DeKALB, Ill. – Northern Illinois University senior Clint Ratkovich, a grad transfer from Western Illinois, is one of 57 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) players named today to the Paul Hornung Award Watch List for 2021 by the Louisville Sports Commission.
 
Officially listed as a running back, Ratkovich is expected to fill several roles for the Huskie offense in 2021 as NIU head coach Thomas Hammock has compared the Crete, Illinois product to former Baltimore Ravens and current 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk for his rushing, blocking and receiving abilities. Ratkovich already ranks as one of the strongest players on the NIU team and has taken on a leadership role for the young Huskies.
 
Ratkovich was a two-time first team all Missouri Valley Football Conference selection in 2018 and 2019 who earned his bachelor's degree in engineering technology from WIU and transferred to NIU last spring. In 35 games, he ran for 429 yards on 97 carries with three touchdowns and caught 128 passes for 1,204 yards and 10 scores.  He ranked third in the MVFC in catches per game in 2019 and ranked second on the Western Illinois team in receiving yards in both 2018 and 2019.
 
The all-state running back led Crete-Monee High School to a runner-up finish in the state championships in 2015 as a senior after rushing for 1,800 yards and scoring 36 touchdowns.
 
The Paul Hornung Award is given annual to the most versatile player in major college football by the Louisville Sports Commission and is named for football legend and Louisville native Paul Hornung, who played every position in the offensive backfield at Notre Dame and also played safety, punted, placekicked and returned kickoffs.
 
Ratkovich is one of three Mid-American Conference players on the 2021 Hornung Award Watch List and is the fourth Huskie to be named to a preseason watch list this summer. Over the past two weeks, punter Matt Ference (Ray Guy Award), running back Harrison Waylee (Doak Walker Award) and center Brayden Patton (Rimington Award) have been named to watch lists for awards specific to their positions.  
 
The Huskies report to camp a week from today, on Thursday, August 5 and NIU opens the season at Georgia Tech on September 4 before welcoming fans back to the stands at full capacity in Huskie Stadium beginning with the home opener versus Wyoming on September 11. Kickoff for the game is at 12:30 p.m. (CT) and the game will honor First Responders and Health Care Heroes, while also serving as a Welcome Back Fans celebration.
 
Season tickets for NIU's complete six-game home schedule remain on sale with season ticket prices as low as $85. Purchase a minimum of four tickets for all six games via the Family Pack for just $90 per ticket (in sections B and F) or $66 per ticket (in sections A and G). Three-game or four-game mini-plans are also available with Mission's 3-Game Mini-Plan priced at $79 (including processing), while Victor E.'s 4-Game Mini-Plan is $107.
 
To see all the ticket options and prices, and for more information on premium seating, see the Football Ticket Page at NIUHuskies.com.  To purchase tickets, call 815-753-PACK (7225) or go to NIUHuskies.com/MyHuskies.
 
-NIU-