Off the wire

Compiled from Democrat-Gazette Press Services

Jackson declares for draft

Jaren Jackson, the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year as a freshman for Michigan State, is leaving early for the NBA. “Spartans, this was not an automatic decision,” he tweeted Monday. “And honestly, thank you for making it one of the toughest decisions I’ve ever had to think about.” Jackson was also the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. The 6-11, 242-pound Jackson blocked 106 shots, a single-season record for a Spartan, and swatted a Big Ten-best 3.03 shots per game. The forward averaged 10.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and made nearly 40 percent of the 96 three-pointers he attempted. His father, Jaren, played for the NBA champion San Antonio Spurs and had a 431-game career with many teams. His mother, Terri, is the director of operations for the Women’s National Basketball Players Association.

FOOTBALL Ex-Cowboy finds new home

The Arizona Cardinals have signed free agent wide receiver Brice Butler to a two-year contract. Monday’s move addresses one of the team’s biggest needs, depth at the receiver position, after the departure of John Brown and Jaron Brown to free agency. Butler, entering his sixth NFL season, played the last three seasons with the Dallas Cowboys and totaled 43 catches for 794 yards and 6 touchdowns. He was selected by Oakland in the seventh round out of San Diego State in the 2013 draft and played his first two seasons with the Raiders. Overall, the 28-year-old receiver has appeared in 61 games, with 73 catches for 1,177 yards and 8 touchdowns.

Compton inks with Titans

The Tennessee Titans have agreed to terms on a one-year deal with linebacker Will Compton, who spent the past five seasons with the Washington Redskins. The Titans announced the deal Monday. Compton made three starts and played in just nine games for the Redskins last year because of a foot injury, but he had 104 tackles as a defensive captain in 2016. The 28-year-old is listed as 6-1 and 235 pounds. Compton, a former undrafted free agent out of Nebraska, spent most of his rookie season on the practice squad before making five starts and playing all 16 games for the Redskins in 2014. He had 10 starts in 2015 and 15 in 2016.

New hire put on leave

East Tennessee State placed recently placed football coach Randy Sanders on paid administrative leave Monday while it investigates a “potential violation of university policy.” No other details were provided in the one-sentence statement. Sanders was hired Dec. 17 to replace Carl Torbush, who announced his retirement at the end of the 2017 season. Torbush had been ETSU’s coach since 2015, when the school relaunched the football program it had shut down for financial reasons in 2003. This job represented a homecoming for Sanders, who was born about an hour from ETSU’s campus. He spent 22 seasons at Tennessee (1984-2005) as a player and assistant coach. Sanders was co-offensive coordinator at Florida State on Jimbo Fisher’s staff last season. He was Florida State’s quarterbacks coach in 2013, when the Seminoles won the national title while quarterback Jameis Winston won the Heisman Trophy.

TENNIS Osaka advances

Naomi Osaka of Japan and Daria Gavrilova of Australia were among the seeded players to advance in the opening round of the WTA’s Volvo Car Open on Monday. Osaka, seeded No. 10, topped Jennifer Brady of the United States, 6-4, 6-4. Gavrilova defeated Ons Jabeur of Tunisia, 1-6, 6-4, 6-3.