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Texas Tech Red Raiders linebacker Jacob Rodriguez flashed the 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 team in the country, while BYU was No. 7. The Red Raiders got 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 Scuteri, File)
Cougars quarterback Bear Bachmeier dropped back to pass only to find Rodriguez in coverage. The linebacker threw the ball toward himself and made the interception. After he was knocked down, Rodriguez struck the pose.
Patrick Mahomes, the current Kansas City Chiefs star and former Texas Tech standout, endorsed Rodriguez.
“Take him to New York,” Mahomes wrote in X.
Rodriguez said after the game that his teammates forced him into that pose as he put together a 14-tackle game with an interception and 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 hope so,” he said.
Rodriguez has 74 total tackles, five pass deflections, one sack, seven forced fumbles and two interceptions. Texas Tech is 9-1 this season and is likely to move up the College Football Playoff standings when the new spots are revealed Tuesday night.
Rodriguez said he and head coach Joey McGuire have talked “a lot” about the Heisman and he appreciates the support.
“The Heisman is given to the best football player. 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… That kid deserves to be a part of that.”
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 Oct. 25, 2025. (Michael C. Johnson/Image Images)
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The Heisman Trophy hasn’t been won by a defenseman since Charles Woodson in 1997. Travis Hunter won it last year. He played cornerback and wide receiver for Colorado.
