Football | August 3

DeKALB, IL - Northern Illinois University redshirt-junior wide receiver Trayvon Rudolph (Crete, Ill./Crete-Monee) was selected to the preseason watch list for the Paul Hornung Award on Thursday.
 
The Paul Hornung Award presented by Texas Roadhouse is annually presented to the most versatile player in college football by the Louisville Sports Commission. A total of 53 student-athletes were selected for the preseason watch list.
 
Rudolph was named to both the Paul Hornung Award and Biletnikoff Award watch lists last season before an injury in the preseason ended his 2022 season. He was a 2021 All-Mid-American Conference selection as both a wide receiver and kick returner, leading the Huskies with 51 receptions for 892 yards and seven touchdowns. Rudolph set a MAC single-game record with 309 receiving yards at Kent State on Nov. 3, 2021 on 14 catches. In that same season Rudolph averaged over 25 yards per kick return with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in a win over Bowling Green.
 
"This is a fantastic recognition for Trayvon, and it's been great to see the way he has picked up right where he left off," said head coach Thomas Hammock. "We're excited about him and his development. He's a tremendous athlete. This season, for him, is about staying healthy and doing the things that are going to allow him to be successful."
 
In 2020 Rudolph earned first team Freshman All-American honors as a kick returner from the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and The Athletic. He led NIU with 159.5 all-purpose yards per game, which put him fifth in the MAC and 10^th in the country.
 
Rudolph is the third Huskie this preseason to be named to a national award's watch list. Junior defensive tackle Devonte O'Malley (Midlothian, Ill./Bremen) was named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list on Tuesday. The Nagurski Trophy is presented to the nation's most outstanding defensive player. Redshirt-Senior offensive tackle Nolan Potter (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Washington) was selected for the Outland Trophy watch list, an award presented to the nation's most outstanding interior lineman by the FWAA.
 
Season, single game and mini-plan tickets for the 2023 Huskie home games are all on sale now 24 hours a day, seven days a week online at NIUHuskies.com/myhuskies or by calling the NIU Athletics Ticket Office at 815-753-PACK (7225). Season tickets provide the best overall value at as little as $17 per game for general admission seating on the West Side of Huskie Stadium ($102 total). Sit in the same reserved seat for all six games for just $144 (sections A, B, F) or $162 (sections C, D, E). There are two "Pick Your Pack" mini-plan options, including Saturday only and MACtion+Saturday option. See all the ticket prices and options, including premium experiences, here.
 
--NIU--