DALLAS – Texas A&M safety Marcus Ratcliffe was named to the Jason Witten Man of the Year watch list, the organization announced Thursday.
The award, presented annually by the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Foundation, honors a college football player who best demonstrates a commitment to leadership, integrity, sportsmanship and service to others.
Ratcliffe, a native of Chula Vista, California, was named a captain ahead of the 2026 campaign and appeared in all 13 games last season, making 12 starts. He ranked second on the team with 65 tackles, while also totaling 3.0 tackles for loss and three pass breakups. Throughout two seasons in Aggieland, Ratcliffe has compiled 113 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, three pass breakups and three interceptions. Ratcliffe has recorded five or more tackles in 12 games in the Maroon & White, including three games with a personal-best eight stops.
Off the field, Ratcliffe created Mission 3:12, a charity program founded to support World War II veterans. For each turnover recovered by the Aggie defense, Ratcliffe donates $312 to the Walk Among Heroes charity that sponsors World War II veterans on trips back to Normandy for the annual D-Day anniversary. Additionally, Ratcliffe volunteers throughout the Brazos Valley community through the AlphaBEST after-school program at Bonham Elementary School, Habitat for Humanity and Next Level Youth Flag Football. He also gives back through his home church, Rock Church in San Diego, California, where he has participated in multiple community outreach initiatives.
Twenty semifinalists will be selected by a subset of the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Selection Committee and announced on Tues., October 13. Three finalists will then be named for the award on Monday, December 14. The winner will be announced at the award ceremony, which will take place in Spring of 2027.
The award, presented by Albertsons and Tom Thumb, is the first college football honor to focus primarily on a player’s leadership, both on and off the field. Leadership is a term synonymous with Jason Witten, who, in addition to becoming one of the best tight ends in the history of the sport, served as one of football’s most prominent role models during his 16-year pro career. In addition to winning the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award in 2012, Witten also received the Bart Starr Award, Pro Football Weekly’s Humanitarian of the Year Award, Home Depot NFL Neighborhood MVP and the Bob Lilly Award, among many others. All of those honors have recognized his work in the community, achievements on the field and dedication to his teammates and family.
The winner of the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year will also receive a $10,000 contribution in his name to his school’s athletic scholarship fund. The contribution will be made by Jason Witten’s SCORE Foundation, the official charity of Jason and his wife Michelle. The SCORE Foundation, founded in 2007, has positively impacted tens of thousands of children and families in Texas and Tennessee over the last 19 years. The foundation operates its nationally-recognized SCOREkeepers program, which places trained male mentors on staff to work with children at family violence shelters, at nine shelters in the two states.
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