Jacob Rodriguez was sleeping on the floor of his brother鈥檚 apartment and learning how to really play defense when he joined Texas Tech for spring practice in 2022, right after a season as a quarterback at Virginia.
Suddenly a walk-on on the other side of the ball, Rodriguez even wondered if he might get cut by the Red Raiders.
“They鈥檙e trying to weed everybody out because it鈥檚 coach (Joey) McGuire鈥檚 first offseason,” he said. 鈥淪o, I’m just out there trying to make the team and then focus on football. It was real weird, totally different position.鈥�
QB-turned-linebacker Rodriguez is now an for fourth-ranked Tech, which is in the College Football Playoff for the first time. The team captain with a distinctive mustache, whose wife flies Black Hawk helicopters in the U.S. Army, has a collection of trophies for national defensive player of the year awards, and was . He is the first FBS player in 20 years with at least five forced fumbles (he has seven), two fumble recoveries and four interceptions in the same season.
鈥淗e鈥檚 just a man of consistency, a man of routine and he鈥檚 just a great leader overall,鈥� said Tech senior edge rusher David Bailey, a first-year transfer and also an AP All-America first-teamer.
The Red Raiders (12-1), in McGuire’s fourth season, play No. 5 Oregon (12-1) in the CFP quarterfinal Orange Bowl on New Year’s Day. The already have a school-record 12 wins.
Rodriguez won the Chuck Bednarik and Bronko Nagurski , and the Dick Butkus Award as the top linebacker. He got the Lombardi Award that’s for exceptional performance while embodying character and discipline like the award’s namesake.
From QB to standout linebacker
Rodriguez played a little bit of safety in high school, but when he got to Tech he hadn鈥檛 been a linebacker since middle school, when the approach was much different.
鈥淚 had no clue what I was doing. I was just going see ball, hit ball,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e playing linebacker, but you don鈥檛 have to study film, and you don鈥檛 have to understand the position as much.鈥�
As a prep starting quarterback, Rodriguez accounted for 10,136 total yards (7,085 passing, 3,051 rushing) and 106 touchdowns (68 passing, 38 rushing) as Wichita Falls Rider made the Texas Class 5A playoffs three years in a row. He was then an early enrollee at Virginia, which gave him a scholarship offer as a quarterback. He never threw a pass in his 12 games with the Cavaliers, but had 56 yards rushing and 65 receiving while used as a running back, receiver and tight end. He left there after a coaching change.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just really cool to see the way that his story has developed, and the kind of guy that he is,鈥� said fifth-year Tech quarterback Behren Morton, a fellow Texan who was in some of the same camps as Rodriguez before college. 鈥淗e鈥檚 probably put on close to 50 pounds, and just totally transformed his body to looking like a mean linebacker.鈥�
Embracing defense
Rodriguez played special teams and some defensive packages during his Tech debut in 2022, when he had 29 tackles and began to embrace being on that side.
鈥淩eally just knowing that I can make an impact whatever position I play. I鈥檝e done it on the offensive side of the ball, I鈥檝e done it on the defensive side of a ball, and I鈥檝e done it on special teams. I can really play with anybody,” he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 kind of when I figured I can do this. I saw myself progressing a lot on the defensive side of the ball, and week to week just getting better and better.鈥�
He was limited to five games in 2023 after injuring his foot in the opener on a play that he forced and recovered a fumble. His 127 tackles last year were the most for a Tech player since Lawrence Flugence set an NCAA FBS record with 193 in 2002. He has 117 this season after on transfers along the defensive front, including Bailey, second-team AP All-America interior lineman A.J. Holmes Jr., and third-teamer Lee Hunter.
Army wife
As tough as Rodriguez is, the 6-foot-1, 235-pound linebacker said there is no doubt that his wife Emma is even tougher.
The high school sweethearts got married in July 2023. Emma graduated from the United States Military Academy and is now based at Fort Riley in Kansas.
“She’s the best, and she does so much for me,” Jacob Rodriguez said. “It’s weird, I feel like to everybody else, that we do long distance and have done it. But I mean to us, it鈥檚 normal. It鈥檚 something that we鈥檝e always done.鈥�
No trip to New York
While disappointed he didn’t get an invitation to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony, Rodriguez was grateful and honored by the final results. His 17 first-place votes were nine more than Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin, the fourth-place finisher. ahead of Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia and Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love.
鈥淚鈥檓 just so appreciative to even be in that conversation,” Rodriguez said. “That kind of hit home, was people really cared about me and see what the work that鈥檚 been done this year.鈥�
Rodriguez has this season. He returned a fumble for a score against Oklahoma, and had short rushing TDs on his only carries when taking a in each of the last two regular-season games.
鈥淚t was exciting and it was fun,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hose are the moments that I鈥檒l never forget, where it鈥檚 just having fun playing football.鈥�
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