Jacob Rodriguez (born September 6, 2002)[1] is an American college football linebacker for the Texas Tech Red Raiders. He previously played for the Virginia Cavaliers.
Rodriguez’s seven forced fumbles in the 2025 season tied a single-season NCAA record.[a][2]
Early life
Rodriguez was born in Hastings, Minnesota, to Joe and Ann Rodriguez.[3] He moved to Wichita Falls, Texas, with his family at age 10.[3]
Rodriguez attended S. H. Rider High School in Wichita Falls. He was rated as a three-star recruit[citation needed] and committed to play college football for the Virginia Cavaliers.[4]
College career
Virginia
As a freshman in 2021, Rodriguez played all 12 games as a quarterback and a “football player,” notching 10 carries for 56 yards and hauling in eight receptions for 65 yards. After the season, he entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal.[5]
Texas Tech
Rodriguez transferred to play for the Texas Tech Red Raiders, where he switched to linebacker.[6][7] In his first season with Texas Tech in 2022, he appeared in 12 games where he notched 29 tackles with two being for a loss, and a forced fumble.[8] In week 10 of the 2023 season, Rodriguez notched six tackles in a win over TCU.[9] He finished the 2023 season playing in just five games due to injury, where he totaled 32 tackles with one being for a loss, two pass deflections, an interception, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery.[10] In week 6 of the 2024 season, Rodriguez was named the Bednarik Defensive player of the week after notching 13 tackles with one being for a loss, a pass deflection, and a forced fumble in a win over Arizona.[11] In week 10, he tallied 13 tackles with two and a half being for a loss, and two sacks in an upset win over Iowa State, earning Big 12 defensive player of the week honors.[12]
College statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
| Season | Team | GP | Solo | Ast | Tot | Loss | Sk | Pd | Int | FF | FR | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Virginia | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | Texas Tech | 12 | 17 | 12 | 29 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | Texas Tech | 5 | 21 | 11 | 32 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 2024 | Texas Tech | 13 | 77 | 50 | 127 | 10.5 | 5.0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | Texas Tech | 12 | 61 | 56 | 117 | 10.0 | 1.0 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 1 |
| Total | 54 | 173 | 120 | 293 | 24.5 | 6.0 | 12 | 6 | 13 | 5 | 2 | |
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 1+3⁄8 in (1.86 m) |
231 lb (105 kg) |
30+7⁄8 in (0.78 m) |
9+1⁄4 in (0.23 m) |
6 ft 2+5⁄8 in (1.90 m) |
4.57 s | 1.60 s | 2.67 s | 4.19 s | 6.90 s | 38.5 in (0.98 m) |
10 ft 1 in (3.07 m) |
23 reps |
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[13][14] | ||||||||||||
Personal life
Rodriguez is a Christian.[15] He married his wife Emma on July 1, 2023.[3] She is as an aviation officer in in the United States Army and flies the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter.[16]
Notes
- ^ Held by Red Murdock of the 2024 Buffalo Bulls, Jake Hansen of the 2019 Illinois Fighting Illini, and Harold Landry of the 2016 Boston College Eagles.
References
- ^ a b “Jacob Rodriguez LB Texas Tech”. nfldraftbuzz.com. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
- ^ “Most forced fumbles by a college football player in a season”. StatMuse. Retrieved February 1, 2026.
- ^ a b c Williams, Don (12 September 2024). “Success started early for Texas Tech football’s Jacob Rodriguez as a youth wrestling star”. Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
- ^ Hall, Jonathan (27 April 2020). “Rider quarterback Jacob Rodriguez commits to University of Virginia”. Times Record News. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
- ^ Newton, Matt (3 December 2021). “Virginia QB Jacob Rodriguez Enters Transfer Portal”. Virginia Cavaliers on SI. SI.com. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
- ^ Ramierz, Jarrett (3 August 2023). “Tech’s Rodriguez assuming larger role at inside linebacker spot”. RedRaiderSports.com. Rivals.com. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
- ^ Williams, Don (6 April 2022). “Texas Tech football: Jacob Rodriguez impresses in spring practice”. Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
- ^ “Jacob Rodriguez 2022 Game Logs”. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
- ^ Williams, Don (6 November 2023). “Texas Tech football staff plans to hold Jacob Rodriguez to 4-game redshirt limit”. Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
- ^ Ramirez, Jarrett (8 August 2024). “How an unorthodox training regimen is impacting LB Jacob Rodriguez”. RedRaiderSports.com. Rivals.com. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
- ^ Hamm, Timothy (8 October 2024). “Red Raiders LB Jacob Rodriguez Named National Defensive Player of the Week”. RedRaiderReview.com. Athlon Sports. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
- ^ Hamm, Timothy (5 November 2024). “Red Raiders’ Jacob Rodriguez Named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week”. Athlon Sports. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
- ^ “Jacob Rodriguez Draft and Combine Prospect Profile”. NFL.com. Retrieved March 14, 2026.
- ^ “Jacob Rodriguez College Football Profile”. DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 14, 2026.
- ^ Foust, Michael. “Faith on display: Trio of college football stars glorify God on national television”. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ Graham, Matthew (2025-12-06). “Jacob Rodriguez and wife Emma share emotional moment after Texas Tech’s BYU win”. The Athlete Lifestyle On SI. Retrieved 2026-02-16.