Sports

By STEVE MEGARGEE AP Sports Writer Southeastern Conference schools continue to rule over the recruiting trail, almost as thoroughly as they dominate on the field. Alabama put together the best 2023 class in the country, according to composite rankings of recruiting sites compiled by 247Sports. The SEC has eight of the top 17 classes, including

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona says it missed out on signing Mexican right back Julián Araujo because its was 18 seconds late turning in his transfer documentation. Barcelona director of soccer Mateu Alemany says a “system error” caused the club to miss the midnight deadline at the end of the transfer window Tuesday. Alemany says

By RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Football Writer The opening of college football’s traditional signing period for high school prospects brought an apparent end to two of the cycle’s most notable recruitments. Blue-chip quarterback Jaden Rashada, who signed with Florida in December and then asked to be released from the commitment when a name, imagine

By JOSH DUBOW AP Pro Football Writer SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan is “content” going into next season with Brock Purdy and Trey Lance as the top two quarterbacks for the 49ers even after both head into the offseason rehabilitating major injuries. Purdy could be sidelined until training camp with

By MARK LONG AP Sports Writer GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida coach Billy Napier provided little insight into how and why the Gators lost four-star quarterback Jaden Rashada but says he doesn’t expect it to prompt an NCAA investigation. Napier sidestepped several questions about Rashada, who signed with Florida in December only to be granted

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are getting a national television audience on Saturday. Just in case. With James closing in on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s career scoring record, the NBA has moved the Lakers’ game at New Orleans up two hours to a 6 p.m. Eastern start. The Lakers-Pelicans

By JOE REEDY AP Sports Writer Apple made its biggest entry into the sports streaming marketplace when Major League Soccer’s “Season Pass” debuted on Apple TV+. The app can be accessed on Apple devices, smart TVs, streaming devices, set-top cable boxes and game consoles as well as Apple’s web site.

By JOHN ZENOR AP Sports Writer MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — The prolific pace of school-switching among college players has helped some NFL prospects have breakout seasons and demonstrate they can adapt to a new system. They’re hoping that pays off in the draft. Offensive lineman O’Cyrus Torrence followed his coach, Billy Napier, from Louisiana-Lafayette to

By TALES AZZONI AP Sports Writer MADRID (AP) — Robert Lewandowski has ended his scoring drought in the Spanish league to help Barcelona defeat Real Betis 2-1 and increase its lead over Real Madrid. Barcelona reached 50 points halfway through the league. Lewandowski sealed Barcelona’s sixth straight victory in all competitions with his first league

By DANIELLA MATAR AP Sports Writer MILAN (AP) — Cremonese has pulled off another shock in the Italian Cup by beating Roma 2-1 to reach the semifinals for only the second time in its history and the first in 36 years. Without a win in Serie A, last-place Cremonese followed up its cup victory at

By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Sports Writer Four-time Super Bowl-winning executive Bobby Beathard has died. He was 86. Beathard was director of player personnel for two of the NFL championships by Miami in the 1970s and served as general manager for two more by Washington in the ’80s. He also scouted for Kansas City when the

By TALES AZZONI AP Sports Writer MADRID (AP) — Robert Lewandowski has ended his scoring drought in the Spanish league to help Barcelona defeat Real Betis 2-1 and increase its lead over Real Madrid. Lewandowski sealed Barcelona’s sixth straight victory in all competitions with his first league goal since October. He is the league’s leading

By JEROME PUGMIRE AP Sports Writer PARIS (AP) — Kylian Mbappé’s night went from bad to worse when he missed a twice-taken penalty for Paris Saint-Germain against Montpellier and then limped off injured. The World Cup star went off midway through the first half against moments after clutching his right leg just below the knee

MAINZ, Germany (AP) — João Cancelo needed little time to make an impact for Bayern Munich as he help his new team reach the quarterfinals of the German Cup with a 4-0 win at Mainz. The Portugal left back started on the right wing one day after joining on loan from Manchester City and he

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy is set to call plays in 2023 after the club parted ways with offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. Owner and general manager Jerry Jones says McCarthy will run a version of the West Coast offense he used when calling plays as head coach in Green Bay from