Chargers WR Brenden Rice making presence felt at training camp

The son of Hall of Famer Jerry Rice is looking to secure a roster spot.

There is competition for the back end of the Chargers’ wide receiver room, and one player who is making a strong push for a spot is rookie Brenden Rice.

Rice, the son of Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, has made several big catches throughout training camp, with his latest coming on Wednesday. Easton Stick delivered a nice pass and Rice reeled it in with an over-the-shoulder grab.

If Rice continues to make plays like this the rest of the summer, he might not only make the roster but could also be a nice complementary piece in Year 1.

Rice is a big receiver with strong hands and a good sense of route running. He is also willing to block in space.

Rice tallied 84 career catches for 1,402 yards and 16 touchdowns while at USC. He began his college career at Colorado.

4-star wing schedules Michigan State basketball official visit

A top MSU target has scheduled three official visits:

One of the top priorities on Michigan State basketball’s recruiting board is Jordan Scott, a 4-star wing from Virginia. A 6-foot-7 small forward, Scott has been one of the top priorities for Tom Izzo and his staff from the beginning of the cycle.

Now, Scott has shared his intentions to make three official visits this fall, an important piece to his recruitment.

Scott will be starting his tour with Maryland on Sept. 13, followed by a trip to Virginia Tech on Sept. 21 and Michigan State getting the last crack on Oct. 4.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on Twitter @Cory_Linsner

‘Coach Elko is a genius’ Texas A&M safety Bryce Anderson is ready for the 2024 season

Bryce Anderson’s move back to safety was the smart move

With Texas A&M’s opener vs. Notre Dame looming, fall training camp has officially begun on Wednesday, as new head coach Mike Elko is well equipped with a stacked roster, starting and ending with redshirt sophomore quarterback Conner Weigman.

On Tuesday, Weigman, junior wide receiver Noah Thomas and junior defensive back Bryce Anderson joined Elko at the podium to take questions before the first practice, as Anderson, who was the last to speak, noted that his full time move to safety was the right decision, and Elko is to thank for putting him in the right position to succeed.

“At safety, the game, for me, is slower. I feel like I can eliminate things.”

“I can use my speed to go sideline-to-sideline. I feel like have more attributes at safety.”

Noting the natural feel, Elko, alongside defensive coordinator Jay Bateman’s scheme will put Anderson in the best position to succeed to clog up running lanes and eliminate short passing production. Compared to this time last season, Anderson knows that talk is cheap under Elko’s guidance.

“Last year, coming in, it was a whole lot of talk going on. We were working, but this year, we’re working way harder.”

“Coach Elko is a genius. Coming into the summer, he had it all calculated.”

Texas A&M will kick off the season in exactly one month vs. Notre Dame inside a packed Kyle Field on Saturday, August 31.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.

Former Notre Dame star 1B, Niko Kavadas, traded in one of MLB’s deadline deals

The former Irish star has been dealt in a trade deadline deal

Although former Notre Dame baseball star first baseman [autotag]Niko Kavadas[/autotag] lasted until the 11th round of the MLB draft, he was seen as a solid piece for the Boston Red Sox.

Unfortunately for the slugger, he won’t get to say that Fenway Park is his MLB home (at least right now), as on Tuesday he was included in a deal that sent him to the Los Angeles Angels.

This season Kavadas has been crushing the ball, hitting .281 with 17 home runs and 63 RBI. With first baseman Nolan Schanuel already making his debut with the Angels and sticking around with the big league club, there isn’t a natural fit for him at the big league level unless it’s as a designated hitter.

Hopefully Kavadas can force his way onto the 40-man roster, and make his Major League debut soon for the rebuilding Angels.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on X: @MikeFChen

Mackenzie Dern throwing out brawler mentality before UFC on ABC 7: ‘I want to be a champion’

Mackenzie Dern wants to be a “two-weight class champion” in the UFC but said she won’t get there if she can’t keep her emotions in check.

[autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag] believes she can achieve her championship aspirations if she makes one critical adjustment to her game entering UFC on ABC 7.

With back-to-back losses on her record for the first time, one might think Dern (13-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) would be struggling with confidence going into Saturday’s strawweight matchup with Loopy Godinez (12-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. However, that’s not the case.

In fact, Dern thinks she is on the cusp of her best days and most effective performances. But only if she can keep her emotions under control inside the octagon. Dern has been knocked down five times total in her two recent defeats, per UFC stats, against Amanda Lemos and Jessica Andrade, which she said was a product of getting too wild inside the cage.

Dern’s heart and durability cannot be questioned, and although she received praise from UFC CEO Dana White for her Fight of the Night battle with Lemos at UFC 298 in February, she said it’s not the approach required to reach the pinnacle of the sport.

“From my last fight, the biggest thing I’ve been trying to work on is just like control the emotions,” Dern told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “We kind of feel like that’s the biggest detail, what my losses are coming from. Not necessarily, ‘Oh, the technique isn’t there. Missing the wrestling. Missing the striking.’ Just that fact like, when you take a punch or something, sometimes I stay in a brawl and make the fight harder than what it needs to be.”

In order to keep her focus dialed in and “clean up” her emotional turbulence, Dern said she’s been working with a psychologist. She also brought her daughter to Abu Dhabi to fight week, which she said “keeps me more relaxed” as she ramps up for battle.

At 31, Dern thinks she still has plenty of time to make a run, starting with the fight against Godinez. She thinks the lessons absorbed through 13 octagon appearances have been immense, and she’s ready to be the fighter everyone expected her to be when she joined the UFC as an undefeated jiu-jitsu champion.

“I want to have a long career,” Dern said. “I want to be a champion. I would like to be like a two-weight class champion. Brawlers don’t really have that. They take the damage. … It’s just unnecessary.

“I always have that card in my back pocket if I need to brawl. I can go out there and brawl. We all know I have that heart in there. I want to have a long career and try to see everything. And I think if I’m more rational and reasonable, I can have everything it takes to be a champion.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ABC 7.

What RB Kalel Mullings has improved on the most this offseason

If he can make house calls now, watch out! #GoBlue

It wasn’t so long ago that Michigan football fans wanted to see less of Kalel Mullings in the running back position. Now they want to see him a lot more.

And they’re about to get their chance with the latter.

Mullings was recruited to Ann Arbor as a linebacker, but in spring of 2022, he started dabbling at running back. He fumbled once in the spring game and thus languished on the bench for much of the year. But when Blake Corum injured his knee in the penultimate week of the regular season, Mullings needed to come in periodically to spell Donovan Edwards, and thus it was finally his time to shine.

But, a botched handoff on the goal line in the College Football Playoff semifinal against TCU was so disastrous, Mullings’ future appeared to be in doubt. However, in 2023, when he was healthy, he had a solid year, bulldozing his way through defensive fronts, all while protecting the football. Now, he’ll split time with Edwards, and will assuredly be the thunder to Edwards’ lightning.

On the In the Trenches Podcast, Mullings shared where he’s worked the hardest this offseason and how he hopes it will pay off.

“Yeah, so for me, definitely it’s been the last third of my runs, being able to break the long ones,” Mullings said. “Being mobile and agile though, that’s been my biggest area of focus, while still maintaining my size and the biggest thing that kind of separates me. So, for me, this offseason has been finding that balance of being a big, powerful back, but at the same time being able to take it the distance and get those house calls.”

The good thing is, regardless if Mullings is the second tailback off the bench, the first, or the last, the group has really come together as one unit, happy for each other’s success.

His sentiments somewhat echoed Edwards’ stance at Big Ten media days, noting that it’s not just a friendly, in-room competition. It’s a brotherhood. And as such, they all want a piece of the pie and they all want each other to share in that.

“We’re all brothers in that room. We all love each other,” Mullings said. “And that’s the main thing — it’s a real, genuine connection, and relationships with all your teammates. That’s first and foremost. And then after that, it’s just having fun with the guys, bringing the best out of each other. Because I know if one of the other guys is coming into practice pulling the best out of me, and I’m doing the same with him, no matter what happens, we’ll be — the team as a whole, being in a better spot.”

Watch: Audric Estime bulldozes opponent in Denver Broncos camp

Estime continues to be a load for defenders

Many believed that Notre Dame running back [autotag]Audric Estime[/autotag] was the best player at his position that would be drafted in 2024.

Well, that wasn’t the case as the Irish’s leading rusher from this past season was taken in the fifth round by the Denver Broncos. Eleven other backs were selected in front of him, and those teams might end up wishing they took Big ‘Dric.

In a clip posted on social media, Estime is shown taking a handoff, blowing right past the line of scrimmage and then meeting up with a safety. It didn’t end well for the defender, as the bruising back layed the wood in the collision.

It would not surprise me one bit to see Estime among the top rookie rushers this coming NFL season. I have a feeling a lot of teams will regret passing over him in the draft.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on X: @MikeFChen

Seahawks sign RB Kairee Robinson

Seahawks sign RB Kairee Robinson

There is no such thing as adding too many players to give them an opportunity. The Seattle Seahawks made two roster moves today. First, they signed Ohio University defensive tackle Rodney Mathews, who was released by the Green Bay Packers in early May.

The next thing they did was sign running back Kairee Robinson out of San Jose State. Robinson will now be added to the mix to build depth behind Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet, competing directly with Kenny McIntosh and George Holani.

Robinson was a beast for the Spartans during his five year collegiate career. Last season was his best, as he plowed forward with 1,194 yards and an astonishing 18 touchdowns. It really speaks to the quality of talent out there in college football where a young man such as himself could go undrafted.

It will be a challenge for him to make the final roster, given how deep the Seahawks already are at running back. However, all it takes sometimes for players is to get a shot. Now, Robinson has his.

More Seahawks Wire stories

4 takeaways from Seahawks first week of training camp

Former Seahawks RB Rashaad Penny has retired 

Watch: Jake Bobo makes the catch of the summer at Training Camp

DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett are snubbed in Madden 25 ratings

Why the Warriors can contend for a championship next season

The Golden State Warriors have enough talent within their roster to challenge for the 2025 NBA championship.

Last season, the Golden State Warriors failed to make the playoffs. Steve Kerr’s team struggled to control games and often lost games from winning positions. Since the start of the offseason, Golden State’s front office has presided over a significant roster change, led by Klay Thompson’s exit.

With so many new faces and a roster full of versatile talent, there’s hope that Golden State can show improvements from what we saw last season. As such, Kerr’s team could emerge as a potential contender in the Western Conference, especially if their defense improves from what we saw last season.

In a recent video by the “Bully Ball” YouTube channel, the host explores the potential for Golden State to win the NBA championship next season, even laying out four different reasons why it’s a logical expectation for the franchise.

You can watch the full video by clicking on the embedded link above.

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Albert: USWNT coach Hayes has offered ‘tough love’ since anti-LGBTQ+ social media controversy

Albert’s impressive strike came even as questions remain over her place in the USWNT Olympic squad

The U.S. women’s national team’s 2-1 win over Australia caught the eye for many reasons, not least of which was an impressive goal from the team’s most scrutinized player.

The USWNT’s successful group-stage performance ended with a third straight win courtesy of a 77th-minute laser from midfielder Korbin Albert. That is to say, a player who has been under fire for four months over homophobic and transphobic social media posts is now making headlines for becoming a USWNT goalscorer in a major tournament.

In post-game quotes published by ESPN and the Washington Post, Albert admitted that USWNT head coach Emma Hayes has adopted a “tough love” approach since deciding to stick with the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder amid calls for her to be dropped.

“It’s tough love sometimes,” said Albert of Hayes. “It’s really nice just to have her here and teaching me and guiding me in every way, personally and on the soccer field.”

Albert didn’t directly discuss her social media posts or the aftermath, in keeping with statements from Hayes that the matter would remain internal.

Still, a substantial segment of the USWNT fanbase has criticized U.S. Soccer and Hayes for taking Albert to the Olympics despite the controversy. USWNT greats like Megan Rapinoe (whose career-ending injury was mocked in a post Albert liked on Instagram), Sam Mewis, and Christen Press, have been critical of the 20-year-old, and of the lack of public-facing information about what Albert is doing to repair the damage done.

Hayes: Albert ‘has had to do a fair bit of growing up’

In a post-game press conference, Hayes expanded on the matter, though the specifics of Albert’s attempts to progress towards more inclusive views remained an in-house secret.

“We all know she’s been through a lot with her actions and she’s someone who is truly sorry for what she’s done,” said Hayes. “She’s a really inclusive person and she’s really thoughtful and kind, and she has had to do a fair bit of growing up.

“I’m a mother and my instinct is to protect, and I’m never ever going to change that, but I don’t tolerate [Albert’s social media activity], and we want an environment where people can feel they can be [themselves].”

Albert may be in line for a bigger role in the USWNT’s upcoming Olympic quarterfinal against Japan. Defensive midfielder Sam Coffey will be suspended for Saturday’s knockout match due to yellow-card accumulation.

With Emily Sonnett possibly in line to continue at center back due to Tierna Davidson’s injury, Albert appears to be the most likely player to step into the midfield spot vacated by Coffey.

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