5/4/2023 football Edit

Cougs land big 2023 commitment from former UCLA pledge Ethan O'Connor

Matt Moreno • WazzuWatch

Recruiting Analyst

Matt began his career at Rivals in 2011 as recruiting editor and then publisher for Arizona affiliate, GOAZCATS.com. In 2022, he moved into an expanded role covering Pac-12 recruiting for Rivals.

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Ethan O'Connor was surrounded by talent at Los Alamitos High School with some of his teammates already beginning their college careers after enrolling early. Meanwhile, O'Connor decided to wait out the process. He committed to UCLA in October but let the early and regular signing periods pass without every inking a National Letter of Intent with the Bruins.

Washington State persisted and eventually was able to get him to take a visit last weekend leading to a decommitment from the Bruins this week. Thursday, the versatile two-way athlete announced his pledge to the Cougars giving Jake Dickert's program one of its top commits in the 2023 class.

O'Connor shined on both sides of the ball for his talent-laden squad in Southern California, but he is expected to play cornerback for the Cougs when he arrives this summer.

Like he did at UCLA, where his mom is an alum, O'Connor has connections to Wazzu as well that helped pave the way for a commitment. His uncle is Super Bowl champion and former Cougars star Jason David.

Earning a commitment from O'Connor is a significant win for the Cougars with the high three-star prospect having earned offers from top programs around the country throughout his recruitment including Alabama, Georgia, Texas A&M and USC among others.

He eventually took fall official visits to Washington and Colorado before deciding on his commitment to UCLA.

The Cougars' 2023 class now has 24 members with O'Connor and fellow defensive back Adrian Wilson checking in as the highest-rated members of the group.