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Texas Tech football's Jacob Rodriguez wins Bronko Nagurski Trophy
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- Texas Tech football's Jacob Rodriguez wins Bronko Nagurski Trophy
Jacob Rodriguez missed the cut to four finalists for the Heisman Trophy announced on Monday, Dec. 8.
He didn't have to wait long to win another one of college football's top honors.
Texas Tech football 's standout senior linebacker was named winner of the Bronko Nagurski Trophy on Monday night.
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The trophy goes to the nation's top defensive player, and Rodriguez was selected from a group of four finalists that also included Ohio State safety Caleb Downs , Texas A&M defensive end Cashius Howell and Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore . The four were on hand for the presentation at a banquet in Charlotte , North Carolina .
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Rodriguez accepted the award wearing the trademark black cowboy hat he's sported in press conferences throughout the season. The 6-foot-1, 235-pound senior from Wichita Falls Rider thanked Jesus Christ, his wife Emma, his parents and the Charlotte Touchdown Club.
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"You guys have been world-class, and the hospitality that we've had here in our time here has been wonderful," Rodriguez said. "This award truly means a lot to me and my family, and we're so thankful for it."
The award is presented by the Football Writers Association of America and the Charlotte Touchdown Club.
Rodriguez was honored last week as the Big 12 defensive player of the year and the winner of the Butkus Award , which is presented annually to the nation's top linebacker. Through 13 games, he's been credited with 117 tackles, including 11 tackles for loss. He also has an FBS-leading 7 forced fumbles, 6 pass breakups, 4 interceptions and 2 fumble recoveries.
" Jacob Rodriguez is the devil on defense," said banquet keynote speaker Brian Bosworth, the College Football Hall of Fame linebacker. "He has been the nightmare on game street all season with his Freddy Krueger-ish skill set by forcing more fumbles than anyone in college football this season. Jacob's numbers are eye-popping in 2025. ...
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"I believe Mr. Nagurski would be proud of Mr. Rodriguez."
Texas Tech's Jacob Rodriguez asks for more crowd noise during the Big 12 Championship football game, Saturday, Nov. 6, 2025, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Rodriguez was the first Texas Tech player to win the Butkus Award and now the first Tech player to win the Nagurski Trophy, which originated in 1993. He's the first Big 12 player to win it since Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh in 2009. Arizona linebacker Scooby Wright was the 2014 winner, before Arizona joined the Big 12.
Tech coach Joey McGuire was shown in a video presentation during the introduction of the finalists.
"The thing that separates Jacob from everybody else," McGuire said, "is he's doing things that haven't been done in college football whenever you talk about the amount of turnovers he's created. He's a great leader. He's consistent. He's a pro. He's got a great approach to get ready for the game, and then I think he brings a lot of confidence, whenever he's out there on the field, to the rest of the players."
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On Sunday night, Downs won the Lott IMPACT Trophy, for which Rodriguez also was part of a four-man cast of finalists.
On Wednesday, Rodriguez and Tech edge defender David Bailey will be in attendance in Houston for the announcement of the Lombardi Award, which honors the nation's top linemen and linebackers.
Rodriguez also is a finalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award (top defensive player) and the Walter Camp national player of the year.
Texas Tech is 12-1 and won the Big 12 championship game on Saturday, beating Brigham Young 34-7. The Red Raiders have the No. 4 seed and a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff. They'll play in the Orange Bowl on New Year's Day against the winner of a first-round game between No. 5 seed Oregon and No. 12 seed James Madison .
This story has been updated with comments.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech football's Jacob Rodriguez wins Bronko Nagurski Trophy
