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Texas Tech Red Raiders linebacker Jacob Rodriguez struck a Heisman Trophy pose after making a big play in the team’s 29-7 win over the BYU Cougars on Saturday.
Texas Tech entered the game as the No. 8 ranked team in the country while BYU was No. 7. The Red Raiders received a boost from Rodriguez in the third quarter.
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Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez (10) is seen during an NCAA football game against Arizona on October 5, 2024, in Tucson, Arizona. (AP Photo/Rick Suteri, file)
Cougars quarterback Bear Bachmeier dropped back to pass only to find Rodriguez in coverage. The linebacker returned the ball to him and made the interception. After being shot, Rodriguez struck a pose.
Current Kansas City Chiefs star and former Texas Tech standout Patrick Mahomes supported Rodriguez.
“Bring him to New York,” Mahomes wrote on X.
Rodriguez said after the game that his teammates forced him into a pose as he put together a game-high 14 tackles with an interception and a fumble recovery.
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Emma Rodriguez, left, kisses her husband, Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, before the NCAA college football game between Texas Tech and BYU, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, in Lubbock, Texas. (AP Photo/Annie Rice)
ESPN’s Holly Rowe asked him immediately after the win if he thought he was now in the Heisman Trophy conversation.
“I sure hope so,” he said.
Rodriguez has 74 total tackles, five assists, one sack, seven forced fumbles and two interceptions. Texas Tech is 9-1 this season and likely to move up in the College Football Playoff rankings when the new spots are revealed Tuesday night.
Rodriguez said he and head coach Joey McGuire talked “a lot” about the Heisman and that he appreciated the support.
“The Heisman is given to the best player in football. It’s not given to the best quarterback; they have awards for that,” McGuire said. “If you can’t say that Jacob Rodriguez, at his position, isn’t playing at an elite level, as good as anyone in the country…This kid deserves to be a part of it.”
Texas Tech Red Raiders defensive back Jacob Rodriguez (10) leaves the field before the game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Jones AT&T Stadium on October 25, 2025. (Michael C. Johnson/Imagn Images)
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The Heisman Trophy hasn’t been won by a single defender since Charles Woodson in 1997. Travis Hunter won it last year. He played cornerback and wide receiver for Colorado.
