Feature - Ronald Awatt

It’s been an adventure for Ronald Awatt since his arrival to the Sun City.

Awatt was listed as a running back his first season in 2017. He switched to the defensive side of the ball in 2018, suffered a season-ending injury in 2019, made the switch back to running back in 2020, and now he leads the Miners in rushing after three weeks in books.

The Lubbock, Texas, product played high school ball at Frenship where he earned all-district three years in row on the varsity football squad (2013, 2014, 2015). During the last two years, Awatt racked up 1,722 yards rushing, 1,865 all-purpose yards and 12 total scores. Prior to excelling at the running back position, Awatt’s first position was on the defensive side of the ball.

“I was playing running back for a little bit and some things kind of went down,” Awatt said. “I was looking more at the defensive side. Because in high school my first position was playing safety. Coach [Keith] Burns had talked to me about it, and I thought yeah, I could play it. I went out there for practice and I broke up some passes. It just went off from there and started to play safety.”

But the switching didn’t end there. Awatt made the change to another defensive position. “After playing safety for a little bit, the depth at safety started increasing,” he said. “They had more people coming in and they didn’t have that many linebackers at SAM. So, coach [Mike] Cox wanted me to go down play SAM, which is kind of like playing safety. I was still covering people and using my athleticism to the best of my ability.”

Speaking of Awatt’s athleticism, he excelled in a different sport before running on the gridiron. “Playing football was something I really didn’t want to do when I was growing up,” Awatt said. “All I wanted to do at first was play basketball at the Boys and Girls Club. Basketball is all I really wanted to play. But as I got older, I started playing AAU and going to camps and was thinking, ‘dang, these players are all like 6-3, 6-4. I don’t have a chance.’ My high school coach broke it down and said, ‘if you’re trying to get your school paid for, you might want to take the football route.’ I went back and forth – I still wanted to go play basketball. But he got to me and I ended up staying with it when I was moved up to varsity. I knew this is where I needed to be.

“It really started in middle school for me just based off my athleticism. I was faster than everyone else in middle school and the coaches were able to build off that. It was then in high school where my coaches helped me play better football.”

Lucky for the Miners that Awatt chose to stick with football. Despite playing in only 13 games in three seasons, Awatt burst onto the scene during the 2020 season. He scored his first career touchdown against Abilene Christian. He rushed for a then-career-best 36 yards on four carries and a touchdown at ULM, while he added his third touchdown of the season at Charlotte. Awatt followed those three contests by topping his previous best with a 79-yard performance against North Texas in the season finale on Dec. 11.

So far in 2021, Awatt is the team’s leading rusher with 244 yards on 45 carries (5.4 avg.) and has found the end zone twice. He scored on a 34-yard run at NM State on Aug. 28 and another on a 37-yard rush against Bethune-Cookman on Sept. 4.

“Ronnie is very experienced,” UTEP Head Coach Dana Dimel said. “He’s a slasher and a runner. But besides that, he brings veteran leadership to not only the running backs, but the entire team. He’s played on both sides of the ball, so he’s got a lot of experience being here since the 2016 season.”

One of the worst scenarios to happen to an athlete is an injury. For Awatt, the bad news came during Camp 2019 when he suffered a season-ending injury. Physically, it’s a setback, but in this case, he used the injury to improve his craft.

“When I was hurt in 2019, it gave me the opportunity to learn the offense better,” Awatt said. “I was able to improve on pass protection and all the things I do as a running back. Coming into [2020] with the COVID season, it was a great opportunity and I made the best of it. I kept my head down, just kept grinding and used what I had learned in 2019 to keep progressing every week. I’m still keeping my head down and working on my craft every day. I got my opportunity and took advantage of it.”

Awatt certainly took advantage when he gained 200 yards in his first two games of the 2021 season. He ran through and over defenders at NM State for 74 yards, while hitting 126, his first career 100-yard game, against Bethune-Cookman. Miner fans have enjoyed his physical running style.

“I’ve always been the type of running back that is running at them, running at them, running at them,” Awatt said. “Then when it comes to the end of the game, it’s easier to run around them. But yeah, I’m more of a downhill, one-cut type of back. It works to my advantage because of my size and quickness. If find any type of crease, I’ll take it and just explode through the hole.”

When Awatt isn’t exploding through holes, he’s focused on school. He earned his degree in multidisciplinary studies in 2020 and is currently in the MPA/MBA Master’s program.

Awatt, like any other college football player, aspires to play in the NFL. But he also had a backup plan. “My goal is to go pro, but I’m in my Master’s program right now in public administration and in business administration,” he said. “I’m trying to take a role more into the business aspect of things. I’m interested in digital marketing and working with different businesses to get them exposure.”

Another key element Awatt brings to the program is leadership. Awatt’s experience is valued by the coaches and his teammates. He’s been with the program the last six seasons, and has earned his degree.

“I’ve been here through the ups and downs,” he said. “And like during games, I like bringing my teammates up. Even in practice, be able to pick people up whenever I see that we’re not playing to the best of our abilities. I’m not necessarily calling them out, I just pick them up. I know they’re better than that. I like helping everybody mentally because I feel that football is a mental game.”