Red Raider Soccer falls short of District Championship

Ex-UCLA guard Will McClendon is transferring to San Jose State for the 2024-25 season. "Will McClendon brings the type of character and talent we need at San Jose State," Spartans coach Tim Miles said. "He is a two-way guard that can make plays with the ball in his hand or off the ball. He has competed at a high level in high school and college. Defensively, Will has the ability to guard multiple positions and adds much needed flexibility in our backcourt. We are very excited to have Will on board." 247Sports ranked the 6-foot-3 McClendon as a four-star prospect in the Class of 2021 out of Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas. He missed the 2021-22 season due to an injury. He appeared in 60 games for the Bruins, including all 33 in the 2023-24 season when he averaged 4.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists. San Jose State was 9-23 (2-16 Mountain West Conference) last season. --Field Level Media

Travis Kelce weighs in on Harrison Butker commencement speech

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce said he doesn't agree with the "majority" of Harrison Butker's recent controversial comments but noted that he will not judge his teammate for it. Butker caused a stir during his 20-minute commencement address on May 11 at Benedictine College, which is a Catholic school in Atchison, Kan. He addressed the female graduates in attendance and spoke against the "diabolical lies" society places on women who emphasize their careers over motherhood. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said on Wednesday that he did not "necessarily agree with" Butker's comments but noted he was going to "judge him by the character he shows every single day." Kelce had a similar take on the matter while speaking Friday on his "New Heights" podcast. "He's treated friends and family that I've introduced to him with nothing but respect and kindness," Kelce said of Butker. "And that's how he treats everyone. When it comes down to his views and what he said (in his) commencement speech, those are his. "I can't say I agree with the majority of it or just about any of it outside of just him loving his family and his kids. And I don't think that I should judge him by his views, especially his religious views, of how to go about life, that's just not who I am." Kelce did not address the part of Butker's speech in which the kicker quoted a Taylor Swift lyric. Butker said, "As my teammate's girlfriend says, 'familiarity breeds contempt'" -- which references Swift's song "Bejeweled." --Field Level Media

Toledo men's basketball coach Tod Kowalczyk agreed to terms on a contract that extends through the 2027-28 season, the university announced Friday. Financial terms were not disclosed. Kowalczyk, 57, has coached the Rockets for the last 14 seasons. He has guided the school to four consecutive Mid-American Conference championships and seven in the last 11 campaigns. "Tod and his coaching staff have developed and maintained a culture at Toledo that has resulted in strong academic performances and four consecutive regular-season MAC titles," Toledo vice president and director of athletics Bryan B. Blair said. "Even more impressive, they have done it with young men who represent all that is great about the University of Toledo. We are fortunate to have Tod leading our program for many years to come, and he and I are both committed to elevating our men's basketball program to even greater heights moving forward." Kowalczyk led the Rockets to a 20-12 record last season. He has posted a 278-181 mark with Toledo after notching a 136-112 record in eight seasons with Wisconsin-Green Bay (2002-10). "I am extremely grateful to outgoing president (Gregory) Postel, interim president Matt Schroeder and Bryan Blair for their confidence in our program," Kowalczyk said. "We have earned this contract extension due to the hard work of our outstanding assistant coaches and talented student-athletes, both on the court and in the classroom. ... We will strive to continue to be one of the top mid-major programs in the country and continue to bring more championships to Toledo." --Field Level Media

The SEC and Pac-12 joined the three other power conferences - the Big Ten, ACC and Big 12 - and the NCAA in agreeing on a multi-billion-dollar settlement that would allow schools to directly pay student-athletes for the first time in NCAA history, ESPN reported on Thursday. "The five autonomy conferences and the NCAA agreeing to settlement terms is an important step in the continuing reform of college sports that will provide benefits to student-athletes and provide clarity in college athletics across all divisions for years to come," NCAA president Charlie Baker and the five power conference commissioners said in a joint statement Thursday evening. With the NCAA's board agreeing to the terms of the settlement -- which would also resolve three federal antitrust cases -- former college athletes are one step closer to getting over $2.7 billion in back damages over the next decade because of previous restrictions on name, image and likeness (NIL) deals. Future athletes also would benefit, as the Big 12, Atlantic Coast Conference and Big Ten -- three of the defendants in the case -- are hoping to put a system in place that would give schools the power to pay them about $20 million per year in permissive revenue sharing. Such payments wouldn't start until fall of 2025. The ACC and Big 12 accepted the terms of the settlement on Tuesday. The Big Ten joined in on Wednesday. Per the terms of the agreement, athletes won't be able to sue the NCAA in future antitrust lawsuits and must drop their complaints in three current lawsuits: Carter v. NCAA, Hubbard v. NCAA and House v. NCAA. Former Colorado football player Alex Fontenot's lawsuit against the NCAA is not included in this pending settlement. Fontenot's suit is regarding how the NCAA shares TV revenues with players. The settlement is not yet official as it requires the approval of U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken, who is presiding over the three antitrust cases. Also, if players choose to join Fontenot's lawsuit, the settlement agreed on by the NCAA and Power 5 could be rendered null and void. --Field Level Media

Maxx Crosby, the Las Vegas Raiders' star defensive end, will make an additional $6 million next season, ESPN reported on Thursday. Per the report, the Raiders won't add any years to his contract and will also move $1.2 million into his contract for the 2025 season. Crosby, 26, is a three-time Pro Bowl selection who signed a four-year extension with $95 million in new money and more than $53 million guaranteed in March 2022. A fourth-round pick of the Raiders in 2019, Crosby recorded career highs in sacks (14.5) and tackles for loss (22) in 2023 and was a second-team All-Pro selection for the second time. He was also a second-team All-Pro in 2021. In his five seasons with the Raiders, Crosby has 52 sacks, 321 tackles, 18 passes defensed, nine forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and 88 tackles for loss. Per ESPN Stats & Information, Crosby was due to make $19.01 million, $21.038 million and $21.038 million the next three seasons. --Field Level Media

Denver coach Sean Payton didn't use the most flattering metaphor when describing the Broncos' three quarterbacks. Payton called the trio, which consists of Bo Nix, Zach Wilson and Jarrett Stidham, "orphaned dogs" Thursday. "They've all come from somewhere, but they're doing well. It's a good room," said Peyton, who will be entering his second year as Denver's coach. The Broncos selected Nix with the 12th pick in this year's draft after he threw for 4,508 yards and 45 touchdowns in his final season at Oregon. He completed 77.4 percent of his passes and threw only three interceptions in 470 attempts. Two days before the draft, the Broncos acquired Wilson, who was the No. 2 overall pick in 2021, and a seventh-round pick from the New York Jets for a sixth-round pick. Wilson struggled with the Jets in his 34 games, throwing for 6,293 yards with 23 touchdowns and 25 interceptions while completing 57 percent of his passes. Stidham appeared in three games last season for the Broncos and started the final two after he was signed by the club in March 2023. He threw two touchdowns and one interception during the two starts after Denver suddenly decided to bench Russell Wilson. The Broncos, who finished 8-9 last season, released Wilson in March two years into a five-year, $245 million contract. --Field Level Media

Former Arkansas running back Isaiah Augustave, who rushed for a combined 181 yards in his last two games for the Razorbacks, announced on social media Thursday afternoon that he is transferring to Colorado. The 6-foot-2, 208-pound Augustave played as a true freshman in 2023 for Arkansas, totaling 35 carries for 202 yards and one touchdown, and catching three passes for seven yards in 11 games. He earned Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week honors for his Nov. 18 effort in a 44-20 victory over Florida International. Augustave rushed 14 times for 101 yards, a 7.2-yard average. The next week in the season finale, he rushed 15 times for 80 yards and his lone score. Augustave, who will have three years of eligibility remaining, chose Colorado over offers from Florida State, Oklahoma State, Tennessee, Utah and other programs. The Buffaloes' running back room includes Ohio State transfer Dallan Hayden as well as Micah Welch, Charlie Offerdahl and Brandon Hood. Colorado thought it had a commitment from transfer Rashad Amos, who changed his decision to Ole Miss on May 18. Amos played at South Carolina (2020-22) and Miami of Ohio, where he rushed for 1,075 yards and 13 TDs last season. Augustave was a four-star prospect in the Class of 2023 out of Naples (Fla.) High School, where as a senior was rated a top-15 running back in the country and the No. 38 player in Florida by 247Sports. --Field Level Media

Cardinals first-round pick Marvin Harrison Jr. signs contract