Ethan Offing started playing football at just three years old. Now a senior, he’s hung up the pads for good.

He chose to forgo a final year of high school football at Dutch Fork to fully focus on baseball. As one of the top prospects in the state of South Carolina, baseball offers more options than pursuing a football career. 

“ I talked with my family about all the options that I had. So, it was best for me just to let football go,” Ethan said. “ I just wanted to give baseball my all and wanted to see where it can take me in the long run.” 

The conversations with his family and coaches made Ethan’s decision a bit easier. Coming from a family of athletes, they understood the choices he was having to make. 

He is the youngest of three siblings, and his two older sisters are also athletes who helped shape his competitive spirit. 

His father, former USC standout Andre Offing, has been his biggest mentor. He was his son’s first coach, passing his knowledge, and has been there for every high and low of Ethan’s career.

 ”We supported each other in each sport that we did,” Ethan said. “I would say my family is my backbone. That's the reason why I'm succeeding right now. I'm so thankful for them.”

Ethan started football almost as soon as he could walk, but baseball didn’t come into his life until fifth grade. Once it did, he quickly fell in love with the game. 

He started in machine pitch and moved up from there. The challenge, technique and competitive nature of baseball quickly drew him in. 

Since starting, Ethan has gone on to accomplish great things and compete against some of the other top talents in the world.

“It’s so competitive,” he said. “Then, you get to meet a lot of different people from different countries, make new friendships. It’s a great sport.”

Ethan’s future in baseball will be decided soon, as he is in the middle of his final high school season. Giving up football gave him plenty of time to prepare for one last ride. 

“ My focus is just to play the game,” he said. “Not trying to worry about who's watching, who's coming to see me, or anything like that. I just want to play my game, play how I was taught, just have fun and win baseball games.”

Even with football behind him, Ethan still looks back on the lessons the game taught him. At Dutch Fork, he got the privilege to learn under one of the greatest high school football coaches of all time, Tom Knotts. 

Knotts is one of the winningest coaches in the country, and Offing was a quarterback on his team for three seasons. He appeared in 30 games for the Silver Foxes and passed for over 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns in his career. 

He led the Silver Foxes to the 2024 5A Division I state championship, throwing for 252 yards and two touchdowns in the title game. Dutch Fork finished that year (13-0) as Ethan started every game.

“ To be able to just say that we won, we're the best team in the state, to celebrate with my friends, that was one of my favorite moments,” he said. 

As he closes his high school athletic career, Ethan said he will always remember the memories he’s developed on the football and baseball fields. The lessons he learned from Knotts and baseball coach Darren Jones will stick with him forever. 

“ They taught me so many things that I wouldn't have learned from anybody else,” he said. “I'm thankful for both of them, just helping me develop as a baseball player and a football player.”

As the final weeks wind down, Ethan will have to determine what his next steps are. He is committed to play college baseball at Clemson, but a spot in the pros could be on the table if he’s selected in the upcoming MLB Draft. 

Ethan isn’t too concerned about that right now. He is focused on finishing this season and still stands by his commitment to Clemson. 

“ It was just the whole atmosphere and the coaching staff,” he said on his decision to commit to Clemson. “They have an all-in mentality. I’m very happy I’m going there.”

Dutch Fork began this week (7-5) overall and (1-1) in region games. Ethan leads the team in many stats, including batting average, hits, RBIs and home runs. 

The Silver Foxes and Offing have about a month of games to go until the postseason. Then, it’s about savoring every minute, because it could be the last. 

“ I'm just looking to have fun,” Ethan said. “This is the last year I get to play with my guys, so I'm just going with an open mind just to have fun, win games and just not dwell on the bad stuff.”