The Gophers football program addressed a need in the middle of its defense for the 2025 season, adding Oklahoma State linebacker Jeff Roberson on Thursday night.

The 6-foot-2, 225-pound graduate transfer from Choctaw, Okla., totaled 58 tackles, including 8.5 for lost yards, three sacks, one interception and 19 pressures in 12 games in 2024.

He had a middling 57.7 grade from Pro Football Focus, and 11 missed tackles last season. Roberson played 670 snaps last season, but only 107 across 2021 and 2023. He played special teams as a freshman in 2020, and missed the 2022 season with an injury.

Roberson will help fill the void left by leading tackler Cody Lindenberg; the Anoka native declared for the NFL draft after the regular season and skipped the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Maverick Baranowski and Devon Williams top the U’s depth chart at linebacker going into next season.

The Gophers have added 15 total players via the NCAA transfer portal since early December and are still looking for help at cornerback and, possibly, defensive line.

— Andy Greder

Georgia’s Beck transfers to Miami through portal

The Miami Hurricanes have their quarterback for the 2025 season.

Carson Beck, who started the past two seasons for the Georgia Bulldogs, announced Friday on his personal X (formerly Twitter) account that he is transferring to Miami.

“Go Canes,” Beck wrote in the post that included a graphic of him wearing a Hurricanes uniform.

Beck, who entered the transfer portal on Thursday after initially declaring for the 2025 NFL draft, has one season of eligibility remaining and will reportedly receive a multi-million dollar name, image and likeness deal.

Beck completed 68% of his career passes at Georgia for 7,912 yards and 58 touchdowns against 20 interceptions. He was the Bulldogs’ starter for the past two seasons.

college hockey

Gophers thumped at Ohio State

The top of the Big Ten standings continue to tighten after the Gophers fell 5-1 to Ohio State on Friday in Columbus.

The 11th-ranked Buckeyes (15-5-1, 8-3 Big Ten) scored the game’s first four goals before Sam Rinzel finally found the back of the net for the U in the latter stages of the third period. It was the sophomore defenseman’s 10th goal of the season.

Ohio State led 2-0 through two frames and scored two power-play goals exactly one minute apart early in the third after a game misconduct penalty committed by Brodie Ziemer — who was making his return to action for the U after winning gold with the U.S. at the world junior championship — to effectively put the game on ice and move within a half game of Minnesota for second place in the Big Ten.

The Gophers are now winless in three consecutive Big Ten bouts.

Minnesota (17-4-2, 8-2-1) entered the day tied with Michigan State atop the conference standings. The Spartans were on the road Friday in Penn State.

The third-ranked Gophers equaled the Buckeyes’ 30 shots. But Ohio State netminder Kristoffer Eberly made 29 saves, including 13 in the second.

The two teams will meet again Saturday in Columbus, with puck drop set for 5:30 p.m.

— Staff report

NBA

Pelicans suspend Williamson one game

The New Orleans Pelicans suspended power forward Zion Williamson for Friday night’s game against Philadelphia for a violation of team policies.

Williamson has been tardy this season to multiple Pelicans practices or flights, which led to the one-game ban.

Williamson has been sidelined by various injuries for more games than he has played since being drafted first overall out of Duke in 2019. He has appeared in just seven of New Orleans’ 38 games this season. The Pelicans have gone 2-5 in those games, and 5-26 without him.

76ers rookie McCain out for season

Philadelphia 76ers rookie Jared McCain will miss the rest of the season after left knee surgery last month on a torn meniscus.

McCain, 20, spent one season at Duke before the Sixers made him their 2024 first-round draft pick. McCain was off to a fantastic start and had averaged 15.3 points in 23 games. He started eight games and was an instant fan favorite in large part due to amassing nearly 5 million followers as a TikTok sensation.

McCain earned Eastern Conference rookie of the month honors for November but complained of knee soreness after a Dec. 13 game against Indiana.

mlb

Betts-grabbing fans banned indefinitely

Major League Baseball has banned two fans who interfered with Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts during a World Series game at Yankee Stadium from attending any games at big league ballparks.

MLB sent a letter to Austin Capobianco and John P. Hansen this week informing them of the decision.

Capobianco and Hansen were ejected from the game on Oct. 29 and banned from Game 5 the following night.

PGA

Fishburn, McCarthy share Sony Open lead

Patrick Fishburn found some early momentum and Denny McCarthy overcame a sluggish start, both winding up in the same spot — a share of the lead in the Sony Open going into what figures to be a wide-open weekend at Waialae.

Fishburn ran off three straight birdies on the back nine at the start of his round and chipped in for birdie on the fifth hole, closing with a birdie for a 5-under 65.

McCarthy missed a pair of par putts early in his round. Once he rolled in a 25-foot birdie on the fifth hole, he was on his way to a 66. McCarthy, regarded as one of the better putters on the PGA Tour, missed an 8-foot birdie attempt on the closing hole.

— From news services