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USC quarterback Miller Moss announces he's entering transfer portal

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USC quarterback Miller Moss announces he's entering transfer portal

Ever since he was a boy, Miller Moss dreamed of being USC’s starting quarterback. He followed that dream as a touted prospect into a crowded quarterback room at USC. And he waited three years as a backup, biding his time as many others in his class bolted for the transfer portal instead.

Moss’ chance to lead USC’s offense lasted through one outstanding bowl performance and nine games of an up-and-down season before Moss was replaced by his own backup, and the window at his dream school had closed suddenly.

By Monday morning, three weeks after he was replaced, Moss made it official that he plans to enter the transfer portal, leaving USC after four seasons.

“Being a USC Trojan was a lifelong dream of mine,” he wrote. “I poured everything I have into this — body, heart, mind and soul — and am humbled by and proud of what my teammates and I accomplished, and fought tooth and nail for.”

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Through nine games as USC’s starter this season, Moss threw for 2,555 yards and 18 touchdowns, totals that ranked among the best in the Big Ten on paper. But with Moss at the helm, the Trojans’ offense also proved much less dynamic than previous iterations. In all five of USC’s losses, critical mistakes from Moss down the stretch would prove incredibly costly.

The circumstances at USC weren’t exactly ideal for Moss, either. The Trojans offensive line struggled mightily in the first half of the season, while Moss was often asked to do too much to lift the offense. In three different games, he threw 50 passes or more, despite USC having one of the best running backs in the Big Ten in the same backfield.

USC slid to 4-5 with Moss as the starter, before Lincoln Riley opted to take the offense in a different direction. He replaced Moss with Jayden Maiava, a transfer from Nevada Las Vegas, whose dual threat skill set more closely mirrors other quarterbacks who have excelled under Riley.

In an interview with ESPN on Monday, Moss said he’d had “a rough last three weeks” since he was benched. But he expressed gratitude for his four years at USC. Moss will now have one year of eligibility to use elsewhere as a graduate transfer.

It’s possible Moss could stay within the same conference — and perhaps even face off with USC sometime next season. Several Big Ten teams find themselves in serious need of a quarterback. Moss considered Michigan as a recruit and said earlier this season that he’d enjoyed his visit to Ann Arbor. UCLA, in desperate need of a starting caliber quarterback, could even consider making that call.

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He first came to USC in January 2021, with Clay Helton as coach and fellow four-star quarterback Jaxson Dart in the same class. But when Riley arrived, Dart and previous starter Kedon Slovis left. Moss stayed, even after Riley brought highly touted transfer Caleb Williams with him from Oklahoma. It would be two more years, as Williams brought home a Heisman Trophy, before Moss was handed the reins.

Moss will have no shortage of suitors now lining up to offer him that shot this offseason in spite of how his tenure ended at USC.

It started on the highest possible note, as Moss led the Trojans to an impressive season-opening win over Louisiana State in which he threw for 378 yards and led a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter. The Tigers’ defense didn’t allow more than 300 yards passing in any game the rest of the season.

In the Holiday Bowl, nine months earlier, he was even better as Moss threw for six touchdowns in a storybook debut win over Louisville.

In the aftermath of that game, as fireworks exploded over the field at Petco Park in San Diego, Moss beamed. Teammates called for his coronation as quarterback, and Riley, in his post-game press conference, joked that Moss had probably scared off any potential transfers anyway.

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But a year later, Riley had chose a new direction. Now it was Moss who was leaving USC.

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Chiefs and Browns make first trade of 2026 draft and both eventually fill needs

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Chiefs and Browns make first trade of 2026 draft and both eventually fill needs

The Cleveland Browns, rumored to be willing to trade down from their No. 6 overall selection in the 2026 NFL draft, did just that Thursday evening when the traded the pick to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Cleveland traded the sixth overall pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft to the Chiefs, in exchange for the ninth overall pick, as well as pick No. 74 in the third round and No. 148 in the fifth round.

The Browns now hold the No. 9 and No. 24 picks in the first round of the draft. They have a total of 11 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns watch from the sidelines during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, Ohio, on Sept. 7, 2025. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)

So the Chiefs gave up three picks in making the first trade of the first round.

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And we know what the fan bases of both clubs were thinking prior to the selection:

Chiefs fans were thinking we know something they don’t. And then the Chiefs selected cornerback Mansoor Delane from LSU — a move no doubt forced by the club’s trade of Pro Bowl cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams earlier in the offseason.

So, the Chiefs fill a major need, assuming Delane is indeed the quality corner they believe.

LSU Tigers CB Mansoor Delane celebrates a defensive stop against the Clemson Tigers at Memorial Stadium in South Carolina. (Ken Ruinard/USA TODAY Network)

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ESPN’s Mel Kiper didn’t like the pick, by the way. He had Delane as the 14th best player in the draft.

“It was a necessity,” ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, a former NFL defensive back, responded.

Browns fans weren’t thinking that way.

BROWNS MAKE STUNNING KENNY PICKETT TRADE TO RAIDERS AS BACKUP QUARTERBACK ROLE REMAINS WIDE OPEN

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They were probably thinking something akin to “We screwed up.”

This is understandable because they’re Browns fans and this could have been the Browns Browning.

Well, the Browns, moving down three slots, gave up a shot to draft linebacker Sonny Styles of Ohio State to the Washington Commanders, receiver Jordyn Tyson to the New Orleans Saints and then the Browns got their chance with the newly acquired No. 9 pick:

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Offensive tackle Spencer Fano of Utah.

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Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Ind., on Feb. 24, 2026. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)

Fano is good. And he makes the Browns offensive line instantly better because he’s going to likely start at left tackle for them.

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So what will Browns fans think of this pick?

They’ll probably wonder why the Browns didn’t pick Miami’s Francis Mauigoa, who went with the No. 10 pick to the New York Giants and promised “to die for” Jaxson Dart if necessary. They’ll wonder this because Browns fans expect the worst.

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Defending champion UCLA women’s basketball lands top transfer, continues roster overhaul

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Defending champion UCLA women’s basketball lands top transfer, continues roster overhaul

UCLA women’s basketball team has added some star power as its revamped roster begins to take shape.

Former Iowa State forward Addy Brown announced Thursday she is committing to UCLA, giving the Bruins one of the top players in the portal.

Brown averaged 11.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game while shooting 43.1% from the floor and 33.8% from three-point distance with the Cyclones last season. She played just 21 games due to injury, but she is one of the better two-way players in the nation on the transfer market.

The 6-foot-2 forward co-starred with Audi Crooks for Iowa State the past few seasons and was a part of the mass exodus from the Cyclones’ program.

The Bruins reeled in former North Carolina junior guard Elina Aarnisalo and former Texas Christian senior guard Donovyn Hunter a few weeks ago, adding two more experienced players to the depleted starting lineup after a record six UCLA players were selected in the WNBA draft.

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UCLA also signed Arkansas sophomore guard Bonnie Deas earlier this month. She is likely to start at point guard for the Bruins and is one of the best rebounding guards in the nation.

Along with returner Timea Gardiner, the Bruins are starting to form somewhat of a core to defend their national championship. Gardiner was a starter during UCLA’s 2024-25 Final Four run, but missed all of this past season with injury and has one season of eligibility left.

A lineup with Deas and Aarnisalo in the backcourt, Hunter at the three and Gardiner or Brown at the four and adding another big or Sienna Betts at the five would be a competitive lineup in the Big Ten.

Before going to TCU, Hunter played two seasons at Oregon State where she earned All-Pac-12 Defensive Team honorable mention and All-Pac-12 Freshman team honors. This past season with a Horned Frogs team that went to the Sweet 16, she was third in scoring with 10.2 points per game and averaged 3.2 rebounds per contest. She also shot 45.7% from the field and was 33.7% from beyond the arc.

Aarnisalo played her freshman year in Westwood after she originally committed to UCLA in 2025. Due to injuries from point guard Kiki Rice at the start of the 2024-25 season, she was forced into action early her freshman season and finished the year averaging 5.1 points per game.

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The Helsinki, Finland, native averaged 10.2 points per game for the Tar Heels as a sophomore last season while shooting 47.3% from the field and 40.3% from the arc. The Bruins will desperately need to replace the three-point production lost with the departure of Rice, Gianna Kneepkens and Charlisse Leger-Walker.

UCLA coach Cori Close said she wanted to sign five players from the portal. She probably needs one more guard and a little more forward depth coming off the bench following the departures of Gabriela Jaquez and Angela Dugalic.

Lena Bilic and Amanda Muse are returners coming off the bench who got a little bit of playing time in the tournament and should have much larger roles, but they are still relatively unproven in late-game situations. They will get a chance to develop as backups with some more Power Four experienced starters now in the fold.

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WWE to hold premium live event in Saudi Arabia amid Iran ceasefire

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WWE to hold premium live event in Saudi Arabia amid Iran ceasefire

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Saudi Arabia was among the countries seeing missiles fly into their airspace as a conflict broke out in the Middle East between the U.S. and Iran.

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The prospect of Iran targeting its Middle Eastern neighbors like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates put some sporting events on hold and questioned others. Formula 1 races in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain were canceled and rumors swirled around whether future WWE events could be held in the kingdom.

Roman Reigns celebrates his win during WWE’s Royal Rumble at Riyadh Season Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Jan. 31, 2026. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)

As the Trump administration brokered a ceasefire with Iran, WWE announced on Thursday that its Night of Champions premium live event will be held in Riyadh on June 27.

“We are proud to welcome Night of Champions back to Riyadh and look forward to delivering another unforgettable night of WWE action for fans in the Kingdom and around the world,” General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki Al-Sheikh said in a news release.

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Sami Zayn makes his entrance during Night of Champions at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 28, 2025. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)

The release touted that WrestleMania 43 will still be held in Riyadh in 2027. It will be the first time that WrestleMania is held outside the U.S.

WWE president Nick Khan was adamant before WrestleMania 42 that the event will still take place in Saudi Arabia despite the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

“We’re doing WrestleMania next year in Saudi,” he said at a Sports Business Journal event, via The Sporting Tribune. “First time ever, WrestleMania will be outside the United States or Canada. And we’ve had a big, fruitful partnership with them.”

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John Cena wrestles CM Punk during Night of Champions at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 28, 2025. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)

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He added that those complaining about WrestleMania being held in Saudi Arabia were a “vocal minority.”

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