Tide’s Tagovailoa declares for draft
Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa put an end to the initial question about his future, announcing Monday that he’s entering the NFL draft and closing the book on a college career that began with a splash and ended with a devastating injury.
Tagovailoa is recovering from right hip surgery in November following an injury Nov. 16 against Mississippi State that ended projections of the start quarterback being the potential No. 1 overall pick.
In less than two seasons as a starter, Tagovailoa, the 2018 Heisman Trophy runner-up, set an Alabama record with 87 career TD passes and ranks third with 7,442 passing yards.
Tagovailoa became a sensation in the national title game two years ago. The freshman came off the bench to lead the Crimson Tide to a comeback win in OT.
Also, Alabama’s leading receiver DeVonta Smith announced that he will return next season, while fellow wideout Henry Ruggs III declared for the draft.
Levi Lewis threw two TD passes to Ja’Marcus Bradley, and Louisiana-Lafayette beat Miami (Ohio) 27-17 in the Mobile Alabama Bowl. The Ragin’ Cajuns (11-3) earned their first bowl win since 2014.
Baseball: The Reds signed Japanese OF Shogo Akiyama to a three-year, $21 million contract. Akiyama, 31, played parts of nine seasons for Seibu of the Japanese Pacific League. The left-handed hitting Akiyama hit .303 with 20 HRs and 62 RBIs in 143 games last season . ... The Nationals and free-agent 1B Eric Thames agreed to a one-year, $4 million contract, ESPN reported. Thames, 33, hit .247 with 25 HRs and 61 RBIs last season for the Brewers.
Also: World No. 2 Novak Djokovic won his singles and doubles matches back-to-back to lift Serbia to a 2-1 comeback, group-play win over France in Brisbane, Australia, and into the ATP Cup quarterfinals . ... MLS club New York City FC appointed Ronny Deila of Norway as its new manager. Deila, 44, replaces Domenec Torrent, who parted ways with the club in November after his first full season in charge . ... The Liberty will hired Lynx assistant coach Walt Hopkins as their next head coach, The AP reported. Hopkins replaces Katie Smith, whose contract wasn’t renewed after last season. The Liberty have the first pick in this year’s draft.