DALLAS (FWAA) – Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez had a hand in two turnovers Saturday to go with a team-leading 11 tackles as the Red Raiders more than contained then-No. 16 Utah in a statement 34-10 road win. For his game-changing plays and defensive leadership in Texas Tech’s Big 12 Conference opener, Rodriguez has earned the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week for the weekend of Sept. 20 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. 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.
Players may be added or removed from the Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list during the season. If a player isn’t already on the preseason watch list, which Rodriguez was, each week’s honored player is added at that time. Texas Tech has not had a Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner in its past; linebacker Zach Thomas was a finalist in 1995.
Rodriguez forced a fumble in the first quarter that stopped a Utah drive in Texas Tech territory and set the tone as Utah could only muster a field goal through three quarters. He then snagged an interception near the end of the game, helping Texas Tech earn a third win over a ranked opponent on the road in as many years. The Red Raiders stole four total takeaways from a Utah offense that had been averaging 45.7 points and 517 total yards going into the game. With Rodriguez in the middle, Texas Tech’s defense held the Utes to half that yardage (263 total yards) and only 101 on the ground.
The 6-1, 235-pound senior from Wichita Falls, Texas, is one of the top takeaway creators in the nation with eight forced fumbles over his career, third nationally among active FBS players and leads all power conference players. The Big 12’s Preseason Defensive Player of the Year was Texas Tech’s leading tackler last season (127) and is its defensive captain and catalyst and the Red Raiders are now 8-1 in games Rodriguez creates a takeaway over his career.
Texas Tech, known for its wide-open offenses, currently lists as one of the nation’s top defenses, fourth in rushing defense (56.2 yards per game) and 14th for both scoring defense (11.3 points per game) and total defense (238.8 yards per game).
Rodriguez’s trajectory sets up well as Texas Tech continues its Big 12 schedule the rest of the season. In 2024, 97 of his 127 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss, including all 5.0 sacks, came during Big 12 play.
Texas Tech is idle this weekend. The Red Raiders play at Houston at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 4, on ESPN.
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.
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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. For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson at tiger@fwaa.com.