Texas Tech’s Rodriguez earns second Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week

Texas Tech’s Rodriguez earns second Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week

 

DALLAS (FWAA) – Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez was a constant nemesis against BYU on Saturday with a team-high 14 tackles and came up with an interception and a fumble recovery as the Red Raiders moved atop the Big 12 standings with a 29-7 win. For his play leading a defense that halted one of the nation’s top offenses, Rodriguez earned the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week again for the weekend of Nov. 8, as selected by the Football Writers Association of America.

Each week during the regular season, the FWAA has selected a Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week since 2001. This marks the fourth time for a Texas Tech player to receive this weekly FWAA honor and the second of the season for Rodriguez. He also received it for his outstanding play following the Red Raiders’ 34-10 win at Utah the weekend of Sept. 20.

The FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce finalists for the 2025 Bronko Nagurski Trophy on Nov. 20. The national defensive player of the year will be chosen from those finalists who are part of the 2025 FWAA All-America Team and presented with the trophy at the Bronko Nagurski Awards Banquet on Dec. 8 at the Charlotte Convention Center.

This is the final week of the 2025 season for the FWAA to name this weekly winner. Texas Tech’s other winners came in the 2019 and 2008 seasons. Texas Tech has not had a Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner in its past; linebacker Zach Thomas was a finalist in 1995.

Rodriguez continues to be one of the most impactful players in college football this season and put together another memorable performance Saturday commanding Texas Tech’s (9-1, 6-1 Big 12) defense that became the third FBS team this season to hold an AP top-10 team to fewer than 10 points. Rodriguez continued to be one of the top takeaway creators in the country as the FBS leader with seven forced fumbles this season. Rodriguez intercepted BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier midway through the third quarter that turned into a field goal and a 19-0 lead. He all but sealed the win with less than four minutes remaining by recovering a loose ball caused by a Lee Hunter sack that set up the last of five Texas Tech field goals.

The 6-1, 235-pound senior from Wichita Falls, Texas, has now been responsible for eight takeaways during Big 12 play alone this season and joins former Buffalo standout Khalil Mack (2013) as the only FBS players since 2005 to have at least five forced fumbles, three interceptions and two fumble recoveries all in the same season. Rodriguez now has four double-digit tackle performances in his last five games, and the 14 against BYU matched a season high as the Red Raiders gave up their fewest points to a top-10 team since defeating No. 8 Texas A&M, 14-7, in 1995.

Texas Tech is the FBS leader in rush defense and cemented its place Saturday limiting BYU to only 67 rushing yards, marking the first time the Cougars had been held under 100 yards on the ground this season. The Red Raiders are now giving up only 73.8 yards per game on the ground as BYU was limited to only 255 yards of total offense.

Rodriguez was the Big 12’s Preseason Defensive Player of the Year as Texas Tech’s leading tackler last season (127) and continues to be is its defensive captain and catalyst.

Texas Tech hosts UCF on Saturday in a 3:30 p.m. ET game on FOX.

The FWAA All-America Committee, after voting input from the association’s full membership, selects a 26-man All-America Team and eventually the Bronko Nagurski Trophy finalists. The Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner will be chosen from the finalists named in November. Committee members, by individual ballot, select the winner they regard as the best defensive player in college football.

The FWAA has chosen a National Defensive Player of the Year since 1993. In 1995, the FWAA named the award in honor of the legendary two-way player from the University of Minnesota. Nagurski dominated college football, then became a star for professional football’s Chicago Bears in the 1930s. Bronislaw “Bronko” Nagurski is a charter member of both the College Football and Pro Football Halls of Fame.

The Bronko Nagurski Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses college football’s most prestigious awards. The NCFAA’s 25 awards have honored more than 950 recipients since 1935. This season, 13 NCFAA awards will honor national players of the week each Tuesday. For more information about the NCFAA and its award programs, visit NCFAA.org or follow on X at @NCFAA.

The Charlotte Touchdown Club is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded in 1990 for the purpose of promoting high school, collegiate, and professional football in the Charlotte, North Carolina region. Since its inception, the club has grown as well as diversified boasting a sponsor team of more than (80) companies. The Club’s activities and services focus community attention on the outstanding Citizenship, Scholarship, Sportsmanship, and Leadership of area athletes and coaches. Through individual and corporate support, more than $3,000,000 has been raised and donated to benefit the Touchdown Club’s scholarship efforts.

Coca-Cola Consolidated is the largest Coca-Cola bottler in the United States. Our purpose is to honor God in all we do, to serve others, to pursue excellence and to grow profitably. For over 121 years, we have been deeply committed to the consumers, customers and communities we serve and passionate about the broad portfolio of beverages and services we offer. We make, sell and distribute beverages of The Coca-Cola Company and other partner companies in more than 300 brands and flavors across 14 states and the District of Columbia, to approximately 60 million consumers. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Coca-Cola Consolidated is traded on The Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “COKE”. More information about the Company is available at cokeconsolidated.com. Follow Coca-Cola Consolidated on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of 1,300 men and women who cover college football. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include game-day operations, major awards and its annual All-America team.