WACO, Texas — Coaches spend hours watching film on opponents, comparing and contrasting them to each other. Two Eagles clearly have the attention of FCS coaches around the nation as
Efton Chism III and
Michael Wortham both earn All-American honors from the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). Chism earns his fourth, first team All-American honor, while Wortham adds his second, second team and third overall All-American honor.
In his final season as an Eagle, Chism was a force in the FCS, leading the nation with 120 catches, while ranking second with 1311 receiving yards. Chism caught 13 touchdown passes to rank fourth in the nation. He led the Big Sky in all three categories.
Chism averaged 10.0 receptions per game in 2024, ranking second behind only Cooper Kupp's 10.63 per game average in 2015. Chism's 120 receptions broke Kupp's single-season Eastern record and tied for fourth all-time in FCS history.
During Eastern's final game against Northern Arizona (11/23), Chism set an FCS record with his 53 consecutive game with a catch, surpassing Kupp (52). Chism had six 100-plus yard games this season and six games with 10-plus receptions. He had a career game in yards against Monmouth (8/29) with 173 total, while catching 12 passes and three touchdowns. He had a career-best 15 catches for 170 yards against UC Davis.
Chism already earned first team All-American awards from the Associated Press,
Stats Perform and
FCS Football Central. He added
Big Sky first team All-Conference honors for the second consecutive season.
Wortham followed Chism's lead and made his last season in Cheney memorable and record breaking. Earning another All-American honor as an All-Purpose player, Wortham amassed 1093 kickoff return yards this season, averaging 28.8 per return. Wortham led the Big Sky in both categories and was sixth in the FCS in average. His yards total set the program record, passing Vernon Williams, who posted 973 yards in the 1988 season. Wortham highlighted his kickoff return career with a 100-plus yard return against Idaho (10/26).
Lining up at almost every position, Wortham averaged 134.6 all-purpose yards this season. His 313 rushing yards was fifth on the team and his 209 receiving yards was third, ranking second on the team with 25 receptions. Wortham also played a role in the passing game, throwing for 88 yards and two touchdowns, on seven completed passes.
In total, Wortham accounted for nine touchdowns, scoring five rushing and one receiving yo go along with his passing and kickoff return scores.
Wortham earned first team All-American awards from FCS Central and a second team honor from Stats Perform. The North Highlands, Calif. native was a first team all-purpose All-Conference selection, adding a second team kick returner award from the Big Sky. Wortham was a second-team special teams All-Conference selection in 2023.
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ABOUT EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
Eastern Washington University Athletics sponsors 14 intercollegiate sports, six for men and eight for women, both as learning opportunities for its most athletically talented students and as an enhancement to student and community life. Eastern is affiliated with Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and is a member of the Big Sky Conference, an association of 10 regional schools with comparable enrollments and academic goals.
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