four NBA seasons, and his development has helped him become a key piece of this team led by James Harden, who won his first MVP award last month.