Miami set to hire Richt
Mark Richt has agreed to become the next head coach of the Miami Hurricanes, according to multiple reports.
Richt, 55, interviewed with the Hurricanes on Tuesday and was immediately considered the frontrunner for the job after parting ways with Georgia last week. Miami also interviewed former coach Butch Davis, Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen and former Miami assistant and Rutgers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano. Interim coach Larry Scott, who led the Hurricanes to four wins in their past five games after Al Golden was fired, was also interviewed.
Richt is considered a strong hire for a program that has largely floundered for more than a decade. He starred at Boca Raton High before attending Miami, where he played for coach Howard Schnellenberger and was a backup to Jim Kelly. Richt was 145-51 at Georgia, and has strong recruiting ties in south Florida.
Durkin reportedly takes Maryland job
Defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin of Michigan was offered and has accepted the head football coaching position at Maryland, multiple media outlets reported on Wednesday.
The 37-year-old Durkin, whose Wolverine defense ranks fourth in the nation this season, emerged as a strong candidate after an interview with Maryland officials last week.
Sports Illustrated was among several sources reporting that Durkin has accepted the job, calling it a “done deal”
Durkin, who has a reputation as a strong recruiter, rejoined coach Jim Harbaugh at Michigan this season after serving under Harbaugh at Stanford in 2007-09.
Canucks’ Sutter out after surgery
Forward Brandon Sutter of the Vancouver Canucks underwent surgery to repair a sports hernia injury and is expected to miss 4-to-6 weeks, the team announced on Wednesday.
Sutter had not played since Nov. 10 because of the injury.
“Following a period of treatment and evaluation, our medical team determined that the best course of action for Brandon was to perform this procedure,” Canucks general manager Jim Benning said in a statement. “The surgery was successful and we expect a full recovery.”
Steelers QB Roethlisberger cleared to practice
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is out of concussion protocol and was cleared to practice with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday.
Roethlisberger said Tuesday that he was out of the NFL’s mandated concussion protocol, which requires clearance from an independent neurologist to return to on-field activities, but head coach Mike Tomlin and the Steelers denied that was the case just hours later.
On Wednesday, Roethlisberger was indeed back on the field with the Steelers, who host the Indianapolis Colts at Heinz Field on Sunday night.
Trade sends Trumbo to Orioles, Clevenger to Mariners
The Seattle Mariners acquired catcher Steve Clevenger from the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday in exchange for first baseman/outfielder Mark Trumbo and left-hander C.J. Riefenhauser.
Clevenger, 29, batted .287 with two home runs and 15 RBIs in 30 games with the Orioles last season. Trumbo, 29, began last season with the Arizona Diamondbacks before he was part of a six-player trade in June with the Mariners. Between the two teams, he batted .262 with 22 home runs and 64 RBIs in 142 combined games. Trumbo has a career .250 batting average with 131 homers and 409 RBIs in 690 games.
Riefenhauser, 25, was acquired by the Mariners last month in a six-player deal with the Tampa Bay Rays. In 17 outings for the Rays last season, Riefenhauser was 1-0 with a 5.52 ERA but ended the year with seven straight scoreless appearances.
Eagles QB Bradford practices, will start
PHILADELPHIA — Quarterback Sam Bradford of the Philadelphia Eagles practiced on Wednesday and is expected to play Sunday against the New England Patriots after missing the last two games with a concussion and an injury to his non-throwing shoulder.
Bradford cleared concussion protocol last week, but the shoulder injury kept him out of the Eagles’ short-week loss to Detroit.
Not practicing Wednesday was running back Ryan Mathews, who could miss his third consecutive game due to a concussion.