Jacob Rodriguez receives the Bronco Nagurski Award
Texas Tech football linebacker Jacob Rodriguez missed the final Heisman cut on Monday. But he did snag one prominent college football award: the Bronco Nagurski.
Brett McMurphy of On3/Rivals announced the award that LB wonwhich is presented annually to the nation’s top defensive player.
Rodriguez is now the first in Lubbock to do so: He is the first Red Raiders defender to win the prestigious award.
Legendary LB Zach Thomas came close to earning the nod, but fell short in 1995. Thomas went on to have a stellar NFL career with the Miami Dolphins.
Jacob Rodriguez delivered a season to remember for Texas Tech
The linebacker has become the most popular athlete on campus since a young Patrick Mahomes.
Texas Tech helped launch the Heisman linebacker’s campaign on Nov. 15 after grabbing his fourth interception. But he especially won over TTU fans in surrender BIU regular season loss. And it came with ESPN College GameDay on campus to fuel the competition.
Both teams met again on Saturday with the conference title plus College Football Playoff appearance, on the line. The versatile defender led the way with nine tackles in a dominant 34-7 rout at Arlington’s AT&T Stadium.
Rodriguez beat out a group of nationally known Nagurski defenders: Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, Texas A&M linebacker Cashius Howell and Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore.
Downs finished second in the voting to Nagurski. His Buckeyes suffered a heartbreaking 13-10 loss to Indiana for the Big Ten championship. Both OSU and Rodriquez’s Red Raiders, however, help make up the 12-team playoff. Both teams also have a first-round bye in the postseason.
2025-12-09 04:44:00
