Washington State cornerback transfer Ethan O’Connor commits to Miami

Washington State cornerback transfer Ethan O’Connor has committed to Miami, he told On3’s Hayes Fawcett. O’Connor is one of the highest-rated players to enter the NCAA transfer portal this offseason, being a huge get for Mario Cristobal and the Hurricanes.

Multiple power programs were involved in O’Connor’s portal recruitment, mainly the Georgia Bulldogs. Colorado, Oklahoma, and UCLA were also fighting for the defensive back’s services. But a visit to Coral Gables was enough for Miami to get the job done.

“It was beautiful,” O’Connor told On3’s CaneSport. First thing I have to say is for sure I’ve never seen anything like that before. I had a great time really liked it, the history of it, campus tour – it was awesome. … Coach (Mario) Cristobal is a great dude. He said he really wants me there, says I’m kind of like the missing piece right now.

“They need a corner they can play on an island that they don’t have to worry about teams throwing bombs over. They want to put me on an island, they want me because they can trust me on an island. That’s what I’m used to, what I did at Wazzu. That’s it right there.”

Per the On3 Transfer Portal Industry Rankings, O’Connor is the No. 51 overall player to enter this cycle. When looking at just cornerbacks, the former Wazzu star comes in at No. 6. Highly ranked at a position Miami desperately needed not just depth but serious talent.

O’Connor spent just two year at Washington State, playing in 13 games. Twelve of those were during the 2024 season as O’Connor’s true freshman campaign saw him utilize a redshirt. He will have three years of eligibility with Miami if he chooses to use it.

The stats are quite nice for O’Connor too. In those 12 games, he recorded 32 tackles and one tackle for a loss. But being a cornerback, the pass coverage stats are where you want to see high numbers. Well, O’Connor excelled there too with four interceptions and eight pass breakups.

Miami will need similar output beginning in the 2025 season.

O’Connor played high school football at Los Alamitos (CA), where he was a three-star prospect. He was the No. 641 overall recruit in the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.