A record-setting running back from Louisiana has committed to P.J. Fleck and Co.

Xavier Ford announced his pledge of allegiance to the Gophers on Sunday. The three-star running back was named Mr. Football in Louisiana this fall after running for 3,461 yards and 52 touchdowns as a senior for Leesville.

The 2025 recruit, who received an offer during his visit to Minnesota over the weekend, also had offers from the likes of Tulane and Houston.

The 5-foot-9, 210 pounder joins a running back room currently highlighted by Gophers star back Darius Taylor. Ford’s addition helps restock the cupboard at the position, after Minnesota had a couple running back commits flip to other programs late in the cycle.

— Jace Frederick

Wisconsin believes tampering occurred

Wisconsin says it has “credible information” that Miami and Xavier Lucas made impermissible contact with each other before the former Badgers cornerback decided to transfer to his home-state school.

Lucas’ lawyer, Darren Heitner, said Friday that his client was going to play for Miami even though Wisconsin had never entered Lucas’ name into the transfer portal.

Wisconsin issued a statement Saturday saying it hadn’t put Lucas’ name into the portal because he had entered into a two-year binding name, image and likeness agreement with “substantial financial compensation” for him on Dec. 2.

“Under the terms of the agreement between Xavier and Wisconsin Athletics, it remains in effect and enforceable,” Wisconsin said. “Badger student-athletes who have signed these agreements expect Wisconsin Athletics to honor the terms. Wisconsin Athletics relies on the student-athlete representations in signing these agreements that they will do the same. A request to enter the transfer portal after entering into such an agreement is inconsistent with the representations and mutual understanding of the agreement and explains the reason for not processing a transfer portal request under these circumstances.”

Golf

Straka cruises to 2-shot victory over Thomas

Sepp Straka remained aggressive and stayed well in front while hunting down a comfortable two-shot victory over Justin Thomas at The American Express. The 31-year-old Austrian finished at 25-under 263 with a final-round 70 on the Stadium Course.

Straka, already the first Austrian to earn a tour card and to win three years ago, marched to victory after taking a four-shot lead into the final round at the venerable Coachella Valley tournament. He didn’t have a bogey in the four-day event until making two in the final three holes, but his competitors couldn’t mount a charge to make it uncomfortable.

Thomas shot a 66 to finish at 23 under, one shot ahead of Justin Lower (69) and Australia’s Jason Day (69) in third. Day got his first top-three finish since the 2023 British Open, while Lower recorded his third top-five finish in his last five tournaments.

College basketball

Bueckers is fastest to 2,000 points at UConn

Paige Bueckers scored 18 points to surpass 2,000 in her career and No. 6 UConn cruised to a 96-36 win over Seton Hall on Sunday.

Bueckers scored points No. 2,000 and 2,001 on a jumper with 8:05 remaining in the first half.

She reached the mark in her 102nd game, breaking the program record of 108 games by Maya Moore. Bueckers is the 12th UConn player to hit that milestone.

Hockey

McDavid to have hearing for cross-check penalty

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid will have a disciplinary hearing for his cross-check to the head of Vancouver Canucks winger Conor Garland, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced Sunday.

Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers also will have a hearing for cross-checking Edmonton defenseman Evan Bouchard. The league said both hearings will be held Monday afternoon.

Both incidents occurred Saturday night during a melee at the end of the Canucks’ 3-2 victory over Edmonton in Vancouver.

McDavid was given a match penalty when he slammed his stick into Garland’s head after the players got tangled up with the clock winding down and the Oilers looking for the tying goal.

Soccer

Amorim thinks current Man U is worst in history

Ruben Amorim delivered a withering assessment of his Manchester United team after its latest loss, admitting it might be the “worst” side in the club’s storied history.

United fell to a 10th Premier League defeat of the season on Sunday, losing 3-1 to Brighton at Old Trafford.

“We are being the worst, maybe, in the history of Manchester United,” the United head coach said. “I am saying that because we have to acknowledge and change that.”

The 20-time English champion is 13th in the standings and closer to the relegation zone than Champions League qualification.

Amorim has lost seven of his 15 games in charge since succeeding former manager Erik ten Hag in November.

Six defeats from the first 12 home league games of the season is United’s worst run since 1893-94, according to the Premier League’s statistician Opta.

Briefly

baseball >> Jeff Torborg, the former catcher who caught Sandy Koufax’s perfect game and was the 1990 AL manager of the year with the Chicago White Sox, died Sunday. He was 83.

Golf >> Englishman Tyrrell Hatton held off Daniel Hillier of New Zealand to win the Dubai Desert Classic by a stroke on Sunday, equaling Jon Rahm’s record of five Rolex Series victories.

College basketball >> Vanderbilt was fined $250,000 by the Southeastern Conference on Sunday for allowing fans to storm the court Saturday in celebration of a 75-75 basketball victory over No. 6 Tennessee.

— From news services