Ethan Fernea

Ethan W. Fernea (born March 2, 1998) is an American former professional football wide receiver. He played college football for the UCLA Bruins before signing with the Indianapolis Colts in 2022.

Early life and college Fernea was born on March 2, 1998, in Austin, Texas. He attended Dripping Springs High School and was a three-time varsity letter winner in football, where he played on both offense and defense. He earned first-team All-District on both sides of the field and was also a third-team All-CenTex selection. Additionally, he played three seasons of baseball, earning All-District and All-CenTex honors, and three years of track.

After graduating from high school, Fernea was lightly recruited. Although he received a scholarship offer from Air Force, he declined, stating he wanted to play at a higher level. Around Christmas 2015, Fernea's father and uncle visited a friend who was the father of Robbie Paton, a UCLA recruiter. They showed highlights of Fernea to him, and the tape eventually made its way to the UCLA staff, who offered Fernea a chance to make the team as a walk-on.

College career Fernea made the team at UCLA but was initially buried on the depth chart, only seeing action on special teams.

Despite his relative lack of playing time in college, Fernea was signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent after going unselected in the 2022 NFL draft. He converted back to wide receiver in training camp, but had an insignificant impact in preseason and was waived during final roster cuts on August 30. However, one day after being released, Fernea was re-signed to the Colts' practice squad. He was activated from the practice squad for the team's Week Seven game against the Tennessee Titans, and made his NFL debut in the 10–19 loss, appearing on 10 combined offense and special teams snaps. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 27, 2023. He was placed on injured reserve on August 5, 2023, and was waived with an injury settlement five days later. He was signed to the practice squad on December 1, 2023. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 8, 2024.

On August 14, 2024, Fernea was waived/injured by the Colts On October 17, he was signed to the practice squad, but released two days later. Fernea was signed to the practice squad on October 23, but released a week later.