Sports briefs

The son of former NFL general manager A.J. Smith spent the past three seasons in charge of college scouting and the draft. In his new role, Smith will oversee college and pro personnel decisions.

"Kyle Smith has put in the work over the last 10 seasons and has proven to be a skilled talent evaluator," owner Dan Snyder said in a statement.

Smith's elevation comes amid a tumultuous few weeks for Washington, which fired president Bruce Allen, hired Ron Rivera as coach and made several other changes. The departure of senior vice president of football operations Eric Schaffer opened a void, some of which was filled by the hiring of Rob Rogers as senior vice president of football administration.

Moving Smith into a bigger role gives him even more control over the direction of the franchise that hasn't won the Super Bowl since the 1992 season.

"I have been impressed with Kyle's track record and player evaluation process, and I'm confident in the vision we share for the future of the Washington Redskins," Rivera said.

Smith joined the Redskins as a scout in 2011 and has been with them since. He became a rising star executive during his stint as director of college personnel, and the team didn't allow him to interview for jobs in other organizations last offseason.

It looked like he would share responsibilities with pro personnel boss Alex Santos but now will have oversight over that department, too.

"I am excited for the opportunity to oversee both the college and professional sides of the scouting department," Smith said. "Our staff is looking forward to working together with coach Rivera to build the best team possible."

LSU beach ranked No. 2 in DiG preseason poll

BATON ROUGE - The LSU Beach Volleyball team earned its highest ranking -- No. 2 in the DiG Magazine Collegiate Beach Volleyball Preseason Poll -- as the program heads into its seventh year of existence.

LSU, a team that returns eight players who registered 15-plus wins last season, earned two third-place votes in the DiG preseason poll -- the first time the Tigers have earned first place voted in either of the major polls.

UNC basketball player Brandon Robinson injured in car crash

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) -- North Carolina forward Brandon Robinson was hurt in a weekend car crash and the school says the injuries are not serious.

The other motorist was charged with driving while impaired, according to Carrboro police. An incident report said the driver of the other car early Sunday, drove into the opposite lane and hit Robinson's car near an intersection.

It was not known when Robinson would be cleared to practice this week or play, the school said Monday. The struggling Tar Heels play at Pittsburgh on Saturday.

This is the latest problem for a team beset by injuries since before the season began.

Five Tar Heels, including Robinson, have been hurt at some point during the season. Robinson rolled his ankle in a preseason game and missed the next four games.

Anthony Harris and Sterling Manley are lost for the season because of knee injuries. Jeremiah Francis has a sore left knee that kept him out of his junior and senior years in high school.

Freshman guard Cole Anthony, who scored 34 points in his debut game against Notre Dame last November, has not played since early December after arthroscopic knee surgery. Anthony was expected to miss up to six weeks.