Coach Katie Gearlds and her staff continue to build through the NCAA transfer portal. On Thursday, the Purdue women's basketball team landed a commitment from transfer guard Taylor Henderson. She comes to West Lafayette after spending her first three seasons at UNC-Wilmington.
Henderson is the fifth offseason commitment for the Boilermakers out of the transfer portal.
Henderson started in 31 of 32 games for UNC-Wilmington during the 2024-25 campaign, averaging 12.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. She reached double-figure scoring totals in 22 games and ranked fifth in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) in free throw attempts with 146.
As a redshirt freshman in the 2023-24 season, Henderson earned CAA All-Rookie honors after averaging 14.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.1 steals per contest. The 5-foot-11 guard did not appear in any games during the 2022-23 season, as she recovered from injury.
In two seasons at UNC-Wilmington, Henderson has been responsible for 807 points, 369 rebounds, 147 assists and 107 steals. She's been an expert at drawing contact and getting to the free throw line, taking more than 300 charity shots in two years.
Henderson joins Madison Layden-Zay (former Purdue guard who returns after missing the 2024-25 season), Taylor Feldman (Northern Arizona), Kiki Smith (Arkansas) and Nya Smith (UNC-Greensboro) to commit to Purdue during the offseason via the transfer portal.
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Left-handed starting pitcher Blake Snell is in his tenth major-league season after making his debut with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2016. Snell spent time with the San Diego Padres, then signed a deal with the San Francisco Giants after the 2023 season, which he later opted out of to enter free agency in 2024. The 32-year-old veteran signed a five-year, $182 million contract this offseason with the Los Angeles Dodgers after an exceptional 2024 campaign. Snell earned such a lucrative contract thanks to his outstanding career to date, which includes two Cy Young Awards and an All-Star appearance. Over 213 career starts, he owns a 77–58 record, a 3.18 ERA and 1,372 strikeouts. Snell was placed on the injured list on April 6 (retroactive to April 3) with left shoulder inflammation after experiencing discomfort during a bullpen session; he had made only two starts for the Dodgers before the injury. After four minor-league rehab outings, manager Dave Roberts announced on Sunday that Snell is expected to rejoin the rotation next week. With his return looming, the Dodgers have decided to shift to a six-man rotation but now face a decision on right-hander Dustin May’s roster status. May returned to a full-time starting role for the first time in two seasons and has struggled. On Sunday against the Boston Red Sox, May allowed four runs in five innings of work, and he entered the start with an ERA of 4.73. May’s name has surfaced in trade rumors, and he is a candidate to potentially be moved to the bullpen. He is an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season.
There are a lot of things that have to be sorted out during the Pittsburgh Steelers' 2025 training camp. Part of that includes the WR room and what exactly the team has via rookie quarterback Will Howard. Through the first weekend, we have some surprising developments on both fronts... Roman Wilson is taking lots of outside reps When the Steelers are in 11 personnel (one back and one tight end on the field) their three WRs have been relatively predictable: DK Metcalf, Calvin Austin III and Roman Wilson. And on the first day, that was the order with Metcalf and Austin on the outside and Wilson in the slot. But the Steelers spent a good portion of the weekend playing Wilson outside and moving Austin inside. To this point, Robert Woods hasn't been much of a factor at all, and while Wilson is playing a lot outside, Calvin Austin III has been the one making plays from wherever he aligns. Now we obviously can't draw any firm conclusions from four days of unpadded practice, but it's clear that the Steelers are giving Roman Wilson every opportunity to prove he's the team's #2 WR, even if Calvin Austin III is the one who holds the title. Will Howard already making waves? After starting practice in Latrobe as the third team quarterback, Howard worked his way into first team reps with the Steelers in 7v7 on Sunday. He received one of the biggest pops from the crowd of anyone on Saturday, and what few reps he's been afforded, he has run with them. I fully expected Will Howard to surpass Skylar Thompson on the depth chart by the end of camp, but to see him making such a big jump after just days of practice is very encouraging for the rookie. Preseason will be huge for Howard.
After already dealing Ryan McMahon to the Yankees, the Rockies are open for business heading into Thursday’s deadline as one of the few true sellers on the market. Another trade with the Yankees could be a possibility, as The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty reports that New York has interest in Colorado reliever Jake Bird among many other names on the bullpen market. Bird’s first three Major League seasons (2022-24) saw the right-hander post a 4.53 ERA, 19.3% strikeout rate, and 9.7% walk rate across 177 innings for the Rockies, all in a relief capacity apart from three pseudo-starts as an opener. His 4.05 ERA and 9.1% walk rate in 53 1/3 innings in 2025 are pretty comparable, but the big difference is a strikeout rate that has leapt up to 26.7%. Above-average whiff and chase rates support the increase in missed bats, and Bird’s solid barrel and grounder rates have also helped him limit damage at Coors Field. Interestingly, Bird’s home/road splits this year are actually much better in Denver (2.48 ERA in 29 innings) than away from home (5.92 ERA in 24 1/3 innings). A 3.19 SIERA paints an even more flattering picture of Bird’s improved performance, as a .352 BABIP has inflated the reliever’s ERA. Adopting the sweeper as his primary pitch seemed to have unlocked both Bird’s strikeout ability, and it has helped his curveball regain its 2023 status as a plus offering. Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake is a known proponent of the sweeper, which likely adds to New York’s interest in the Rox reliever. Bird will reach arbitration eligibility for the first time this winter, so he is controlled through the 2028 season. The Rockies are also reportedly open to offers on two other controllable relievers in Victor Vodnik and Seth Halvorsen, as Colorado’s willingness to take a broader approach to the deadline represents a change in direction for the organization. The Rockies had been traditionally wary about even moving pending free agents at the deadline, yet the new low of the team’s dreadful 27-78 record seems to have convinced the organization that larger changes are necessary. Even controllable relief pitching only has so much present value to a team that may be years away from contending, so it makes sense for the Rox to consider moving some of their bullpen arms. Given the natural volatility of relief pitching and Bird’s lack of a track record, selling high on his current success might well be a wise move for GM Bill Schmidt. Beyond the bullpen arms, Colorado is getting hits on other players on the roster. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand writes that Hunter Goodman, Brenton Doyle, Kyle Freeland and Austin Gomber are all getting varying degrees of trade attention, though it is very unlikely that Goodman or Doyle are moved. Goodman is enjoying a breakout season that resulted in an All-Star citation. Doyle is struggling through a rough year that has seen his bat and center field glovework both take big steps backwards from 2024, but the Rockies don’t seem likely to sell low. Goodman and Doyle are both controlled through the 2028 season, whereas Gomber is an impending free agent and Freeland is under contract through the 2026 campaign. Freeland is owed around $5.33M for the remainder of this season and then $16M in 2026, with a $17M vesting player option available for 2027 if Freeland tosses at least 170 innings next year. This price tag makes it pretty unlikely that Freeland will be dealt, unless Colorado was to eat most or all of that remaining salary. The southpaw has a 5.24 ERA over 101 1/3 innings in 2025, and a 5.03 ERA in 840 2/3 frames since Opening Day 2019. Because Freeland has spent his entire career in Denver’s thin air, there’s a bit of an X factor in gauging how well he could perform outside of such a hitter-friendly environment, even if his lifetime splits aren’t too drastic (4.85 ERA at home, 4.24 ERA on the road). Rival teams might not be intrigued enough by this potential upside to the take the plunge on a trade unless the Rockies indeed covered a lot of Freeland’s salary, which might not make it worth it for a Rox team that still needs someone to eat innings. Gomber is much less expensive and a rental player, so a rival team might have more willingness to take a flier on the southpaw as a depth arm. Feinsand notes Gomber’s superior road splits to his work at Coors Field, but the overall results haven’t been great, as Gomber has a 5.14 ERA in 578 1/3 innings since joining the Rockies prior to the 2021 season. That includes a 6.03 ERA in seven starts and 34 1/3 frames this year, as shoulder problems kept Gomber off the mound until mid-June.
The Miami Dolphins, and to a greater extent, Tua Tagovailoa, have been the beneficiaries of nothing but misfortune throughout the past several seasons. Career-threatening concussions and a 0-1 playoff record have been the hallmarks of the last five seasons, but according to Asante Samuel, the downtrodden Dolphins may finally be on the upswing. In the latest installment of his Say What Needs to be Said YouTube series, the former New England Patriot admitted that the Dolphins’ primary passer “impressed” him with his recent statements towards Tyreek Hill’s relationship with the team. Suffice it to say, it was a rare moment of praise from Samuel. After disclaiming that he is “…not usually impressed” with Tagovailoa as a product, Samuel explained that he was happy to see the 27-year-old “turning a new leaf and being more of a leader, speaking up for the Miami Dolphins as the quarterback at the team.” Although that did leave him to question as to whether or not it is “too late already for Tua to try and insert himself as the leader of the team?” Only time will tell, but for now, Samuel seems content with Tagovailoa’s assertion that “you don’t just come back from” what Tyreek Hill did by just simply saying “my bad.” Hill infamously removed himself from the Dolphins’ final contest of the season. He then proceeded to air several grievances with the organization on Twitter, routinely alluding to talks of a trade throughout the offseason. The star wide receiver has since apologized for his actions and is now “back at it” with the Dolphins at training camp per his most recent tweet. Nevertheless, a rift still remains, and according to Tagovailoa, it may take a while before Hill is able to find himself back in everyone’s good graces. “I would say we’re still continuing to [work on the relationship.] It’s not just with men, it’s with a lot of the guys. I’m not the only one that heard that. You guys aren’t the only people that heard that… You gotta work that relationship up and build everything up again. It’s still a work in progress, not just for me but for everybody.” While Tagovailoa was willing to commend Hill for taking the initial step of declaring his goals and extending the olive branch, it’s clear that Hill’s chemistry with the rest of the locker room is still very much in question. Whether or not that turns into anything meaningful, such as a lack of targets during the regular season, remains unlikely, but the situation continues to be one worth monitoring. The Dolphins are still searching for their first playoff win since the turn of the century, and the talents of Hill can certainly go a long way in getting them there. Whether they love him or hate him, Miami still needs him. The 2024 season was the first and only instance in which the Dolphins didn’t appear in the playoffs since they first signed Hill back in 2022, so until something better comes along, both parties will have to begrudgingly work together in order to accomplish their shared goal.
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