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Aug. 10—PULLMAN — Last summer, when Ethan O’Connor arrived on Washington State’s campus, he felt untouchable.
A highly-touted cornerback, who at one point held offers from the likes of Alabama and Georgia, O’Connor expected to start immediately and take the jobs held by the Cougars’ most seasoned players.
“Like, no, that’s not how it works,” O’Connor said.
Before long, O’Connor found himself on the scout team, a long way from even getting on the field. He redshirted last fall. During this year’s spring ball, he was called a fraud by defensive tackles coach Pete Kaligis, according to head coach Jake Dickert.
Four months later, Kaligis handed O’Connor a juice box after Saturday’s fall camp scrimmage, the Cougs’ first of two on the slate, signaling he felt like O’Connor brought “the juice,” or energy in the scrimmage. O’Connor has made plenty of plays across these last nine practices — interceptions, deflections, you name it — but what encourages coaches the most are the changes O’Connor has made between the ears.
“The kid has really matured,” Dickert said. “He’s responded every step of the way. Just really cool to see.”
The story of O’Connor, a staple in both the first- and second-team units during fall camp, amounts to one of the most meaningful developments of late. WSU needs someone to step up in the wake of the departures of Chau Smith-Wade and Cam Lampkin, and among other candidates, the Cougs feel like they have something special in O’Connor.
The decision coaches really need to make, though, is at the quarterback spot. Dickert will name either John Mateer or FCS Bryant transfer Zevi Eckhaus the starter after next Saturday’s scrimmage, he said. They have battled each other to a stalemate, at least according to what coaches have said in recent practices, and neither guy did much to stand out either way in…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/wsus-first-fall-camp-scrimmage-020100078.html
Author : The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
Publish date : 2024-08-11 02:01:00
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