Thursday Quickies: Hanging on to Xavier Peters Edition

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UK commit Xavier Peters shined in the recent Under Armour All-American Game, which has a lot of programs showing more interest in the four-star linebacker.

Your Quickies

Will 4-star linebacker Xavier Peters sign with Kentucky? | Lexington Herald Leader
Lakota West (Ohio) head coach Larry Cox talks about Kentucky football recruit Xavier Peters and where his recruitment stands with signing day nearing. Florida is among the schools who have shown interest in Peters, especially after his big performance in the Under Armour Game.

Top five sports moments from the fall semester | kykernel.com
The fall semester at UK has been a wild ride for Kentucky fans. There has been action from football, basketball, volleyball, soccer, rifle, swimming & diving, track & field, cross country, golf, gymnastics and tennis. While all sports had their shining moments, here are the ones that really stuck out.

Kentucky Basketball | Calipari's 'toughness sheet' helps UK bounce back against Texas A&M - LCJ
Kentucky basketball continues to develop a toughness that can help it respond to adversity that's sure to come up this season. That Kentucky was able to beat a team previously ranked in the top 10 with only seven scholarship players and a cameo first-half appearance by coach's son walk-on Brad Calipari was impressive.

Kentucky's Mike Edwards will return for his senior season | Lexington Herald Leader
Safety Mike Edwards announced on Twitter on Tuesday that he plans to return to Kentucky and play next season instead of trying to go early to the NFL Draft. The junior also said he is on pace to graduate in December.

Spelling tradition: The history of the 'Y' | News | kykernel.com
For nearly the entire time that Rupp Arena has been home to UK basketball, UK cheerleaders have been spelling out the first seven letters of Kentucky on its floor.

UK track phenom Sydney McLaughlin to race in first home meet Saturday | Lexington Herald Leader
Kentucky track freshman Sydney McLaughlin, who followed her Summer Olympics qualification last summer with the second fastest 300 meters time in U.S. history in her UK debut last month, will run in this weekend’s Kentucky Invitational at Nutter Field House.

Mike Edwards closing in on history | Kentucky Sports Radio
Edwards is a special player and his return to UK was somewhat of a surprise. He's now poised to finish in an elite club of defenders that includes just one defensive back in program history.

What’s going on with Kentucky women’s basketball? | Lexington Herald Leader
The Kentucky women’s basketball team has lost eight straight games. Jennifer Smith of the Herald-Leader discusses the reasons behind the sudden fall.

Alabama RB Damien Harris returning for senior season, passing on draft | AL.com
An Alabama star has decided to stay in school rather than enter the NFL draft. Harris ranked seventh nationally with an average of 7.4 yards per carry and ran for 71.4 yards per game despite getting just 9.6 carries per game.

Mike Pettine Reportedly Expected to Replace Dom Capers as Packers DC
Pettine served as the defensive coordinator for the New York Jets from 2009 through 2012 and the Buffalo Bills in 2013 and was the head coach of the Cleveland Browns in 2014 and 2015.

Mike Mitchell: We can beat the Patriots ‘in Haiti or in Hell’
The Steelers’ safety saw what the defending champions are capable of firsthand, and after the Patriots won that game, the rematch won’t take place in the same building. Now, the Steelers will have to travel to Foxboro to take on the Patriots again if both teams win their Divisional Round games this weekend.

Cooper Jaguars look to repeat as 9th Region champion in Kentucky high school basketball | Lexington Herald Leader
The Cooper Jaguars reached the finals of the Kentucky high school boys’ basketball Sweet Sixteen in 2017.

Darrell Bevell Fired as Seahawks OC After 7 Seasons with Team
Bevell had been the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator since 2011, helping to guide them to two Super Bowl appearances and one title.

Gus Bradley, Chargers Reportedly Agree to 3-Year Contract Extension
The Los Angeles Chargers announced Tuesday they will retain defensive coordinator Gus Bradley after the two sides agreed on a three-year extension. Bradley is regarded as one of the NFL’s best defensive minds.

Under-the-Radar Players Who Could Be Difference-Makers in the Divisional Round
It’s not uncommon for playoff heroes to emerge from relative obscurity. Sure, fans of the teams that employ said surprise heroes might not be shocked when they play large roles in postseason games, but this is a month in which a lot of locally popular players have a chance to become nationally popular by delivering on a playoff stage.

Kentucky players nominated for 2018 McDonald's All-American game | Lexington Herald Leader
Seven girls and two boys from Kentucky were nominated for consideration to play in the 2018 McDonald’s All-American games on Wednesday, January 10, 2018.

North Korea–South Korea talks: North Korea’s Olympic athletes will compete in 2018 games in Pyeongchang - Vox
North Korea has agreed to send athletes to the Olympics in a rare diplomatic breakthrough.

How former NFL linebacker Aaron Maybin is fighting to turn Baltimore schools’ heat back on - SBNation.com
A day with Aaron Maybin in the wake of his viral moment that helped give Baltimore school kids heat in the middle of winter.

Disney could use an outlet for prestige TV. Enter FX. - Vox
The Disney-Fox deal could result in FX becoming Disney’s answer to HBO. Maybe.