Texas Tech LB Jacob Rodriguez wins 2025 Bednarik Award

Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez has won the Chuck Bednarik Award. The honor goes to the top defensive player in college football during the 2025 season.

There were three finalists for the honor, announced during Friday’s College Football Awards show on ESPN. Rodriguez, Ohio State safety Caleb Downs and Texas A&M EDGE Cashius Howell.

All three players put together standout seasons to help their teams to the College Football Playoff. That earned them spots in the Top 3 in voting for the 2025 Bednarik Award.

Rodriguez – a former quarterback at Virginia – anchored the Texas Tech defense this year and finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting after a monster season. He totaled 117 tackles, including a Big 12-leading 61 solo stops, along with 11 tackles for loss, a sack, four interceptions and seven forced fumbles as a fifth-year senior.

It marked a second straight impressive year for Rodriguez with the Red Raiders. He had a career-high 127 tackles and 5 sacks a season ago while adding 10.5 tackles for loss. In addition, he earned a spot on the On3 2025 College Football All-America Team.

“Rodriguez had a Heisman Trophy-caliber season, even though defenders are rarely considered for the award,” wrote On3’s Chris Low. “His story is amazing after starting his career as a situational quarterback at Virginia and then transferring to Texas Tech, where he led all FBS players this season with seven forced fumbles to go along with four interceptions and 117 total tackles.”

The Bednarik Award is the latest honor for Rodriguez after his standout season. He also won the Bronko Nagurski Award, joining a list of winners such as former Alabama star Will Anderson Jr. and former Ohio State star Chase Young.

Rodriguez also brought home the Lombardi Award as the top lineman in the nation. He became the first Texas Tech player to ever win the award.

“This is an amazing honor,” Rodriguez said, via the Houston Chronicle’s Jon Poorman. “Everything that the Lombardi Award stands for is something very important to me.”

Jacob Rodriguez spent one year at Virginia, where he played situational quarterback for the Cavaliers before arriving at Texas Tech. He then transitioned to full-time defense, where he became one of the best players in the country and helped lead the Red Raiders to their first College Football Playoff appearance.