From Virginia to Lubbock: Inside Jacob Rodriguez’s Unlikely Path to Texas Tech

The No. 5-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders are a force to be reckoned with, and senior linebacker Jacob Rodriguez is at the center of it all. It would be difficult to believe that there wasn't a scholarship spot for him at Texas Tech, right?

Before anchoring one of the nation’s top defenses, Rodriguez actually began his college career across the country at Virginia, where he played as a freshman in 2021 before entering the transfer portal and heading to Texas Tech ahead of the 2022 campaign.

"I loved my time at the University of Virginia," Rodriguez said on Week 13's edition of "Big Noon Kickoff." "When Coach Bronco Mendenhall stepped down [after the 2021 season], I decided to make a change, and [I had] all the faith in coach [Joey] McGuire and everything that he was building. It was so late. I didn't have a place to stay. There were no scholarship spots, and so, luckily, my brother went to school there, and so I slept on the ground next to his bed for a semester and earned that scholarship spot later on."

Rodriguez, who was originally a quarterback in high school, made the switch to linebacker and is now in the midst of a Heisman Trophy-caliber season.

Through 11 games this season, Rodriguez has totaled 100 combined tackles, seven forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, four interceptions, six passes defended and one sack. He leads the Big 12 in forced fumbles and interceptions and has led the conference in solo tackles in each of the last two seasons, posting 127 combined tackles and five sacks in 2024.

Texas Tech is 10-1 overall and 7-1 in Big 12 play this season, good for first place in the conference, and has ranked wins over Utah (34-10), Houston (35-11) and BYU (29-7).

Rodriguez and the Red Raiders have a bye in Week