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California prep star Ethan O’Connor commits to Washington State over offers from several esteemed programs

By Colton Clark coltonc@spokesman.com(208) 627-3209

PULLMAN – Washington State’s football team beat out several prestigious programs to land a commitment from Southern California prep star Ethan O’Connor.

O’Connor, a three-star “athlete” prospect (247Sports) out of Los Alamitos High, announced his commitment to WSU over Twitter on Thursday afternoon. He will join WSU this fall.

The 6-foot-1, 170-pounder was a receiver and defensive back during his Los Alamitos career. The Cougars recruited him to play cornerback, according to a report from 247Sports. O’Connor told the site that WSU might also test him at wide receiver.

O’Connor committed to UCLA in October but never signed a National Letter of Intent. He reportedly visited WSU this past weekend and reopened his recruitment.

Considering his list of offers, O’Connor should be expected to compete for playing time early in his WSU career.

He held offers from reigning national champion Georgia and runner-up TCU. Alabama, USC, Washington and LSU also extended offers.

“When I committed to UCLA, I felt like a big part of that was because my mom went to school there,” O’Connor told 247Sports. “It’s a great school, don’t get me wrong, but I feel like at Washington State, I can do my own thing and establish myself there.

“I felt a strong connection with the coaching staff right away. … The players on the team were great with me, too. I didn’t realize there were so many guys from Cali over there (there are 32 California natives on WSU’s 2023 roster), but they recruit this area really hard, so that made me feel even more comfortable and at home.”

Family ties to WSU played a part in O’Connor’s decision. His uncle, Jason David, was a cornerback for the Cougars in the early 2000s. David, who helped WSU to three consecutive 10-win seasons (2001-03), was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the fourth round of the NFL’s 2004 draft.

“My uncle played there and it was cool to see the legacy he left,” O’Connor told 247Sports. “I didn’t know he was such a big deal there, but it was cool to see some of the pictures of him hanging up in the football facility.”