Wrexham reported record financial results for their first year back in the English Football League (EFL) in the latest chapter of the club's success story with Hollywood actor co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

The club's annual report released on Monday for 2023-24 showed revenue of 26.7 million ($34.5m), growth of 155% on the previous year.

The report showed the level of global interest in the Welsh club, with the geographical split of turnover seeing 52.1% generated from outside the UK, primarily North America, up from 24.6% in 2023. This was partly due to the success of the "Welcome to Wrexham" TV documentary on Disney+.

Wrexham are now second in the League One table, on course for promotion to the Championship, a level they last reached in 1982. It would be the third consecutive season of promotion for the club who dropped out of the EFL in 2008.

Of the 26.7m turnover for 2023-24, commercial revenue increased to nearly 13.2m, a massive increase on 1.9m a year earlier. Matchday revenue was up to around 5m from 3.1m in 2023.

Wrexham's women's team reached the FAW Cup Final and made the Championship phase of the league as the players became semi-professional for the first time.

Sporting Kansas City has mutually agreed to part ways with manager Peter Vermes, the Major League Soccer club announced Monday, with Kerry Zavagnin being appointed as interim head coach effective immediately.

During his 16-year tenure with the club, Vermes led SKC to four major championships and 11 playoff appearances, eight of them consecutively between 2011 and 2018.

"It would be hard to list all of the people I want to thank after 20 seasons in managerial positions at Sporting Kansas City," Vermes said.

"I am thankful to everyone, especially ownership for giving me the opportunity of being a steward of this club for the past two decades. I wish the club nothing but the best in the future."

Vermes became Sporting's technical director in November 2006 and assumed head coaching duties in 2009.

Inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2013, Vermes coached 609 matches for Sporting in all competitions.

In the MLS alone, he ranks third on the all-time chart with 203 regular season wins and ends his spell at the club as the longest-serving head coach in the history of professional sports in Kansas City.

The international break has finished and this weekend brought us plenty to talk about as European club action returned with a bang! Manchester City advanced in the FA Cup despite a game to forget by Erling Haaland, and Napoli took a decisive step back into Serie A's title race while simultaneously wrecking Milan's aspirations of securing a spot in next season's UEFA Champions League.

Elsewhere, we had talking points galore around RB Leipzig (goodbye, Marco Rose), Barcelona (and the age-less scoring form of Robert Lewandowski), Paris Saint-Germain (who can clinch Ligue 1 in the next week) and Aston Villa, who are getting great returns from a pair of on-loan legends. Here are some musings and reactions to the most memorable moments of the weekend.

Injured and wasteful, Erling Haaland has a nightmare game, but Manchester City have their game faces on in FA Cup win over Bournemouth

I don't buy the narrative that Guardiola's decision to reshuffle his back line at halftime by sending on an attacking midfielder like Nico O'Reilly at left back somehow turned the game. Yes, you feel a little better about things defensively if Josko Gvardiol is in the middle instead of Abdukodir Khusanov (I'm sure there's more to come) and, of course, O'Reilly delivered the two assists that allowed City to come back from a goal down to win 2-1 and book their spot in the FA Cup semifinals.

The fact is that Erling Haaland alone could (should?) have notched three goals in the first half. And it was City as a whole who raised their game after the break, limiting Bournemouth -- who lest we forget, are just four points behind them in the table and beat them comprehensively back in November -- to a grand total of zero shots of any kind in the second half.

In fact, there was something of the City of old (i.e., last year and the one before) for much of the game as Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Mateo Kovacic and Ilkay Gündogan dominated the ball, playing keep-away and creating space. Bournemouth paid the price for missing half their starting back four -- Dean Huijsen and Milos Kerkez were both suspended -- but make no mistake: It was City who made them look really bad.

All of which brings us to Haaland. He took a bad penalty, made a bad decision when one-on-one with Kepa Arrizabalaga, and had a bad header. Oh, and he picked up an ankle injury to boot, though he has yet to be assessed.

Might it be a blessing to have Omar Marmoush, who scored the winner, up front for a while? I don't think so. You should worry more when Haaland doesn't get on the end of chances, not when he misses them.

Napoli not pretty, but still in the title hunt, while Milan's defeat may well mean no Champions League

The headline takeaway is that Napoli beat Milan 2-1 to stay three points behind Inter and keep their title hopes alive. And make no mistake about it: they are very much alive.

Other than next week's visit to Bologna, who are flying high in fourth place, the rest of their schedule sees them play sides in the bottom half of the table. Contrast this with Inter who, in addition to their European (home-and-away against Bayern in the Champions League quarterfinal, possibly more to come) and Coppa Italia commitment (the derby against Milan and maybe a final) have to navigate games against three of the top eight.

Antonio Conte's team enjoyed the benefit of two early goals -- both in transition, both taking advantage of some poor defending -- to take a 2-0 lead at home. From there, they had two options: play it safe and try to hit again on the counter, or put Milan under pressure and try to add the lead.

No prizes for guessing what Conte chose.

Napoli managed just three shots on goal in the final 71 minutes plus injury time, which rather says it all. They keep the ball (they had the bulk of the possession), made Milan chase them and tried to see out the game.

As a strategy, it worked in the sense that it yielded the desired result -- Napoli are now just three points back from the top with eight games remaining -- though I'm not sure it was the right approach. Milan ended up putting tougher an xG of 2.19 in the second half alone and ended up missing a (generous, to say the least) penalty with Santi Gimenez. That tells you Napoli came very close to dropping points and when you're at home against this version of Milan, that ought to be a concern.

Conte cited the absence of Scott McTominay and the fact that David Neres was returning after nearly two months out. Sure, but it's reasonable to expect more. One mistake -- or better finishing from Gimenez -- would have left them five points back.

As for Milan, you hate to throw manager Sérgio Conceição under the bus again (not really...) but sometimes he leaves you little choice, because his empty machismo borders on the absurd. Pregame he was asked if he felt he had the club's support and said "I'm not a little boy, I don't need my daddy's approval." During the game, he got himself needlessly booked for ranting about Napoli's time-wasting: they're winning and the clock is ticking down. What do you expect them to do?

But those are minor points. More important is the fact that Champions League football is Milan's priority at this stage and yet it felt as if his starting XI, with Rafael Leão and Santi Gimenez on the bench, was put together with a view towards Wednesday's Coppa Italian derby with Inter. It's true that Gimenez played with Mexico in Los Angeles during the break, but he was back on Monday. How much recovery does he actually need?

Picking João Félix -- 20 touches, one pass into the final third during 55 minutes on the pitch -- ahead of Leao also seemed absurd. Almost as absurd as his explanation, which stated that Leao had picked up a muscular niggle and "would not have started anyway." (Yeah, Sergio: that doesn't really help your case.)

Unless, of course, you're putting all your eggs in the Coppa Italia basket, because you know you're getting fired at the end of the season and if you beat Inter you can actually win it and then you can tell your next employer that you were only there for six months but won both the Super Cup and the Coppa Italia. Of course, thinking that would be cynical and mean.

It's not surprising that RB Leipzig fired Marco Rose, but it is surprising it took this long. Does Jurgen Klopp get involved?

RB Leipzig, and the Red Bull group in general, aren't going to win many popularity contests in Germany, so this season was met with a bunch of schadenfreude by many (including me). Some of it, perhaps, was envy because since getting involved in the game 15 years ago, they have gotten many more things right than wrong in terms of scouting. To this day, they're arguably the only people to have gotten multiclub ownership right, so credit where credit is due.

But that's what makes this campaign so astounding, much like the fact that they waited until after Sunday's 1-0 defeat away to Borussia Monchengladbach before sacking manager Marco Rose.

RB Leipzig somehow managed to finish 32nd out of 36 teams in the Champions League. They're sixth in the Bundesliga table and, somehow, they're closer to Heidenheim in the relegation spots than they are to Bayern (this hardly irresistible 2024-25 version of Bayern, mind you) at the top of the league.

Under Rose, they've somehow gone backwards over three seasons, despite adding talent every year. The "SOS" frontline -- Benjamin Sesko, Loïs Openda, Xavi Simons -- is supposed to be one of the most gifted young attacks in Europe (and that's before you get into the electric Antonio Nusa), yet they rank in the bottom half of the league in goals and a paltry 13th in expected goals. And that's the gifted part of the team. At the back, week in, week out, it's a horror show.

It's not clear any of these guys have improved year over year, and neither has the team. So the question now for me is whether Red Bull call upon their Global Head of Soccer, a guy named Jurgen Klopp, to help sort things out. Not to coach, obviously, but to find the right people.

Klopp's former assistant, Pep Lijnders, was a disaster at their other club, Salzburg, but that notwithstanding, Klopp surely has something to contribute beyond being a figurehead. On the other hand, some have suggested he's happy with a semi-ambassadorial role. (Or maybe he doesn't want to sort through this mess?) If that's the case, more power to him, but Leipzig need to find somebody who can get things right from the top down.

Quick hits

10. Paris Saint-Germain romp at Saint-Etienne, can clinch Ligue 1 title next week: Arithmetic will do its part next week (if not, the week after or the one after that) and Paris Saint-Germain will win Ligue 1 for the 11th time in the past 13 years. That part is not a surprise (Qatari investment definitively moved the needle). But what is remarkable is that this crown is unlike the others. The turn towards youth and intensity rather than marquee superstars and individual quality -- not that there isn't plenty of the latter on this team -- is very real, and a ton of credit has to go to manager Luis Enrique. They've won 14 of 15 games (the one they didn't win in that series was at home to Liverpool, when they deserved victory) and that's a testament to consistency, something you don't always associate with young teams. The 6-1 demolition of Saint Etienne (after going a goal down) only speaks to the hunger in this team.

9. Bayern Munich look better than the score line vs. St. Pauli: I know that some folks despair when Bayern don't steamroll their opponents and the 3-2 score suggests more nerviness. But with a long injury list, the screws turned by Bayer Leverkusen's win on Friday (which temporarily cut the lead to three points) and a visit from St. Pauli, the league's third-stingiest defense, this wasn't a gimme. Yet Bayern racked up 3.53 xG and the visitors' second goal only came in garbage time. Plus Leroy Sané bagged two goals, and an on-form Sane ahead of his expiring contract is a nice bonus. They could have defended better on both goals, but let's remember Eric Dier and Raphaël Guerreiro were thrown into the defensive mix. Most importantly, they don't look like a side that's weary or fatigued.

8. Nottingham Forest are the real deal, not just in the league: All season long, folks have been waiting for them to fall away. It's not just that the Forest brand hasn't been relevant to the top end of the table since long before Brian Clough left, but also the fact that Nuno Espirito Santo's football seemed somewhat anachronistic: big striker, fast wingers, tight defence, bottom of the league for possession ... this isn't what successful football looks like in 2024-25. Yet they're third in the league and barring some sort of cataclysm, will be playing Champions League football next season. On Saturday, without their top scorer, Chris Wood, they advanced to the FA Cup semifinals, knocking out Brighton on penalties. Brighton, perhaps mindful of the 7-0 defeat in early February and perhaps hoping to catch them off-guard, changed their entire approach, becoming distinctly risk-averse and Forest punished them, creating the better chances in the 90 minutes before outlasting them in extra time and penalties. That's a sign of respect: getting an opponent like that to change the way they play (at home) when they come up against you.

7. Igor Tudor delivers both a win and a 180-degree turn (as promised) on his debut: Tudor was brought in by Juventus to make radical changes on the fly and did just that on his debut for Juventus against Genoa (wearing nifty Boca Juniors inspired jerseys). Three at the back, Dusan Vlahovic back in the side, Kenan Yildiz (who was magnificent) on the pitch in a role where he can do the damage to the opposition. And, of course, more intensity and directness, two things that were largely lacking under Thiago Motta. I don't know if it will be enough to finish in the top four and there's still plenty of work to do -- I'm not sure the back three makes sense when you're short of viable central defenders, and Teun Koopmeiners is still a ghost in midfield -- but there's no question Juve got the new manager bounce they were looking for. It's amazing what you can do when you stick to being rational.

6. Robert Lewandowski dials back the years as Barcelona trounce Girona: I get it, the game has changed and careers are lasting longer, but what Robert Lewandowski, who turns 37 this summer, is doing is nothing short of phenomenal. He's likely to break the 50-appearance mark this season -- heck, if Barca go all the way in all competitions, he could play 58 games, seven more than his personal record, which he set nearly a decade ago. He has been a regular goalscorer during his time at Barca, but he has taken it to the next level over the past month or so not just technically (that was never in question), but athletically as well. He suggested that doing gymnastics and judo earlier in his career helped his flexibility. Whatever it is, he doesn't look his age and it's critical to Barca, because there is no natural Plan B up front. That said, in many games -- like Sunday's 4-1 thrashing of Girona -- Barca don't need one. Despite some heavy rotation following the break and Thursday's Osasuna game (Fermín López, Gavi, Ronald Araújo and Eric García all started) this match was never really in question. Barca have won six on the spin and haven't lost in 2025. For all the stadium delays, Joan Laporta nonsense and red ink, Hansi Flick and his boys are doing their part.

5. Defensive blunders nearly cost Real Madrid, but Kylian Mbappé comes to the rescue: Soccer is a low-scoring sport and the exceptional -- whether a craven unforced error or a moment of genius -- has an outsized impact. Real Madrid fell behind to two bits of abysmal defending against Leganes and ultimately won the game 3-2 thanks to a stunning Kylian Mbappe free kick. Carlo Ancelotti's crew deserved the win for the chances they created, though again, they got the rub of the refereeing green: Mbappe's "Panenka" penalty was the result of a dubious decision, and his winning free kick came off another dubious foul call. If you're Ancelotti, you can probably write off the defensive blunders as so grotesque they're unlikely to happen again. Among your positives, you can count Brahim Díaz's performance (he made way for Vinícius, initially rested -- like Rodrygo -- after the international break) as well as Mbappe's form: he's making the centerforward role his own. That said, it would be nice if they could both win and not to have to fret until the final minutes, something they haven't done in more than a month.

4. Marcus Rashford revival? Sure, but it's more about Aston Villa not turning their nose up at loan deals: Things are turning out pretty good for Marcus Rashford. He's getting minutes at Aston Villa since coming over on loan from Manchester United, he started both England games during the break and on Saturday he scored his first goals for his new club. Villa's other attacking loanee, Marco Asensio, is doing even better, with seven goals since arriving from PSG. Villa are in the semifinals of the FA Cup (where they'll face Crystal Palace) and the quarterfinals of the Champions League (PSG up next) and they're still in the hunt for a Champions League spot next season. Not a bad spot to be, and Unai Emery's loan signings (chuck in Axel Disasi from Chelsea, too) are a big part of it. Big clubs, especially in England, traditionally avoid mid-season loans. Maybe they can learn something from sporting director Monchi and Emery, because Villas are turning into a win-win, for player and club.

3. Maximilian Beier shines in Borussia Dortmund win. Where has he been all year? Beier arrived in the summer as the club's "other" big signing in the forward line, playing second fiddle to Serhou Guirassy. Sure, he didn't score 28 goals like Guirassy, but he did notch 16, all of them from open play, turning out for a worse team (Hoffenheim). Yet of the 27 occasions he's been in the match day squad in the Bundesliga this season, nearly half the time he has started on the bench ... which is kinda odd given they spent 28.5m ($30m) in transfer fees for his services. Maybe he played the price for his versatility -- Beier can play wide or as a centerforward -- but whatever the case, he has really only started contributing in recent weeks under Nico Kovac. He bagged two goals in the 3-1 win over high-flying Mainz, and he did it playing in a front two with Karim Adeyemi and Julian Brandt in the hole. Guirassy was unavailable, and it's unclear what the plan will be when he returns, but a talent like Beier should be playing a big part in Dortmund's push for the Champions League. Which appears improbable at this stage -- they're 10th -- but certainly not impossible.

2. Inter Milan gut out a win vs. Udinese, but this ought to be a warning sign: Live by the deep squad and heavy rotation, die by the deep squad and heavy rotation. Inter raced to a 2-0 lead in the first half-hour, and everything seemed rosy against Udinese. Simone Inzaghi -- already without Denzel Dumfries, Lautaro Martínez and Alessandro Bastoni -- left Nicolo' Barella and Yann Bisseck on the bench and his team were solidly in control of the game ... until they weren't. The second half saw them fail to create much of anything, Udinese pulled one back and the last few minutes were nervy to the point that Inzaghi himself got booked. You can't really blame him for load management given the onslaught of games coming up, but what's evident is that this is going to be a slog and maybe his squad isn't quite as deep as he hoped.

1. Copa del Rey now Atletico's best (only?) shot after more dropped points: There's a definite contradiction with Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid. The narrative is that this is a deep squad, that his substitutions change games and that there's a gritty, never-say-die, "Cholista" attitude that helps them gut out matches when it matters. A lot of the time, that's the case, but on Saturday, we saw the opposite. They took the lead with a rare César Azpilicueta wonder goal versus relegation-threatened Espanyol and then, suddenly, went limp. An expected goals count of 0.10 in the second half tells its own story. A silly shirt-pull from Clément Lenglet, again one of Simeone's experienced "warriors," according to cliché, gifted Espanyol the penalty and cost Atleti two points. Sure, their South American players were tired after all that travel for World Cup qualifying, but Rodrigo De Paul and Julián Álvarez -- both of whom came on after the break -- had zero impact. The draw leaves them nine points back from the top, and the inescapable feeling is that now it's all about the Copa del Rey and the return leg of their semifinal against Barcelona on Wednesday. Which, frankly, is a bit disappointing given how things were panning out this year. Maybe the "narrative" surrounding this club isn't quite what they make it out to be.

PALM BEACH, Fla. -- After two years of Aaron Rodgers-generated hype, the New York Jets are making a concerted effort to turn down the volume now that the future Hall of Famer is gone.

"It is by design," first-year coach Aaron Glenn said Monday morning at the annual league meeting. "Listen, I'm a huge believer in just moving in silence and letting things play out the way they need to play out."

The words sounded strange coming from a Jets official, considering the franchise's penchant for splashy offseason moves that fueled lofty expectations, but Glenn is trying to rebuild the culture with an old-school, silence-is-golden approach.

To that end, the Jets have made only one headline-grabbing acquisition -- quarterback Justin Fields, who had no introductory news conference. Overall, they've made 14 acquisitions, most of whom are unheralded players who signed modest contracts. They, too, have been off-limits to the media.

"This doesn't need to be a big hoopla of what we're doing," Glenn said. "We just want to go about our business and coach these players and try to create an atmosphere for the players that's totally different than probably what they've been used to."

The decision to release Rodgers, of course, changed the narrative surrounding the Jets. The polarizing quarterback attracted unprecedented media coverage over his two seasons in New York, stemming, in part, from his weekly appearances of "The Pat McAfee Show."

The Jets fed into the attention by billing themselves as Super Bowl contenders. The results were bitterly disappointing, as they stumbled to their eighth and ninth consecutive losing seasons.

For their first significant decision, Glenn and first-time general manager Darren Mougey announced last month their intention to release Rodgers. Glenn never gave a specific reason for parting ways with the four-time MVP. On Monday, he claimed it had nothing to do with Rodgers' larger-than-life persona.

"Regardless of how any person is, that has nothing to do with me," Glenn said. "I know what I want to do, so that doesn't matter to me. Doesn't matter."

Those who know Glenn, a Bill Parcells disciple, say he wants to create a culture based on a team-oriented approach, not one that revolves around one superstar. His philosophy shined through when asked about Fields. Asked what attracted him to Fields, the first thing Glenn said was, "Quiet confidence."

Say hello to the quiet Jets -- or so they hope.

"I want to move in silence, man, and just go about our business to go win some games," Glenn said. "You don't win an offseason anyway. I mean, I know everybody has these grades on free agency grades and have grades on draft grades. When you go back and look at them, they don't really mean crap. So, the only thing that makes the difference is what you do during the season."

Glenn said he won't talk about the playoffs or the Super Bowl at this stage of the process. The Jets, mired in a 14-year playoff drought, won't have to worry about huge expectations in 2025. Their over-under win total is 5.5, according to ESPN BET.

Fans might recall that former coach Robert Saleh, speaking at last year's owners' meetings, expressed a desire to quiet the noise. That didn't last long. A few weeks later, Rodgers sparked a firestorm by skipping a mandatory mini-camp to vacation in Egypt.

Ohio State landed a significant recruiting upset in the 2026 class on Monday, edging LSU and Texas to secure the commitment of four-star safety Blaine Bradford, No. 32 in the ESPN Junior 300.

Bradford, who plays for Catholic High School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is ESPN's No. 3 safety in the 2026 class. He joins the Buckeyes as the program's sixth top-300 pledge and second defensive commit in the cycle. Bradford now trails only No. 1 overall recruit Chris Henry Jr. as the second-ranked member of the defending national champions' incoming class.

Ohio State and safeties coach Matt Guerrieri built a strong connection with Bradford throughout the 6-foot-1, 205-pound defender's recruitment. Still, Bradford's Monday morning pledge marked a surprise recruiting win over presumed favorite LSU, the hometown program that signed Bradford's older brother Jacob as a three-star defensive back in the 2025 cycle.

Bradford's commitment follows a weekend visit with the Buckeyes, and he's scheduled for officials in June with Ohio State, LSU and Texas. Bradford announced his pledge on social media.

Bradford marks the Buckeyes' third top-300 pledge in the month of March, following in-state offensive tackles Maxwell Riley (No. 96 in ESPN Junior 300) and Sam Greer (No. 249 overall). He joins four-star cornerback Jakob Weatherspoon (No. 165 overall) as the second top-300 defender committed to the program in 2026. As All-America safety Caleb Downs enters his junior season, Ohio State is building a potential bridge to the future at the position between Bradford and four-star freshman Faheem Delane (ESPN's No. 5 safety in the 2025 class).

Alongside Bradford, the Buckeyes hosted a collection of elite class of 2026 prospects over the weekend including No. 1 running back Savion Hiter, top-35 outside linebacker Simeon Caldwell and four-star offensive tackle Ekene Ogboko, ESPN's No. 50 overall prospect in 2026.

Ohio State signed the nation's No. 5 class in the 2025 cycle, headlined by five-star signees in quarterback Tavien St. Clair and cornerback Devin Sanchez.

PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The Minnesota Vikings' conversations with free agent Aaron Rodgers this month did not reflect any concerns the team has about second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy, coach Kevin O'Connell said Monday.

In his first comments on the matter, O'Connell said "two things can be true at the same time." On one hand, he said, the team believes McCarthy -- the No. 10 pick of the 2024 draft -- is its quarterback of the future and very likely its present. On the other hand, Rodgers' pedigree and interest in signing with the Vikings demanded a full internal discussion.

"We took [McCarthy] 10th in the draft last year after a very extensive evaluation process," O'Connell said at the NFL's annual league meeting. "A lot of things that we hoped to see from him, we saw in a short amount of time. Unfortunately, he got injured and we tried to maximize as much as we could with his 'redshirt' year. ... And I think J.J. was able to take some things out of that and be ready to go for the spring."

McCarthy, who has recovered from a torn meniscus in his right knee, became the first quarterback selected in the first round in the NFL's modern draft era to miss his entire rookie season because of injury.

O'Connell said he kept McCarthy abreast of the Rodgers discussions "borderline in real time" to make sure he understood why they were happening.

"The second part that can be true," O'Connell said, "is Aaron Rodgers is a four-time NFL MVP and somebody who, not just myself, but we've all had so much respect for competing against him. And he happened to be at a point in time in his career where he was free to have some real dialogue about what his future may look like. And we happened to be one of those teams that he reached out to. And I have had a personal relationship with him going back since my playing days.

"... But I do feel very strongly about where [McCarthy is] at right now. And based upon the information we have from the evaluation process, the time we had with him, I feel very good about projecting a really positive year for J.J. And now we've got to go to work and do it."

General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said last week that installing McCarthy as the team's Week 1 quarterback is "the outcome we want" and "the outcome we're headed towards."

The Vikings haven't acquired a veteran backup quarterback, and Adofo-Mensah said he couldn't rule out the possibility of revisiting the Rodgers discussion later this year if circumstances change.

And, indeed, O'Connell wasn't ready to name McCarthy his starter Monday. When asked about the likelihood McCarthy will emerge from training camp as QB1, O'Connell made it clear that McCarthy will need to earn the job.

"I feel really, really positive about the path we're going to take with J.J. from a development standpoint, from an acceleration of reps," O'Connell said. "And he's going to benefit from an offseason worth of reps from the offseason program to obviously training camp and being in a competitive situation when our quarterback room is all finalized.

"... I think it's a responsibility for me as the playcaller to make sure I'm building rapport in addition to demanding a standard of the position from a very early time here with J.J. that I think he's going to meet, and challenge himself to meet, on a daily basis. Very much excited to see him do that."

Stanford has hired veteran NFL coach Frank Reich as the school's interim football coach for the 2025 season, it was announced Monday.

Both sides have agreed it will be only a one-season deal, sources told ESPN. Stanford will launch a national search to find a permanent replacement for fired coach Troy Taylor at the end of the 2025 season.

"The unique responsibility to mentor the best student-athletes in the world, to be the absolute best in what they aspire to do, is an opportunity I will fully embrace," Reich said in a statement.

Taylor was fired last week amid findings by two outside firms that he had bullied and belittled female athletic staffers, sought to have an NCAA compliance officer removed after she warned him of rules violations and repeatedly made "inappropriate" comments to another woman about her appearance.

Stanford also is promoting tight ends coach Nate Byham to offensive coordinator, sources told ESPN. Byham will call plays for the Cardinal, which have gone 3-9 over four consecutive seasons.

Reich's hire is another significant move for Stanford football general manager Andrew Luck, who is believed to be the only collegiate general manager to have full control of the team's coaching staff. Luck, the former Stanford and NFL quarterback, was hired in November in an effort to turn around the program at his alma mater, which hasn't had a winning season since 2020.

Reich, 63, coached Luck during Luck's final NFL season in 2018 and has a strong relationship with him.

"I could not be more excited for our coaches, staff and players," Luck said in a statement. "I have experienced first-hand the incredible impact Frank has demonstrated as a leader and have full confidence he is the perfect steward for this season of Stanford football.

"Frank is a teacher, a winner and a coach of the highest caliber. Frank's values align seamlessly with our vision for this program and I firmly believe in his ability to maximize the on-field potential of our student-athletes while serving as a role model in all aspects of their personal growth."

Reich was fired by the Carolina Panthers in November 2023 after a 1-10 start to his only season with the team, becoming the first NFL head coach since the 1970 merger to be fired in back-to-back seasons after his 2022 dismissal from the Indianapolis Colts.

Reich, who has a career NFL coaching record of 41-43-1 over six seasons, went to four Super Bowls as a player with the Buffalo Bills, where he was primarily a backup. As an assistant coach, he won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles after the 2017 season in which he was the offensive coordinator.

In 2017, Reich helped Carson Wentz go 11-2 with MVP-caliber numbers before a season-ending injury, and Nick Foles become the Super Bowl MVP in a 41-33 victory against the New England Patriots.

Reich also worked with future Hall of Fame quarterback Philip Rivers with the then-San Diego Chargers and the Colts.

Stanford hasn't played in a bowl game since 2018. The interim hire comes in the wake of one of the program's best players, David Bailey, entering the NCAA transfer portal.

The university is also currently searching for an athletic director with Alden Mitchell hired last week as interim following Bernard Muir's decision to step down.

ESPN's David Newton, Kyle Bonagura, Xuan Thai and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

PHILADELPHIA -- Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner was not in the starting lineup Monday for a third straight game because of a back spasm.

He could be available to pinch hit in Philadelphia's home opener against Colorado. He sat out the last two games of a three-game series against Washington.

Turner said his back felt tight after Thursday's 7-3 victory in Washington, and then it felt worse while taking grounders before Saturday's game. He got treatment much of Saturday afternoon and said after the game he felt "way better now than I did a few hours ago."

The Phillies are off Tuesday, leaving open the possibility that Turner doesn't play so he gets four full days off. Manager Rob Thomson was hopeful Turner would return for Wednesday's game against the Rockies.

Catcher J.T. Realmuto was back the lineup after he bruised a foot when he fouled a ball off himself and sat out Sunday's loss.

Ippei Mizuhara, Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter, is scheduled to report to prison by May 12, nearly two months after his original surrender date, according to a court filing unsealed Monday.

Mizuhara was initially ordered to start his 57-month prison sentence by March 24. His attorney, Michael G. Freedman, filed a request to move his surrender date on March 12. That request, which the judge granted, remains under court seal.

Last Wednesday, federal prosecutors asked the judge to unseal the document containing the new surrender date. The document became available to the public Monday.

Freedman declined ESPN's request for comment, as did the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California.

Mizuhara was sentenced to nearly five years in prison in February for stealing about $17 million from Ohtani in an attempt to pay off approximately $40 million in gambling debts to an illegal bookmaker.

BALTIMORE -- Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser is expected to miss at least six weeks with a broken left thumb.

Baltimore put Cowser on the 10-day injured list Monday before its home opener against the Boston Red Sox. The Orioles recalled outfielder Dylan Carlson from Triple-A Norfolk.

Cowser wasn't able to hit in the ninth inning of Sunday's loss at Toronto after he slid headfirst into first base in the seventh. He finished a close second in last year's Rookie of the Year vote after hitting 24 home runs.

"It's probably six to eight weeks minimum," manager Brandon Hyde said. "It's not going to be the last injury we have this season. We're going to have things pop up. That's why you create depth, and it gives other guys opportunities, but it's a blow."

Cowser, the No. 5 draft pick in 2021, was 2-for-16 with 1 homer, 1 RBI and 6 strikeouts in the season-opening four-game series against the Blue Jays.

He also suffered a fractured left hand after being hit by a pitch during the Orioles' season-ending loss in Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series in October.

Hyde did say he's hopeful right-hander Albert Suarez (shoulder inflammation) won't have to miss much time after going on the IL over the weekend.

The Associated Press and Field Level Media contributed to this report.