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# Samohi star to don the black and orange of OSU
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/samohi-star-to-don-the-black-and-orange-of-osu/
- Published: 2007-07-07T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T02:14:41.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Education, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*By EMILY SKEHAN Special to the Daily Press*

SAMOHI A Viking will soon become a Beaver.

Ryan Katz, an incoming senior at Santa Monica High School and the No. 19 quarterback prospect in the nation, has accepted an offer to attend Oregon State, beginning in the fall of 2008.

“Everything that I wanted in a college, Oregon State had,” said the 6-foot-2-inch, 190-pound Katz, who received three Pac- 10 offers in three days at the end of May. Katz, who verbally committed to Oregon State last Sunday, earned First Team All-Ocean League honors last season and was named Santa Monica’s Offensive MVP.

He is also a stellar student, notching a 3.8 core GPA. “Replacing a kid like Ryan is never an easy thing to do” said Samohi coach Zach Cuda, who accompanied the quarterback to the Oregon State campus two weeks ago.

Cuda, who also attended Oregon State, doesn’t think Katz rushed into the decision, despite the pressure his suitors applied.

“Everything happened really quickly,” he said. “Ryan received three Pac-10 offers in about 48 hours, but he didn’t want to make a decision rashly. He thought about all the things he wanted from his college experience, and I think the school is a great fit for him.”

A planned trip to the University of Washington in July was canceled after Katz fell for the Beavers.

“Oregon (State) has everything I want,” Katz said Friday. “It has a great family atmosphere. I feel comfortable with the coaches. It’s just a good place for me.”

Meanwhile, the high school standout has reportedly been acting as a mentor to some of the younger players who hope to fill in his shoes. Still, he knows when the time arrives, it may prove difficult leaving home.

“I’ve always lived in Los Angeles, so it will be a bit of a change,” said Katz.“Nothing can live up to LA. Still, I visited the Oregon (State) campus and it’s really nice up there.”

Back at Samohi, the star signal-caller should have plenty of backers.

“Everyone on campus is very excited for Ryan,” said Cuda. “He’s a great kid.”

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 7, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/070707.pdf?ref=smdp.com)