CHENEY, Wash. — The preseason trend continues for two Eagles as
Efton Chism III and
Michael Wortham were named to Phil Steele's FCS 2024 Preseason All-American Teams. Chism adds to his preseason recognition with another first team selection, while Wortham lands on the third team. The two also found themselves on the preseason All-Big Sky team, with Chim on the first team and Wortham on the second.
In addition, seven players earned spots on Steele's All-Big Sky team.
Senior offensive lineman Wyatt Hansen is the second Eagle on the first team, with junior quarterback Kekoa Visperas, senior fullback/tight end Austin York, senior receiver Nolan Ulm and senior defensive lineman Matthew Brown landing on the second team. Junior running back Tuna Altahir and senior center Jack Seelye earned spots on the third team.
Earlier this week, Chism and Wortham earned preseason first and third team All-American recognition, respectively, from FCS Stats Perform.
Adding to the hype for his senior season, Chism was named to the watch list for the 2024 Walter Payton Award. The Monroe, Wash. native was a third team AP All-American in 2023 and first team All-Conference from the Big Sky and Phil Steele. He tallied 932 receiving yards on 84 catches, with eight touchdowns.
Wortham was named to Steele's All-Big Sky second team last season after ranking second in the Big Sky with 28.3 yards per kick return average. He had 742 total kick return yards that ranked first in the Big Sky and second in the FCS. Wortham contributed across the field for Eastern last season, rushing five touchdowns and throwing for one.
Hansen started all 11 games for the Eagles last season and he has 40 career starts in 40 games played. With Hansen's help, Eastern ranked third in the Big Sky in passing and fourth in total yards.
Visperas is entering his second season as the team's starter and excelled in the role last year, earning a Big Sky All-Conference honorable mention. The redshirt-junior led the conference with 275.3 passing yards per game, with 2754 total yards to rank second. Visperas threw 19 touchdowns and had a 66-percent completion percentage, both numbers led the Big Sky. He was named to Steele's All-Conference third team a season ago.
York played in all 11 games last season, catching 11 passes for 72 yards. He has 22 games played in his career with one touchdown.
Ulm ranked second on the team with 564 receiving yards on 45 receptions. He scored four touchdowns, tying his career-high. The Kelowna, B.C. native caught 9 passes for 89 yards and one touchdown against Southeastern Louisiana last season for his best game.
Brown totaled 36 tackles in 11 starts last season for Eastern, recording three sacks. He was tied for third on the team in total sacks. Against Portland State, Brown recorded a career-high 10 tackles. Brown has 83 tackles and seven sacks in 34 games played in his career.
Altahir was EWU's leading rusher with 534 yards on 125 total carries (4.3 yards per carry). The redshirt-junior scored six rushing touchdowns that ranked 10th in the Big Sky. Altahir added 16 catches for 143 yards and two touchdowns out of the backfield. He made nine starts, while playing in all 11 games. In his career, Altahir has 13 touchdowns and 984 rushing yards, with 236 carries.
Seelye made 11 starts as the Eagles' center in his first season in Cheney. The Lafayette, Calif. native helped Eastern offense rank third in passing and fourth in total offense.
The Eagles open the 2024 regular season on Aug. 29 vs. Monmouth! Season tickets for the 2024 football season are now available. Ticket packages can be purchased online via your Paciolan account, over the phone at 509-359-6059, or by emailing tickets@ewu.edu.
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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