COUGAR NOTES: WSU searches for an AD as Pac-12 finds third media rights partner

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Nov. 14—The Washington State world was shaken to its core on Wednesday when WSU President Elizabeth Cantwell announced that the school and Anne McCoy, its 24-year employee and athletic director of 18 months, were parting ways.

A day later, the Pac-12 finalized a media deal with USA Network on Thursday — its third broadcast partner for football and basketball.

And in other Cougar news, the WSU football and men's and women's basketball programs secured several more commitments this week, including a hooper from Klay Thompson's high school.

Pac-12 partners with USA Sports

The Pac-12 Conference inked a deal with USA Sports, a subsidiary of NBCUniversal/Comcast. USA Sports includes all sports programming on USA Network, The Golf Channel and CNBC.

USA Network, available in about 70 million U.S. households, joins CBS/Paramount+, CBS Sports Network and The CW Network as Pac-12 broadcast partners.

Financial details for the deal were not announced.

The Pac-12's events on USA Network will include 22 regular-season football games, 50 men's basketball games, 5-10 women's basketball games and the bulk of the men's basketball conference tournament, excluding the championship, which will air on CBS.

The deal begins when the new conference officially forms next summer and runs through the 2030-31 school year.

"The new Pac-12 is where tradition meets transformation — a unique opportunity in the rapidly evolving college sports landscape that strongly aligns with the go-forward vision of USA Sports," Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould said in a statement.

Pac-12 Enterprises, which formerly produced the Pac-12 Network, will handle the production operations for games on USA. The entity will produce more than 150 events between its three partners.

Football and men's basketball conference championship games will get a major national audience on CBS and stream on Paramount+.

The CW and USA will handle the bulk of regular-season games between football and men's basketball.

Pac-12 women's basketball will see 5-10 games on USA, while The CW will get 15 regular-season games, the conference tournament semifinals and championship game.

One key selling point for fans is that USA Network will announce all of its kickoff times when the football schedule debuts in the first quarter of 2026, according to Pac-12 insider John Canzano.

WSU searches for new AD

Multiple pundits, including Canzano and fellow Pac-12 insider Jon Wilner of the Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.), cast McCoy's firing as a clear illustration of Cantwell's greater expectations for WSU and a firm desire for the Cougars to win.

After all, Cantwell spent her weekend in Spokane telling a room full of WSU supporters that the Cougars were last in the soon-to-expand Pac-12 in name, image and likeness dollars and that she intended to change that, according to CougFan.

Four days later, Cantwell chose to find a new leader for her athletic department.

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While WSU did not provide an official reason for the leadership change, a glance between the lines certainly suggests what WSU will want from its new AD.

WSU launched a national search for an athletic director. Perhaps the Cougars will return to a familiar face in Toledo AD Bryan Blair.

Blair joined former AD Pat Chun's WSU athletic administrative team in 2018 and ascended to chief operating officer and deputy director of athletics by his 2022 departure. In his fundraising capacity, Blair was responsible for securing 50 of the top 70 biggest gifts in WSU history.

Other names to know include Purdue deputy athletic director Ken Halpin, Montana State AD Leon Costello and Maryland senior deputy AD Diana Saubau.

Haplin has a master's degree from Gonzaga and a doctorate from WSU, Costello has nearly tripled athletic-related giving in Bozeman, Mont., and Saubau was Cantwell's AD at Utah State.

As Maryland's No. 2 athletic administrator, Saubau is unlikely to leave that post. Still, the prior relationship between the president and AD may hold some weight or give Cantwell some headway in the search.

No matter who the Cougars choose, they will certainly gravitate toward a leader capable of raising enough funds to elevate WSU's financial situation and contend with the highest earners in the new Pac-12, including Boise State, Oregon State and Gonzaga.

Recruiting updates

The WSU football program fended off multiple Power Four schools to secure its two latest commitments this week.

John Johnson III of New Orleans' Edna Karr High School chose Wazzu after decommitting from Liberty over offers from the Big Ten's Nebraska and Tulane, among others.

WSU listed Johnson as a wide receiver in its recruitment graphic, but the 6-foot, 180-pound athlete has been a dual-threat quarterback for Edna Karr this year, leading his school to a 10-0 overall record, while passing for nearly 1,000 yards and rushing for 400 in October alone.

Johnson is the second athlete from Edna Karr in WSU's class of 2026, joining running back Tre Garrison.

Earlier in the week, WSU beat out Arizona, Colorado and Boise State for offensive lineman Derek Worden, from Queen Creek, Ariz.

Worden shares a hometown with WSU senior center Brock Dieu and is listed at 6-5, 280. WSU's '26 class includes 24 athletes ahead of the Dec. 3-5 early signing window.

On the hardwood, WSU added its first men's basketball recruit of the '26 class.

Brayden Kyman, a 6-5, 195-pound power forward, hails from Santa Margarita High School (Calif.), which is also where Klay Thompson, NBA superstar and prominent WSU alum, grew up and played prep hoops.

Kyman is familiar with WSU coach David Riley thanks to his older brother, Jake Kyman, who played his senior season for Riley at Eastern Washington.

WSU women's basketball signed Reese Jordan, a 5-9 guard from West Linn, Ore.

Jordan averaged 15.8 points and six rebounds per game last season in Oregon's 6A classification. She held offers from Nevada, Cal State Bakersfield and Portland State.

Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2268, staylor@lmtribune.com, or on X or Instagram @Sam_C_Taylor.

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