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.
‘Dream Come to Reality’: Certified Ball Hawk Bud Clark Hyped to Join Seahawks’ Star-Studded Defense
Growing up during the peak of the Seattle Seahawks’ Super Bowl years under coach Pete Carroll, like many youngsters with dreams to play in the NFL down the road in the mid-2010s, Bud Clark idolized the vaunted “Legion of Boom” secondary.
Emerging as a top recruit at Alexandria Senior High School in Louisiana, Clark aimed to model his game after one of the esteemed members of that illustrious, star-studded defensive backfield, desiring to bring the physical tenacity Kam Chancellor once did inflicting pain on opponents to more than earn the nickname “Bam Bam.” After briefly committing to Virginia, he took his talents to Forth Worth, joining an always tough TCU program instead, looking to make a similar impact to his idol.
Six years later, Clark will now get to don the same blue and action green that Chancellor once rocked in the Pacific Northwest, seeing a “dream come to reality” landing with his desired team as the 64th overall selection in the 2026 NFL Draft.
‘Meant To Be’: Destiny Brings Julian Neal, Seahawks’ Dark Side Defense Together
The main story of the Seattle Seahawks’ offseason, at least since the confetti got swept up from the Super Bowl parade down Fourth Avenue, has been the names that have left the building to wear different colors. Ken Walker III, Coby Bryant, Boye Mafe, and Riq Woolen all bolted in free agency as part of the typical post-Lombardi Trophy exodus.
While Woolen was not a perfect cornerback or technician, you just don’t see size and length like that very often at the position. So, while he was frustrating at times with penalties and missed tackles, it’s a little nervy to let that kind of pure athleticism and physical gifts leave the team as Seattle did allowing him to sign with Philadelphia.
But if there was a player in the 2026 NFL Draft that could properly replace Woolen as the token long-armed corner that looks like he’s from the same lab where they made Captain America, it’s Arkansas cornerback Julian Neal.
Huskies’ Denzel Boston and Tacario Davis Headed for Ohio
Denzel Boston is used to fighting for opportunities in a crowded wide receiver room.
The leading receiver for the Washington Huskies will attempt to do the same after the Cleveland Brown selected the 6-4 junior with the seventh pick in the second round (No. 39 overall). Cleveland also chose Texas A&M receiver KC Concepcion No. 24 overall in the first round.
“I think that we’re going to bring a good mix of explosiveness and having explosive plays after explosive plays,” said Boston on a call with Cleveland area media. “Both of us have generated tons of touchdowns throughout our college careers. So, I think those are the two things for sure you can look forward to.”
Seahawks Trade Down, Select Julian Neal With 99th Pick in 2026 NFL Draft
Finishing off Day 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft with a flurry of activity at the tail end of the third round, the Seattle Seahawks recouped a sixth-round draft choice by trading down with the Pittsburgh Steelers, dropping down four selections to nab Arkansas CB Julian Neal with the 99th overall pick.
Starting off his collegiate career at Fresno State as a safety and sub-package linebacker, Neal transitioned to cornerback during his second season with the Bulldogs and enjoyed a breakout junior season in 2024. Ready to step up his game against top competition, he entered the transfer portal and took his talents to Arkansas, instantly being plugged in as a starter on Day 1 playing on the boundary.
Seahawks Land Ball-Hawking DB Bud Clark With 64th Pick in 2026 NFL Draft
Continuing their efforts to replace departed former starters in free agency, the Seattle Seahawks once again opted to sit pat and make their native selection at the end of the second round, snagging TCU safety Bud Clark with the 64th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
After losing Coby Bryant to Chicago in free agency last month, Seattle made a play for a talented ball-hawking defensive back in Clark who racked up interceptions in bunches for the Horned Frogs after rebounding from a couple injury-shortened seasons to begin his collegiate career, offering many of the strengths of his predecessor in the secondary. Over his final four seasons on campus, he intercepted a whopping 15 passes, returning two of them for touchdowns, and registered 20 additional pass breakups, always finding a way to get his paws on the football while aggressively shooting passing lanes in coverage.
Three Moves Kraken Can Make to Gain Momentum This Offseason
The Seattle Kraken just finished their fifth season in franchise history. For the third straight year, and fourth time in these five seasons, they missed the playoffs. Ron Francis has stepped down as president. Lane Lambert, as of now, remains the head coach.
This franchise needs some changes. They need some juice. They certainly need some offense. As a franchise stuck in the mud, it’s time to shake things up. Here are three moves the Kraken should make to reignite excitement among the fanbase.
Preview: Seawolves Host Undefeated Chicago Hounds, Need Old Mate Upset to Avoid Early-Season Hole
If there is any team that is an early favorite to win the 2026 MLR title, it is the Chicago Hounds. Over their first three matches, they have scored 131 points and given up 69 on their way to three convincing victories, and they’re the only team to get all five possible points out of each of their initial matches. The California Legion, who broke through an injury-knocked Seawolves side in the final minutes of the match last Sunday, found themselves out of their depth in their own road match against the Hounds. Seattle has the advantage of being the hosts, but it is still a tall task to take down what has clearly been the best team in the league during the first third and change of the 10-match MLR season.
Also on the line for the two teams is the Old Mate, officially known as the MLR Supporters Challenge Cup. The Old Mate comes from the very first MLR game ever played between the Houston SaberCats and NOLA Gold on April 21, 2018, and was taken by the Gold in their victory that game but then lost to the Austin Elite in the Gold’s following match. From then on, in an unbroken line of victors to the present, the Old Mate has gone from team to team in the manner of a boxing world title. While originally an unofficial title like the Raeburn Shield, the MLR formalized it before the 2026 season as the Supporters Challenge Cup.
According to the North American Rugby Database (NARDb), the Seawolves have held the Old Mate 20 times, with seven successful challenges against a Mate holder and 13 successful defenses of the Mate. The Seawolves last won the Mate with their Week 15 victory over the SaberCats last year, but were unable to defend the Mate against the Free Jacks in their following game.
Analysis: What Three Areas Do Gonzaga Bulldogs Need to Address This Offseason?
With the NCAA transfer portal now officially closed, the returns of Braden Huff, Mario Saint-Supéry, Davis Fogle, and Parker Jefferson to Gonzaga next season are all but confirmed barring any unforeseen circumstances.
Still, the Zags’ roster is in a more barren place than years past. Seven players from last season’s team entered the transfer portal, and four others exhausted their college eligibility. With transfer Isiah Harwell on his way to Spokane from Houston and three freshmen incoming, the Bulldogs have up to seven scholarship spots to fill, pending the return of walk-on Alonzo Metz.
Depth and versatility were key components to GU’s 31-4 campaign, making the coupling of quality and quantity imperative for Gonzaga as it recruits players in the portal. So with an influx of new faces on the horizon, what areas are to be prioritized for the Zags as they attempt to finalize their 2026-27 personnel?
2026 NFL Draft: Best Players Available for Seahawks Entering Day 2
While the Seattle Seahawks weren’t able to trade down as they hoped to recoup an additional draft pick or two in Thursday’s opening round of the 2026 NFL Draft, general manager John Schneider landed one of his preferred prospects to fill a major need at pick No. 32, nabbing explosive Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price as a natural replacement for Ken Walker III in the backfield.
Since Seattle didn’t manage to find a trade partner to move down, Schneider currently has only three more draft choices at his disposal, but two of those (No. 64, No. 96) are slated for Day 2. That’s great news in a draft class that features underwhelming depth overall, as the majority of their selections land in the sweet spot to find starter-caliber talent in the second and third round.
All options will be on the table for Schneider and company, as he likely will continue to seek out trade down possibilities with hopes of adding another pick on Day 3, where the Seahawks currently have just one pick (No. 188) in the sixth round. But staying put and choosing quality over quantity may be the best strategy for the defending champions at this point, especially with a handful of projected first rounders remaining available going into Friday.
Which prospects stand out as the best available targets for the Seahawks heading into Day 2 in Pittsburgh?
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