Class of 2023 Athlete Ethan O'Connor Commits to UCLA Football
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The Bruins have added a much-coveted athlete to their growing recruiting class.
Class of 2023 athlete Ethan O'Connor committed to UCLA football, the prospect announced Friday afternoon on Instagram. The cornerback-wide receiver hybrid told 247Sports that he informed the Bruins' coaching staff of his decision Tuesday and was announced as a UCLA commit before Los Alamitos' (CA) Senior Night game Thursday.
O'Connor also received offers from Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, Georgia, Kansas, LSU, Northern Arizona, Penn State, TCU, Texas A&M, USC and Washington.
UCLA hosted O'Connor for his first official visit back on May 20. The Huskies offered a few weeks later, right before his official visit to Washington on June 24, and the Buffaloes sent him an offer in August before hosting him on an official Sept. 23.
O'Connor also took an unofficial to USC in February, furthering the possibility of him joining two of his high school teammates who had already committed to the Trojans.
Despite half of the Pac-12 and a handful of other Power Five programs pursuing O'Connor's commitment, he ultimately chose to stay close to home and don blue and gold.
Defensive backs coach Brian Norwood ran point on O'Connor's recruitment, signifying that the Bruins intend to play him on the defensive side of the ball. O'Connor confirmed to 247Sports that he was recruited as a cornerback, even though he has more experience as a receiver.
The 6-foot-1, 170-pound athlete racked up 298 yards and five touchdowns on 18 catches for Los Alamitos in 2021, while also adding 23 tackles, five pass deflections and two interceptions on defense.
O'Connor has been rated a three-star recruit by 247Sports, Rivals, ESPN and On3. According to the 247Sports Composite, O'Connor ranks as the No. 552 prospect in his class, the No. 38 athlete in the country and the No. 42 player in California.
With O'Connor's commitment, UCLA's 2023 recruiting class has moved up from No. 92 to No. 86 in the country, remaining at No. 10 in the Pac-12. The Bruins did manage to jump Kansas and Syracuse in the national rankings, though, bumping them up from No. 63 to No. 61 among the 65 Power Five schools.
O'Connor is the second athlete to join the Bruins' incoming recruiting class, with Silverado (NV) product Donavyn Pellot likely coming in to play linebacker. St. John Bosco (CA) safety Ty Lee is also expected to make the move to linebacker, leaving O'Connor and St. John Bosco (CA) safety RJ Jones as the only defensive backs in the class to this point.
Jones and O'Connor are UCLA's two most recent commits, and an outstanding "BOOM" tweet from UCLA director of player personnel Ethan Young suggests another could be on the way.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF ETHAN O'CONNOR/INSTAGRAM
