Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire believes his star linebacker, Jacob Rodriguez, should win the Heisman Trophy this year.
The only problem? Rodriguez plays defense.
Though the Heisman Trophy is supposed to go to the best player in college football, quarterbacks are often favored to win the award—even when it comes to multi-positional honors like the Heisman. After quarterbacks, receivers and running backs have a significant edge to win the Heisman. As such, Charles Woodson and Travis Hunter are the only defensive players to win the Heisman—and Hunter played receiver full-time as well.
Given the realities of the award, McGuire took matters into his own hands Saturday by having Rodriguez take a snap at quarterback in their 48-9 win over UCF, where he ran in for a two-yard touchdown and struck the Heisman pose.
Two-Way Player. @HeismanTrophy
— Texas Tech Football (@TexasTechFB) November 15, 2025
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McGuire explained after the game, “Everybody is talking about quarterbacks for Heisman, so we put him in at quarterback today and he scored a touchdown.”
"Everybody is talking about QBs for Heisman, so we put him in at QB today for a TD." 😏@TexasTechFB Head Coach Joey McGuire explains why he put Jacob Rodriguez in at QB for a play pic.twitter.com/vqR75tPJmD
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 16, 2025
After scoring the touchdown, Rodriguez then added to his highlight package by intercepting a pass for a second straight game. He has picked off four passes and forced an FBS-leading seven fumbles this season while leading a Red Raiders defense that ranks in third in points allowed per game, first against the run and ninth in total yards allowed per game.
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Despite his impressive play this season for 10-1 Texas Tech, Rodriguez currently has just the ninth-best odds to win the Heisman at +10,000, according to FanDuel. He is behind six quarterbacks—Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, Ohio State’s Julian Sayin, Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed, Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia, Georgia’s Gunner Stockton and Georgia Tech’s Haynes King—as well as Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith and Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love.
Rodriguez has certainly made the case that he is the best player in the country and deserving of the Heisman, but despite his coach’s efforts, the odds remain stacked against him to actually walk away with the trophy.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Texas Tech Heisman-Hopeful LB Jacob Rodriguez Took a Memorable Snap at QB.
