Eastern Washington announces two-deep starters ahead of season opener against North Dakota State
In advance of its season opener on Saturday against No. 2 North Dakota State in Minneapolis, Eastern Washington released its initial two-deep depth chart on Monday.
One starter might seem unconventional, though his distinction is something the program has been working on since spring ball: Backup quarterback Michael Wortham is listed as the Eagles’ primary kick returner.
“I know a lot of people may see it like, ‘Oh, there’s a quarterback there,’ but for me, I’m excited,” Wortham said after Saturday’s scrimmage. “I love the game of football, and I’m not scared of anything.”
Wortham is a junior transfer from Sierra College, where last season he completed 68.2% of his throws for 2,180 yards and 18 touchdowns. He also rushed for 845 yards.
“I was a running back before I was a quarterback,” said Wortham, who is also listed with Efton Chism III as the team’s punt returners. “It comes naturally to me.”
At the No. 1 quarterback spot is redshirt sophomore Kekoa Visperas, who started the last game of the 2022 season. Behind him are the juniors Wortham and Jared Taylor, who have an “or” between them on the depth chart.
Redshirt sophomore Tuna Altahir is the starter at running back, followed by juniors Justice Jackson and Malik Dotson as primary backups.
On the offensive line, four starters from the end of last season return: junior Wyatt Hansen at left tackle, redshirt senior Luke Dahlgren at left guard (shifting over from center), junior Brenden Rivera at right guard and super senior Seth Carnahan at right tackle. Jack Seelye, a transfer from Diablo College in California, is the starting center.
Eastern Washington has adopted the term “super senior” for a player who is utilizing his extra year granted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chism, a preseason all-Big Sky selection, joins redshirt senior Jakobie James and super senior Anthony Stell Jr. as starting receivers. Redshirt senior Blake Gobel is the starting tight end.
Defensively, the Eagles return five starters from last season, including junior tackle Matthew Brown, super senior linebacker Jaren Banks and junior linebacker Derek Tommasini, who is listed as “or” with redshirt senior transfer Adam Cohen at the Mike spot. Junior nickelback Cage Schenck and preseason all-Big Sky cornerback Marlon Jones Jr., a redshirt senior, are also starting.
The youngest position group is the secondary, which lists three redshirt sophomores as starters. DeJean Wells is opposite Jones at corner, while Armani Orange and Kentrell Williams Jr. are the top safeties.
Super senior Ben Allen, a Bucknell transfer, is the weakside starting linebacker. De’Marcus Johnson, another super senior and a transfer from Fresno State, is starting at defensive end along with team captain Brock Harrison, a redshirt senior. Jacob Newsom, a redshirt senior and Colville High graduate, is expected to start at defensive tackle.
Super senior Nick Kokich, another preseason all-league selection, is the starting punter. At kicker, both redshirt sophomore Jackson Cleaver and redshirt freshman Soren McKee are listed. After Saturday’s scrimmage, Eagles head coach Aaron Best said McKee had a “slight edge” in place kicking while Cleaver had the advantage at kickoffs.
After this weekend’s game against NDSU, Eastern will play at Fresno State on Sept. 9 and will play its first home game Sept. 16 against No. 15 Southeastern Louisiana.