SOONERS

OU volleyball coach Lindsey Gray-Walton resigns after five seasons

Oklahoman

OU volleyball coach Lindsey Gray-Walton resigns after five seasons

OU volleyball coach Lindsey Gray-Walton has resigned after posting a 65-64 record and one NCAA Tournament appearance in five seasons, the school announced Thursday.

"We are extremely grateful to Lindsey for everything she poured into our volleyball program," OU athletic director Joe Castiglione said. "She leaves a strong foundation as our program continues to strive for excellence. We're appreciative of her time as a Sooner and wish her nothing but the best."

OU's 2019 squad finished 19-9 overall and in third place in the conference, matching the program's second-best Big 12 finish all-time.

Oklahoma volleyball coach Lindsey Gray-Walton, right.

More:OU football player tracker: Keeping up with Sooners in transfer portal and bound for NFL

USC QB Caleb Williams voted AP Player of the Year

Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams is The Associated Press college football player of the year, becoming the school's first winner of the award since 2005 with his stellar debut season for the Trojans.

Williams received 32 of the 46 first-place votes and 117 total points from AP Top 25 poll voters to win the award presented by Regions Bank. The Heisman Trophy favorite finished well ahead of TCU quarterback Max Duggan, who came in second with six first-place votes and 64 points.

Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud was third, with Tennessee's Hendon Hooker in fourth and Georgia's Stetson Bennett fifth.

Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr., the first repeat SEC Defensive Player of the Year, was the only non-quarterback in this year's top eight vote-getters, finishing sixth after coming in fourth last season.

Stroud and Hooker got two first-place votes apiece, while one first-place vote each went to Bennett, Anderson and star running backs Bijan Robinson of Texas and Blake Corum of Michigan.

The clear favorite was Williams, the elusive passer and runner with an electrifying arm and strong leadership skills. The sophomore followed Lincoln Riley from Oklahoma to the West Coast last winter, and the duo immediately returned USC (11-2) to national prominence with a seven-win improvement on last season's record.

Williams has passed for 4,075 yards with an FBS-leading 37 touchdowns and just four interceptions this season, completing 66.1% of his passes while winning the Pac-12's Offensive Player of the Year award.

His ability to avoid defensive pressure has bordered on the supernatural at times, and he has racked up 372 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns while setting the USC school records for total touchdowns and total offensive yards (4,447) in a season.

FILE - Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams smiles after USC defeated Notre Dame 38-27 in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022, in Los Angeles. Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams was named the AP Player of the Year in college football, Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

House report: Snyder had role in 'toxic' Commanders culture

The House Committee on Oversight and Reform said the Washington Commanders created a “toxic work culture” for more than two decades and downplayed sexual misconduct by men at the top levels of the organization. That's according to a report published Thursday. The report also says team owner Dan Snyder was involved in the misconduct, interfered in a separate investigation and was misleading to the House committee. The report also says the NFL minimizes "workplace misconduct across the league.” Attorneys for Snyder and the Commanders said the committee’s work was “one-sided” and there were “no new revelations.”

Western Michigan hires Lance Taylor to lead football program

Western Michigan has hired Louisville offensive coordinator Lance Taylor to lead its football program. Athletic director Dan Bartholomae made the announcement Thursday. The 41-year-old Taylor previously coached running backs for three seasons at Notre Dame and Stanford. He was also an assistant at Appalachian State and with the Carolina Panthers and New York Jets. Alabama coach Nick Saban gave him his start in coaching as a graduate assistant in 2007. Taylor walked on the Crimson Tide’s team in 1999 and later earned a scholarship as a receiver and special team’s captain for former coach Mike Shula.

LOUISVILLE: The University of Louisville Athletic Association's executive board approved a six-year contract on Thursday that will pay former Purdue coach Jeff Brohm a base salary of $5 million next season with annual increases of $100,000, plus incentives.

KENTUCKY: Running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. will skip the Music City Bowl to prepare for the NFL draft, the second Wildcat to do in as many days. Quarterback Will Levis announced Wednesday that he would miss the Dec. 31 contest against Iowa to get ready for next spring’s draft. Rodriguez leaves as Kentucky’s No. 3 career rusher with 3,644 yards and 32 touchdowns.

Extra points

MLB: The Los Angeles Dodgers have signed outfielder Jason Heyward to a minor league deal and invited him to spring training. The 33-year-old was released by the Chicago Cubs earlier this offseason. Heyward put up the worst offensive numbers of his career last season and battled injuries. He batted .204 and had 10 RBI and one home run in 137 plate appearances. ... The San Diego Padres and Xander Bogaerts agreed to a blockbuster $280 million, 11-year contract Wednesday night, adding the All-Star slugger to an already deep lineup.

NBA: Knicks forward Obi Toppin will miss at least two weeks because of a fracture in his right leg. Toppin was hurt in the second quarter of the Knicks' 113-89 victory over Atlanta on Wednesday. The team ruled him out for the second half with a sore right knee, then said Thursday the injury was a non-displaced fracture in his right fibula head.

—Staff and wire reports