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The No. 5-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders are a force to be reckoned with, and senior linebacker Jacob Rodriguez is at the center of it all. It would be difficult to believe that there wasn’t a scholarship spot for him at Texas Tech, right?
Before anchoring one of the nation’s top defenses, Rodriguez actually began his college career across the country at Virginia, where he played as a freshman in 2021 before entering the transfer portal and heading to Texas Tech ahead of the 2022 campaign.
“I loved my time at the University of Virginia,” Rodriguez said on Week 13’s edition of “Big Noon Kickoff.” “When Coach Bronco Mendenhall stepped down [after the 2021 season], I made a decision to make a change, and [I had] all the religion in coach [Joey] McGuire and all the pieces that he was constructing. It was so late. I did not have a spot to remain. There have been no scholarship spots, and so, fortunately, my brother went to highschool there, and so I slept on the bottom subsequent to his mattress for a semester and earned that scholarship spot in a while.”
Rodriguez, who was initially a quarterback in highschool, made the change to linebacker and is now within the midst of a Heisman Trophy-caliber season.
By 11 video games this season, Rodriguez has totaled 100 mixed tackles, seven compelled fumbles, two fumble recoveries, 4 interceptions, six passes defended and one sack. He leads the Massive 12 in compelled fumbles and interceptions and has led the convention in solo tackles in every of the final two seasons, posting 127 mixed tackles and 5 sacks in 2024.
Jacob Rodriguez on Heisman Hopes 🏆 Texas Tech Contending in CFP & extra
Texas Tech is 10-1 total and 7-1 in Massive 12 play this season, good for first place within the convention, and has ranked wins over Utah (34-10), Houston (35-11) and BYU (29-7).
Rodriguez and the Crimson Raiders have a bye in Week 13, adopted by a highway matchup towards West Virginia to shut out the common season.
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