Off the wire
FOOTBALL Rattler headed to Gamecocks
One-time Heisman Trophy contender Spencer Rattler is leaving Oklahoma for South Carolina to join former Sooners’ assistant Shane Beamer. Rattler tweeted Monday night that he had committed to the Gamecocks. The post showed Rattler in a South Carolina uniform with the Gamecocks’ logo in the background with the words, “COMMITTED.” Rattler’s post said, “Excited for the next chapter.” The 6-1 redshirt sophomore spent his first three seasons with the Sooners, and was considered among the top candidates for the Heisman Trophy entering the 2021 season. But he lost the starting job to Caleb Williams and said he was leaving the program when the year ended. Rattler played in nine games this season, completing 140 of 187 passes for 1,483 yards, 11 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. One of Rattler’s targets at Oklahoma, tight end Austin Stogner, also tweeted he was heading to South Carolina. Stogner’s post looked similar to Rattler’s, and added, “Let’s roll.” Stogner is 6-6 junior from Plano, Texas, who had 14 catches for 166 yards and 3 touchdowns. His best season with the Sooners was in 2020 when he had 26 receptions for 422 yards and 3 TDs. Beamer, South Carolina’s first-year coach, spent three seasons at Oklahoma under former coach Lincoln Riley as assistant head coach for offense and coached tight ends and H-backs. Arkansas hosts South Carolina in the teams’ 2022 SEC opener Sept. 10.
Auburn’s Nix enters portal
Auburn quarterback Bo Nix is in search of a new school. The threeyear starter said in a video posted to Instagram that he plans to leave Auburn as a graduate transfer. Nix didn’t name any potential destinations. The former five-star recruit started the first 34 games of his career before a season-ending ankle injury against Mississippi State. LSU transfer T.J. Finley started the final two games for the Tigers, who finished 6-6 and are set to face Houston in the Birmingham Bowl on Dec. 28. Auburn went 9-4 in Nix’s first season as a starter and 6-5 last year in the pandemic-shortened season. Coach Gus Malzahn was fired after the regular season concluded and Bryan Harsin was hired to replace him. Nix completed 197 of 323 passes for 2,294 yards with 11 touchdowns and 3 interceptions this season. He also ran for four touchdowns.
Ohio State QB headed to Texas
Former five-star recruit Quinn Ewers, who skipped his senior year of high school to enroll at Ohio State in the hopes of cashing in on endorsement deals, has committed to transfer to Texas. A person familiar with Ewers’ decision told The Associated Press on Sunday the quarterback had informed Texas coaches he would return to his home state and play for the school he originally committed to before his junior year at Southlake Carroll High School, outside Dallas. The person spoke on condition on anonymity because NCAA rules prohibited Texas from immediately announcing Ewers’ decision. Ewers verbally committed to Texas in August 2020 when Tom Herman was the coach, but flipped his commitment to Ohio State in November.
NFL to require booster
The NFL is requiring players, coaches and other team personnel to receive a covid-19 booster shot by Dec. 27. In a memo sent to teams Monday and obtained by The Associated Press, the league said: “Given the increased prevalence of the virus in our communities, our experts have recommended that we implement the CDC’s recommendation.” The league’s requirement extends to all Tier 1 and Tier 2 individuals who have previously received the vaccine. The CDC recommends an individual who received a second Pfizer or Moderna shot to complete the primary vaccine series more than six months earlier should receive a booster shot. An individual that received the Johnson and Johnson shot more than two months earlier should receive a booster shot. Players or staff who do not have to meet the requirement include: An individual who is not eligible for a booster pursuant to the CDC definition; an individual who is in the 90-day test holiday after a confirmed positive covid-19 test under the league protocols; or an individual who received monoclonal antibodies within the preceding 90 days; or individual whose “S” antibody level on an antibody test administered via the BioReference Lab at the club facility is 2500 or greater. The league said any individual who is not currently subject to the requirement for boosters will be required to obtain the booster within 14 days of becoming eligible.
BASKETBALL Bulls postpone games
The Chicago Bulls’ next two games — against the Detroit Pistons tonight and the Toronto Raptors on Thursday — have been postponed because 10 Bulls players, as well as other staff members, are in the NBA’s covid-19 health and safety protocols, the league’s announced Monday. With so many players unavailable, the Bulls faced the prospect of not being able to field enough healthy players to take the floor. It marks the first postponement of an NBA game this season and a reminder of the coronavirus pandemic’s continuing prevalence. Players enter the protocols when they test positive for the coronavirus or if they are possibly exposed to someone who has. Once players are in the protocols, they must quarantine for 10 days or until they have two negative PCR test results at least 24 hours apart. The league has seen a striking uptick in the number of players in protocols since increasing testing, even among vaccinated players, after Thanksgiving. Last week, the Indiana Pacers and Raptors separately canceled a practice out of what both teams said was “an abundance of caution.” Other teams affected by the recent upward swing in cases include the Charlotte Hornets, who had five players listed in protocols last week. On Monday, the team named only two, including their top player, LaMelo Ball. Before the season, Arturas Karnisovas, executive vice president of the Bulls, said the team was “getting pretty close” to being fully vaccinated. Last season, the pandemic disrupted the NBA right from the start, with dozens of games postponed throughout the season, mostly in January. Only three teams did not have a game postponed: the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and Brooklyn Nets.
BASEBALL Hemond, long-time GM, dies
Roland Hemond, whose 70-year career in baseball included three Executive of the Year awards as general manager of the Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles, died Sunday night. He was 92. The Arizona Diamondbacks, with whom he spent 19 seasons, announced Hemond’s death Monday. Hemond was Chicago’s GM from 1970-85 and served in the same role for Baltimore from 1988-95. He won the Sporting News MLB Executive of the Year award in 1972, and then again in 1983 when the White Sox won the American League West. His third Executive of the Year honor came in 1989, when the Orioles nearly won the AL East after losing 107 games the previous season. Hemond is also considered the architect of the Arizona Fall League, and he helped found the Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation to provide assistance to longtime scouts needing special support. In 2011, he received the Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award, given by the Hall of Fame’s board of directors to a person whose efforts enhanced baseball’s positive impact on society. Hemond was the assistant scouting director for the Milwaukee Braves during the 1950s. Hemond helped assemble the Milwaukee team that won the World Series in 1957, and he became scouting director for the Los Angeles Angels when they began playing in 1961. He joined the White Sox in 1970.