Sports

West Virginia’s Monstrous Offensive Lineman Sets Couch On Fire To Announce His Commitment To The Mountaineers

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West Virginia Burn Couch Tradition Ethan Lawson Football Recruiting Commit Fire
iStockphoto / Ethan Lawson

Ethan Lawson announced his decision to play college football at West Virginia. The monstrous offensive lineman set a couch on fire to do so.

It doesn’t get any more “Mountaineer” than that!

This announcement pays tribute to a longstanding college football tradition in Morgantown. Lawson knows what the people want!

Who is Ethan Lawson?

I am not going to say that I was the first person to discover Ethan Lawson but I would like to think I was early to his recruitment. I first wrote about him as a 6-foot-5, 318-pound (!!) 13-year-old in 2022. He was in the seventh grade at the time.

Now four years later, Lawson lists himself at 6-foot-6, 310 pounds as a 17-year-old. His wingspan stretches 81.5 inches. His hands stretch out to 10.25 inches. Needless to say, he fits the mold for an FBS offensive lineman.

Lawson made a conscious effort to transform his body over the last few years. He didn’t want to be another big guy who can’t hang with the most elite athletes. And it worked. His max bench is up to 475.

His 600-pound seated box squat was a new PR.

Lawson, a Class of 2027 recruit, hails from the (extremely) small town of Duffield, Virginia. Population… 68. He plays for Rye Cove High School in Clinchport, Virginia. It enrolls ~300 students in Grades 8-12.

As a result of where he grew up, Lawson flew under the radar. But if you are good enough to play on the next level, coaches will find you. He’s one of those dudes that has unlimited potential with the right coaching in the right system. His tape is legit.

Lawson is rated as a three-star prospect with 20 scholarship offers from schools all over the country. That list includes App State, UConn, Duke, Louisville, Wake Forest, Syracuse and Rutgers, among others.

Why does West Virginia burn couches?

Ethan Lawson announced his commitment to the University of West Virginia. He did so in the most West Virginia way imaginable. He threw a couch on a bonfire in his backyard. It was awesome.

This is an homage to a long-standing tradition in sports that can be traced back to Morgantown. Mountaineers fans effectively started the practice of burning a couch and/or mattress in celebration of monumental moments (or in mourning). They will set fire to a couch for big wins in football or basketball, heartbreaking losses, the death of Osama bin Laden or just a random holiday.

In fact, Morgantown ranked second in the country in street fires between 2008 and 2012. The total population of the city, including students, hovers around 70,000. It had more street fires during that four-year stretch than the entire city of Los Angeles. And that was actually an improvement from the six years prior.

Morgantown led the United States with 1,129 intentional street fires from 1997-2003. Nov. 20, 2002 was a big one. West Virginia upset No. 12 Virginia Tech on a goal line stand. The Morgantown fire department responded to more than 100 intentional street fires that night alone.

The city has cracked down hard on street fires in recent years but the fires still pop up from time to time. A group of students were arrested for using a flamethrower to burn a couch after the Backyard Brawl last season.

And now Lawson is burning a couch to celebrate his commitment. He will be a fan favorite amongst the Mountaineers!