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Ron Rivera wasn't out of a job for long as the Redskins have reportedly found their next head coach. Ron Rivera wasn't out of a head coaching job for long.  Just weeks after getting fired by the Panthers, the Washington Redskins have hired Rivera as their next head coach, according to Michael Silver of NFL Network. Washington will give Rivera a five-year contract, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Carolina fired Rivera on Dec. 3 after nine seasons with the team. He led the Panthers to a 76-63-1 regular-season record, while also going 3–4 in the playoffs. Carolina won three NFC South titles during Rivera's tenure and the 2015 NFC Championship en route to its Super Bowl 50 appearance against the Broncos. The Redskins are hiring Rivera two days after finishing the 2019 season 3-13, their worst mark since ’13. Washington fired head coach Jay Gruden after getting off to an 0-5 start and reportedly relieved Bruce Allen from his role as head of football operations on the

History has not been kind to teams that have lost players the caliber of Kawhi Leonard but the Raptors are striving and are in position to make another big move. Six months ago, Masai Ujiri celebrated Toronto’s first NBA championship . Is it possible— possible —that six months from now Ujiri and the Raptors could be celebrating another one? Crazy, right? Toronto is 22-11, a top five team in the conference. The Raps have lost three out of four, which would be cause for concern if the lone win didn’t come on Saturday, in Boston, when where the Raptors clubbed the Celtics by double digits, and if Toronto had not been without Pascal Siakam , an early season MVP candidate , who has been sidelined since mid-December. That the Raptors are even in this position is nothing short of remarkable. History has not been kind to teams that have lost players the caliber of Kawhi Leonard. The Cavaliers collapsed after losing LeBron James—twice. The Spurs dynasty effectively ended when they moved Le

Looking back at 10 years' worth of buzzer beaters, thrillers and memorable performances. The 2010s decade comes to a close on Tuesday, ending a memorable 10-year span in college basketball . Seven different men's programs won a national championship , while four different women's programs cut down the nets—including UConn five times. Incredibly, we even saw a national title game end on a buzzer beater on both the men's and women's sides. To celebrate the end of the decade, SI has ranked the 10 best games of the 2010s, based on drama, stakes and individual efforts (and if you're looking for best upsets—featuring a certain UMBC team, we did a ranking in 2018 ). Here's to a great 10 years—and to the hope that the next 10 in the sport are just as good. 10. Big-Shot Magic in the Sweet 16 (March 24, 2017)  When Wisconsin and Florida met at Madison Square Garden in the Sweet 16 in 2017, there seemed to be some extra late-game magic in the air in NYC. The res

Saturday’s Fiesta Bowl and Peach Bowl were ripe with NFL-level talent from all four teams. Which players helped their draft stock? Six things to note from the College Football Playoff semifinals... 1. Everyone know where I went to school, so here are my two thoughts on the Fiesta Bowl officiating. One, overturning Jordan Fuller’s scoop-and-score was crazy, and is evidence that the same problem that’s crept into the NFL is alive in the college game. The quality of replay has gotten so good, and officials have grown such rabbit ears as a result that we’re now seeing plenty of close calls overturned. Jeff Okudah jarring the ball loose from Justyn Ross was, at best, a 51-49 call, so I believe the call on the field should have stood. Two, the targeting call on DB Shaun Wade was correct. But man, is it a shame to take a first-round talent off the field on a play that was far from malicious. 2. The NFL talent on that field was off the charts. Clemson’s top three receivers and Ohio State’

100 moments, big and small, that helped define the year in sports. Though I’ve been writing this column for 21 months now, 2019 was my first full year on Hot Clicks. It’s been an honor to be so warmly received by readers who have been on board since Jimmy Traina started Clicks when I was in middle school (seriously) and to hear from new readers who’ve made Clicks part of their routine since I took over.  To mark the end of 2019, my colleague Jamie Lisanti came to me with the idea of doing a “Hot Clicks 100”: my 100 favorite items that appeared in this space over the past 12 months. I didn’t know when she suggested it just how much work that would be (that’s well over 200 columns to go back through!) but it was well worth it. Revisiting every single Hot Clicks over the past couple of weeks has been a great reminder of how much fun it is to compile the column every day, even if it’s a ton of work. (It’s also a great reminder of how many stupid typos I made. I can’t believe readers ke

Lamical Perine totaled 181 yards rushing and receiving with three touchdowns Monday to help No. 6 Florida beat Virginia 36-28 in the Orange Bowl. MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Lamical Perine scored on a 61-yard run in the opening minute and didn't stop after that, totaling 181 yards rushing and receiving with three touchdowns Monday to help No. 6 Florida beat Virginia 36-28 in the Orange Bowl. Perine carried 13 times for a career-high 138 yards rushing at the end of a so-so senior season. He came into the game with only 538 yards rushing this year in the Gators' pass-oriented offense. But Perine was too quick and speedy for the Cavaliers, as his dash through their secondary on the first series showed. He also scored on a 10-yard run, caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from Kyle Trask and was chosen the game's most valuable player. The win means Florida (11-2), led by second-year coach Dan Mullen, will likely finish in the Top Ten in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2

Donald Trump phoned LSU coach Ed Orgeron Monday, several sources told Sports Illustrated, presumably to congratulate him on his team’s 63–28 victory over the Sooners in the Peach Bowl. Ed Orgeron is used to receiving congratulatory messages and calls after any big win. That was the case again following LSU’s rout of Oklahoma in the CFP semifinal Saturday. However, one call stood out from the rest—it came from the president of the United States. Donald Trump phoned the Tigers third-year coach Monday, several sources told Sports Illustrated , presumably to congratulate him on his team’s 63–28 victory over the Sooners in the Peach Bowl. The win propelled No. 1 seed LSU (14–0) to the national championship game against No. 3 Clemson (14–0) on Jan. 13 in New Orleans. It is not clear if the president plans to attend the game. He appeared at the 2017 national championship game, when Alabama stormed back to beat Georgia in overtime. Details of the conversation between Orgeron and Trump re