The Gophers football program picked up a pair of commitments on Saturday night: Canadian receiver Dallas Sims and Prior Lake defensive lineman Jide Abasiri., Abasiri, who is listed at 6-foot-5 and 255 pounds, had scholarship offers from Washington, Missouri, Kansas State, Iowa State and Kansas and others. Notre Dame was also interested in the three-star prospect., “Home,” Abasiri tweeted in his commitment announcement., Sims visited Minnesota this weekend and pledged to the U over offers from Purdue, Indiana, Iowa State and others., “After a great unofficial visit at @GopherFootball I’m extremely excited to announce that I’m 110% committed to the University of Minnesota!” he wrote on social media., Sims is from Winnipeg, Manitoba, but has played at Clearwater (Fla.) Academy International. The U has had success with Canadians, including former cornerback Benjamin St-Juste, now with the Washington Commanders, and through Clearwater with current offensive lineman Tyrell Lawrence, also of Milton, Ontario., Listed at 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds, Sims has a reported 40-yard dash of 4.5 seconds, via Rivals, and he posted 24 receptions, 429 yards and four touchdowns in eight games a season ago, per Max Preps., Sims and Abasiri are seventh and eighth commitments for the 2024 class.

— Andy Greder

Packers re-sign LB Wilson

The Green Bay Packers continued assisting their special-teams unit Saturday by re-signing linebacker Eric Wilson.

Wilson had 13 special-teams tackles last season to tie Dallin Leavitt for the team lead. He played 13 games for the Packers, who signed him off the New Orleans Saints’ practice squad on Oct. 4.

Wilson played for the Vikings from 2017-20 before splitting time in 2021 with the Houston Texans and Philadelphia Eagles.

Yankees’ Severino likely to go on IL with lat strain

The New York Yankees could be opening the season without three-fifths of their projected starting rotation.

Right-hander Luis Severino has a low-grade lat strain, Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters Saturday, putting the two-time All-Star at risk of starting the season on the injured list.

Boone expressed optimism this wouldn’t be a long-term issue but acknowledged that Severino “most likely” would get placed on the injured list.

Severino, 29, went 7-3 with a 3.18 ERA in 19 starts last season. He struck out 112 in 102 innings.

Boone said the issue arose after Severino made his last start on Tuesday.

The Yankees already won’t have right-hander Frankie Montas or left-hander Carlos Rodón for the start of the season.

Rodón has a left forearm strain that will cause him to open the season on the injured list. Montas is recovering from shoulder surgery and won’t begin throwing until at least late May.

Briefly

Auto racing >> Retired Formula One champion Nelson Piquet has been ordered by a Brazilian court to pay $950,000 in “moral damages” for making racist and homophobic comments about Lewis Hamilton.

Figure skating >> Shoma Uno prevailed in a quad showdown in the free skate on Saturday in Saitama, Japan, to become the first Japanese man to defend his title at the figure skating world championships. South Korean skater Cha Jun-hwan was second with 296.03 points followed by American teenager Ilia Malinin, who became the first skater to land a quadruple axel at the world championships and finished with 288.44 points.

Basketball >> Ohio State leading scorer Brice Sensabaugh plans to enter the NBA draft while leaving open the possibility of returning next season with the Buckeyes. Sensabaugh averaged 16.4 points as a freshman.

Basketball >> The family of former North Carolina and NBA big man Eric Montross says he has begun treatments for cancer. The family didn’t specify the nature of the 51-year-old’s cancer.

— From news services