Rome Odunze earned a First Team nod from The Athletic on its midseason All-America team Tuesday. The Washington receiver is enjoying a breakout season in his first year with coach Kalen DeBoer.

Odunze was one of two receivers selected by The Athletic for its first team. Here’s what the crew wrote about the third-year sophomore:

Odunze has teamed with quarterback Michael Penix Jr. to lead a breakthrough on the Washington offense under new coach Kalen DeBoer. He missed the Huskies’ FCS game but has 44 catches for 693 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 140.3 yards in four Pac-12 games. For the season, he averages 10.8 yards per target

A 6-foot-3 receiver from Las Vegas, Odunze has been the big-play producer for the Husky passing attack this season. His 16 explosive receptions (15 yards or more) are the 13th-most in the country and rank second among Pac-12 receivers. He has games of 84, 115, 116, 161, and 169 yards in his six appearances so far this season.

Odunze was added to the Biletnikoff Watch List last week, and then went out and recorded a fourth straight game with at least 100 receiving yards — the first time a receiver has done that in UW history. He ranks ninth nationally in receiving yards and leads all Pac-12 receivers in yards per game (115.5).

“(Odunze)’s super consistent,” said coach Kalen DeBoer after Saturday’s 49-39 win over Arizona. “I think that whole receiving corps is just really bonding tight and they are so happy for Rome. He is as humble as it comes and he is an easy guy to root for. … He is just so steady. He is coming back on scramble drills, high effort, but has the skills to go along with it too.”

You can see the rest of the Pac-12 contingent below:

First Team

  • DL Tuli Tuipulotu, USC
  • CB Clark Phillips III, Utah

Second Team

  • RB Zach Charbonnet, UCLA
  • OL Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu, Oregon
  • LB Laiatu Latu, UCLA