Eagles to hire Sirianni as coach
The Eagles were nearing a deal to hire Nick Sirianni to be their head coach Thursday night, according to reports.
Sirianni was the offensive coordinator for the Colts the last three seasons. He worked under coach Frank Reich, who was offensive coordinator for the Eagles when they won the Super Bowl three years ago.
The 39-year-old Sirianni previously served as an assistant coach with the Chiefs and Chargers.
The Eagles fired Doug Pederson following a 4-11-1 season, less than three years after he led the team to the franchise’s only Super Bowl title.
Vikings offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak retired after a 36-year career as a player, coach and adviser in the NFL. Kubiak, 59, joined the Vikings in 2018. He participated in seven Super Bowls as a player or coach, winning four titles. Kubiak’s most recent ring came after the 2015 season as the head coach for the Broncos, the team he played nine years for as a backup quarterback to John Elway. He stepped down from that post after two seasons for health reasons, which also ended an eight-year run as head coach of the Texans. ... The Steelers signed former Washington QB Dwayne Haskins to a futures contract. Haskins, a 2019 first-round pick, was released by Washington last month after violating COVID-19 protocols for a second time.
College football: The NCAA placed Notre Dame on probation for one year after the sides agreed that a former assistant coach Todd Lyght had an impermissible in-person meeting with one prospect and sent impermissible text messages to another. Head coach Brian Kelly also was found to have had impermissible off-campus contact with a prospect when he had his picture taken with the prospect at his high school. The number of official recruiting visits Notre Dame can host in 2020-21 will be reduced by one, from 56 to 55, and there will be 14 days when prospects won’t be allowed to make unofficial visits. The Irish also will impose a seven-day off-campus recruiting ban for the entire staff this spring. The school must pay a $5,000 fine . ... National champ Alabama hired former Texans head coach Bill O’Brien as offensive coordinator and QBs coach. O’Brien, 51, was fired by the Texans after an 0-4 start this season. He spent six-plus years leading the NFL team following two seasons as head coach at Penn State.
Golf: Brandon Hagy shot a first-round 8-under 64 to take a one-stroke lead over South Korea’s Byeong Hun An at The American Express in La Quinta, Calif . ... Danielle Kang shot a first-round 7-under 64 to take a one-stroke at the season-opening Tournament of Champions in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Defending champ Gaby Lopez and sisters Jessica and Nelly Korda were tied for second at the winners-only event.
NBA: Hornets C Cody Zeller is expected to return Friday against the Bulls after missing four weeks with a broken bone in his left hand. Zeller suffered the injury in the Hornets’ season opener.
Soccer: Expansion club Austin FC selected Virginia Tech midfielder Daniel Pereira with the No. 1 pick in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft. Pereira, 20, a native of Venezuela, moved to the U.S. in high school.