Washington Huskies Linebackers Confidence in Defense ‘Through the Roof’
At one point last fall, the linebacker situation for the Washington football team could have filled an orthopedic wing in a hospital.
Jacob Manu and Zaydrius Rainey-Sale wore heavy knee braces as they recovered from knee injuries at their prior schools. Starting inside linebacker Taariq Al-Uqdah suffered one of his own in the Apple Cup, leaving the position to be filled by the unknown quantities of Xe’ree Alexander and Deven Bryant.
Seven months later, most of the knee braces are gone, and inside linebacker is arguably the strongest unit on the team.
Rodríguez, Naylor, Young Hack Timely Hits as Mariners Mash Minnesota Late
Here’s a stat: Julio Rodríguez has more triple doubles in the city of Minneapolis than Nikola Jokić does in the calendar year 2026.
Well, adding a three-double baseball game into the widely accepted hoops definition of “triple double” allows that to be true. It’s also a testament to the defensive skill of one Rudy Gobert, who has finally and resoundingly managed to convince the world that he is actually good at basketball.
As far as Rodríguez is concerned, his three doubles - the baseball version - set a couple of tables for Seattle and cleared their last, and the center fielder accounted for two runs scored and two others knocked in during the Mariners’ 7-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins.
It wasn’t just Rodríguez, as Josh Naylor and Cole Young offered some timely hits of their own while starter Logan Gilbert wriggled himself out of enough pickles and jams to make some truly unique culinary concoctions, even while only going five innings. The M’s, after all their tribulations to start the season, are a game behind .500.
Logan Gilbert showed a bit of adjustment but still had to Houdini his way out of a five-inning start.
It is often said that pitchers are crazy. Usually, this refers to intensity or the way the staff interacts with the rest of the players, and it is most stereotypically associated with the isolated (and thus mysterious) bullpen.
Seahawks 2026 Draft Class Superlatives
The 2026 Seattle Seahawks draft class is in. John Schneider made his classic maneuvers and turned four original picks into eight total, like the classic Dai Vernon cups and balls magic routine.
Let’s break down this class of seven prospects using superlatives.
Washington State Reels in Ex-Providence G Jaylen Harrell Via Transfer Portal
The Washington State Cougars have added another intriguing talent through the transfer portal with the commitment of wing Jaylen Harrell, a former top-100 recruit who began his career at Providence.
Harrell’s freshman season with the Friars was limited to just six games due to injury, making him somewhat of a difficult transfer portal evaluation. In those appearances, he averaged 3.7 points and 0.7 rebounds in just over nine minutes per game, shooting an efficient 8-for-16 from the field and 3-for-11 from beyond the arc.
Harrell’s addition continues a clear trend in how Washington State, under head coach David Riley, is approaching roster construction. The Cougars have been aggressive in targeting former high-level recruits from power conference programs who are seeking expanded roles and consistent playing time. Harrell fits that mold alongside players like RJ Jones (Kansas State/TCU), Landji Dembele (UNLV/Iowa), Tyler Kropp (Northwestern), and Sebastian Akins (Denver/Wake Forest).
‘Whatever It Takes’: Andre Fuller Looking to Soar for Seahawks’ Defense, Special Teams
Since he played his last snap at Seminole Ridge High School, Andre Fuller’s football journey has been a unique one, taking him to multiple locations while playing multiple positions along the way.
Tabbed as a zero-star recruit, Fuller started his college chapter at Arkansas Pine Bluff, enrolling with the FCS level Golden Lions in 2020. The COVID pandemic pushed the scheduled season to the spring in 2021, and after appearing in 16 games over two seasons with the program, he entered the transfer portal, signing up for a little “MAC-tion” with the Toledo Rockets, where he emerged as a late-blooming starter and garnered All-Mac First-Team recognition as a senior.
While his path was by no means easy and featured plenty of detours on and off the field, Fuller’s unexpected ascent from zero stars to the pros became more than a dream on April 25 when, after recouping three selections with trade downs, the Seattle Seahawks selected him with the 236th overall pick in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Another “Rock” Detonation Raises Rotation Questions for Mariners
In Luis Castillo’s first start of the season, he blew down the New York Yankees with basically two pitches: his four-seamer and slider.
Over the following five outings, Castillo has given up less than four runs just once and has not finished a single sixth inning. Over that time, he has given up 35 hits, 24 runs, and 20 earned runs in 22 ⅓ innings, an 8.06 ERA over that time.
Five of those innings came on Monday night in rainy Minnesota. Although in his previous four starts (also struggles of outings, though not without bad defense behind him), he had struck out 16 and issued seven walks while giving up two homers - it was all hits in the field that had sunk him - Monday’s game was bad in the so-called three true outcomes and bad in the actual result. Castillo gave up two home runs, walked two batters, and struck out three. He gave up seven hits in total and just as many runs.
The Mariners’ loss on Monday started and ended, mostly, with Castillo’s bad start. Sure, debutant Alex Hoppe’s second inning of work fell off the rails as his control waned and hitters adjusted to his slider, but the M’s had essentially decided on pushing Hoppe as far as they could to mop up the game. Sure, the Mariners offense took quite a while to wake up, but they managed to put four runs on the board.
The question has to be raised: does Castillo’s slump warrant a change in outlook for the Mariners about how to utilize him for the rest of the season?
‘Definitely Fast’: NFL Dreams Renewed, Emmanuel Henderson Ready to Fly With Seahawks
Once a prized four-star running back recruit, Emmanuel Henderson Jr.’s visualizations of an NFL career stalled out as a special teams standout with few chances to prove himself on offense over the course of three seasons with the Alabama Crimson Tide.
But thanks to the new rules in college sports that allow players to hit the transfer portal each spring without penalties such as sitting out a year, Henderson - who switched to receiver early in his college career - decided to bet on himself with one year of eligibility remaining. Leaving football royalty behind in Tuscaloosa to join the far less-heralded Kansas Jayhawks, he hoped more chances to show off his elite 4.4 speed and improved receiving skills as a pass catcher would pay off with scouts watching closely.
While such gambles don’t pay off for every player who hits the portal looking to bolster their pro stock with a change of zip code and uniform, Henderson achieved his goal and then some, emerging as an electric big play threat for the Jayhawks as a vertical threat and kick returner. Putting his name squarely on the map, his once-dormant NFL aspirations reawakened, as the Seattle Seahawks made that dream a reality by selecting him with the 199th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Washington State Lands Ronnie Harrison, Tyler Kropp Out of Transfer Portal
Continuing to restock their roster in the transfer portal, the Washington State Cougars received commitments from East Texas A&M forward Ronnie Harrison from East Texas A&M and Northwestern forward Tyler Kropp.
After completing his freshman season with the Wildcats, Kropp will arrive in Pullman with three years of eligibility remaining. In his lone season at Northwestern, he averaged 3.1 points and 2.1 rebounds while appearing in 31 games and making 10 starts, earning more minutes as the season went along. His most productive performance came in a win over USC, where he posted 11 points and nine rebounds, offering a glimpse of his potential.
With one year of eligibility left, Harrison averaged 14.7 points and 6.1 rebounds last season, leading the Lions in both categories. He also shot 47.% from the field and 29.% from three-point range. In the Southland Conference, he ranked ninth in scoring, 10th in rebounding, and tied for sixth in steals, demonstrating a well-rounded game that should translate well to the new-look Pac-12.
Reign Lose Jess Fishlock, Get Pounded 3-0 By Utah in Lumen Field Opener
The Seattle Reign endured their toughest loss of the season on Sunday night, dropping their first game of 2026 at Lumen Field in a 3-0 drubbing to the Utah Royals to drop Seattle to 3-2-1 (fourth in NWSL)
The Reign conceded just 50 seconds in before giving up another goal in the seventh. The game slipped out of control in first-half stoppage time, as the Royals put away their third to pull away. Though Seattle put together some solid looks and hit the woodwork twice, its positive momentum came to a screeching halt when captain Jess Fishlock landed awkwardly on her left ankle midway through the second half.
The injury, which head coach Laura Harvey didn't have updates on postgame, was bad enough to warrant an aircast and a stretcher — a sign of a possible bone break for the 39-year Welsh star. Fishlock announced earlier this week that she would retire from football at the end of the 2026 season.
What to Watch For in Storm’s Preseason Finale vs. Portland Fire
Almost nothing is the same about the Seattle Storm in 2026, and on Saturday, we saw for the first time how many of the new pieces fared against another WNBA team.
It was an especially young lineup for the Storm, with eight players 25 or younger playing big minutes in the team's 78-76 loss to the Golden State Valkyries to begin the preseason.
Even in a loss, there were many positives for the Storm’s new additions. Rookie No. 8 overall pick Flau’jae Johnson, No. 14 pick Taina Mair, and free-agent signings Jade Melbourne and Rennia Davis stood out.
Ferreira and Morris Regain Scoring Prowess, Sounders Outlast FC Dallas
The Seattle Sounders, down the likes of Cristian Roldan, Albert Rusnák and Paul Arriola, continued their strong start on Saturday night. They downed a visiting FC Dallas squad 2-1, weathering dangerous set-piece opportunities and benefitting from a return to form from goal scorers Jordan Morris and Jesús Ferreira.
The result moves Seattle to 6-1-1 (fourth in Western Conference) with just four goals allowed in eight MLS fixtures. It also meant Seattle's 20th straight game unbeaten at home, as the Sounders haven't lost under the arches of Lumen Field since June of 2025… when they played European champion Paris Saint-Germain.
Gonzaga Women's Basketball Takes Unique Continuity Into Offseason
In the midst of an era in college basketball where players change teams like the weather, Gonzaga women’s basketball is almost unfazed after the NCAA transfer portal closed this week.
With 12 players eligible to return, the Zags are retaining 10 of them, losing only two to the portal. One of the departees, senior guard Vera Günaydin, was always expected to leave after not playing in 2025-26 and planning to play professionally in the future. The other, sharpshooting guard, Paige Lofing, transferred back to her home university, Montana, after a promising freshman campaign in Spokane.
But everyone else on the Bulldogs is running it back, as they come off a year where they won the WCC championship and got back to the NCAA tournament. Now prepared to embark on a new path in the revamped Pac-12, head coach Lisa Fortier and her program are taking a strong combination of youth, talent, and continuity into next season.
Beau Stephens Ready to Bring ‘Mauler’ Mentality to Seahawks’ Offensive Line
Surprises are the name of the game when it comes to the NFL Draft, and as Iowa Hawkeyes guard Beau Stephens learned on Saturday, Day 3 takes that lack of predictability to a new level.
With picks flying off the board early in the fifth round, Stephens sat out his couch alongside family and friends scrolling on his phone, seeing several other guard prospects coming off the board. Throughout the pre-draft process, the Seattle Seahawks had stood out as a team with great interest in him, including bringing the player to town for an official visit, but without the team having any selections in the fourth or fifth round, he began to wonder how long he would have to wait to hear his own name called.
But just like that, a caller ID from Washington unexpectedly popped up on his phone. With Stephens still on the board, general manager John Schneider and the Seahawks decided to dig into their stash of 2027 picks to trade back into the fifth round, acquiring the 148th overall pick from the Browns to draft him.
Sebastian Akins Commits to Washington State
The Washington State Cougars have added another player to their roster for the 2026-27 season, signing former Wake Forest guard Sebastian Akins out of the transfer portal. He just completed his sophomore campaign with the Demon Deacons, starting eight games and averaging 5.3 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game.
Before transferring to Wake Forest, Akins began his career at Denver, where he had an impressive freshman season. He was named Summit League Rookie of the Year after averaging 12.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game.
New-Look Storm Fall Narrowly Short Against Valkyries in Preseason Opener
Despite holding an eight-point halftime lead, the Seattle Storm’s group of young, developing players narrowly fell to the Golden State Valkyries, 78-76, in the first 2026 preseason game on Saturday, April 25, at the Chase Center.
The Storm had 12 of their 19 players step onto the court in the game, getting a decent look at a mostly new group that has had just six days of practice together thus far.
Of that group who played, eight were not with the Storm in 2025 and four were rookies.
Even in a loss, there were plenty of bright spots for Seattle as we begin to see what the new-look Storm will look like. We won’t see the entire lineup until Ezi Magbegor is healthy and Awa Fam joins the team, but it was a glimpse at some of the exciting acquisitions.
M’s Beat Cards 11-9 in Bizarre Back-and-Forth Battle Despite Woo Blowup
Whatever happened between the Mariners and Cardinals on Saturday afternoon in Busch Stadium, it was one of the most beautiful examples of the chaos and unpredictability inherent in baseball. Perhaps it was fitting that all nine innings were played in the sun, what with the pastoral pastime unfolding in such a way as it did.
This was a game where Connor Joe knocked a game-tying single and Will Wilson drove in two of the Mariners’ runs, while Bryan Woo got smacked around for four homers and seven runs in just three innings pitched. Cole Young was a triple away from the cycle, while Mitch Garver had a multi-hit game even while getting a would-be homer robbed by the glove of Redbirds left fielder Nathan Church - who in turn mashed two big flies of his own but made the final two outs of the Mariners’ 11-9 victory.
And it was Leo Rivas, the same man who came into the game hitting .141, who delivered the go-ahead hit in the top of the ninth. Unlike many of the previous games, Rivas started on the bench on Saturday, logging two appearances. But in a game full of inflection points and twists, Rivas’ two appearances were some of the biggest moments of the game.
Julio Rodríguez set the tone with a second deck shot in the top of the first and Will Wilson launched his first career homer in the second.
Coming into Saturday, Julio Rodríguez had logged a hit in 16 of his past 48 at-bats, but 12 of those had been singles. Still, his process had been very sound after the slump of his first couple weeks, with Rodríguez driving stuff up the middle, drawing walks, and limiting strikeouts.
Seahawks Wrap Up 2026 NFL Draft With Trio of Seventh-Round Selections
Stocking up on seventh round picks with a pair of Day 3 trade downs, the Seattle Seahawks put a bow on their latest draft class by getting a jumpstart on the priority undrafted free agent process, selecting a trio of players with the 236th, 242nd, and 255th picks of the 2016 NFL Draft.
After acquiring picks from the New York Jets and Green Bay Packers with trade downs from 188th and 216th overall, the Seahawks continued to add to their secondary by snagging Toledo cornerback Andre Fuller and Arizona cornerback Michael Dansby while also investing a mid-seventh round pick on versatile Minnesota defensive tackle Deven Eastern to wrap up their eight-player haul.
Seahawks Trade Back, Select Kansas WR Emmanuel Henderson With Pick 199 in 2026 NFL Draft
Once again plugging a hole created by a departed free agent, moments after trading down with the New York Jets to recoup a seventh-round selection, the Seattle Seahawks bolstered their special teams depth by tabbing Kansas receiver Emmanuel Henderson Jr. with the 199th pick of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Originally starting his college career at Alabama, Henderson played three seasons for the Crimson Tide, mostly starring on special teams as a gunner on punt coverage with a handful of kick and punt return opportunities, producing 10 tackles during that span. Seeking more snaps on offense after a limited role in Tuscaloosa, he transferred to Kansas before his senior season and posted career-highs in receptions (45), receiving yards (766), and touchdowns (five) with the Jayhawks while adding a kick return for a touchdown.
Seawolves Pounded by Hounds at Home, Face Uphill Climb in Remaining Six Matches
TUKWILA, Wash. - The Chicago Hounds came to Starfire on Friday night and did to the Seawolves what they have done to every team they have faced so far in 2026: chew them up like an old toy, this time racking up a 59-22 score. It hasn’t mattered whether the MLR favorites have been at home, on the road, or at a neutral site in Nashville, they have won their games against Anthem, the Legion, the Free Jacks, and now the Seawolves by wide tallies.
The game got away from the Seawolves quickly. Unlike the team’s two previous losses, there weren’t specific inflection points late in the second half where the game went the wrong way or a particular mistake the Seawolves made that was the dividing line between a win and a loss. Instead, it was a grueling barrage of overpowering Chicago force, with the biggest inflection point being starting Seattle loosehead Ezekiel Lindenmuth’s red card - though it may have only marked the line between a respectable loss and a blowout.
While many of the Hounds’ 59 points came courtesy of their backfield, it was in truth the forward pack that did the bulk of the job. When Chicago had the ball - especially when they had the ball in Seattle territory - their advances were something close to the platonic ideal of death by a thousand cuts. Some of the names stood out, such as Brock Webster with his hat trick and Mason Flesch with his brace, but like all massive margins in professional rugby, it was due to the efforts of all 23 rostered players that the Hounds racked up as big of a win as they did.
And the Seawolves, for their part, did not make things easy on themselves, getting dinged for 14 penalties that gave the Hounds plenty of possession and lots more meters. Some of the teams in this league wouldn’t have had the wherewithal to take those 14 penalties and turn them into a nailed and buried coffin, but the Hounds are the league’s best for a reason.
Seahawks Trade Up to Pick No. 148, Draft Iowa G Beau Stephens
With the right prospect falling far enough to justify forking over a future draft pick, the Seattle Seahawks slid back into the fifth round to acquire the 148th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, using their newly-added selection on Iowa guard Beau Stephens.
After biding his time as a reserve in his first two seasons on campus in Iowa City, Stephens emerged as one of the best zone blocking guards in college football over the past two years, including earning All-American honors as a senior in 2025. Along with allowing no sacks and 13 pressures in pass protection, he earned a top-10 zone run blocking grade from Pro Football Focus, spearheading the Hawkeyes run game with a blend of athleticism and physicality.
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