One of the rarest things in college football is seeing a linebacker make a name for themselves on the Heisman ballot, especially in the quarterback-driven era we live in. To be fair, it’s never easy to measure a linebacker with the same lens as a quarterback. They are without a doubt the backbone of any defense, the difference between a team’s shot at a national title or not. Yet, once in a decade, a linebacker breaks through all the odds – and 2025 could be that year for Texas Tech. Joey McGuire and the Red Raiders are making an unusual case for the Heisman, following in the footsteps of the few linebackers who have earned finalist recognition, most recently in 2016.

On November 5th, Texas Tech insider Matt Burkholder hopped onto X and straight up compared Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez to the last 2 (linebacker) Heisman finalists throughout their first 9 games. You’d be surprised to see how slept on this Jacob Rodriguez is: “Last two linebackers to be @HeismanTrophy finalists defensive stats thru 9 games vs Jacob Rodriguez.” When you stack Jacob’s stats up against two former Heisman finalists, Manti Te’o and Jabrill Peppers, he really holds his own.

While Te’o had more tackles (87 tackles) and Peppers had more tackles for loss (14.0), Rodriguez is a total turnover machine. His 7 forced fumbles are incredible. That’s more than Te’o and Peppers had combined (0). Plus, he’s only one away from the school record of eight and three away from the college single-season record of 10. He also has a fumble recovery and two picks. He even scored a touchdown on a fumble recovery and returned a fumbled two-point conversion for a score. No wonder analysts like RG3 and others are tweeting and putting Jacob and the Heisman in the same sentence. Truth be told, he’s great everywhere on the field.

Even though he hasn’t played full games in most matchups. PFF rates him as the top linebacker out of 825 nationwide, with a 93.9 overall grade, 96.9 against the run, and 92.3 in coverage. He also leads all players at his position in overall grade (92.7) and run defense (97.3) while ranking fourth in coverage (88.2).

It’s not just a one-man show down there in Lubbock; They got NFL-caliber bodies on their defense. On paper, Texas Tech’s defense has been the best in the Big 12, if not the best in the country. The Red Raiders won the majority of their football games with a 24-point margin. You need to give props to Cody Campbell and his oil friends for stacking up this roster.

Even with other bodies like David Bailey, who’s having a monster season as a pass rusher, and Brice Pollock, who leads the conference in interceptions, Rodriguez stands out as the best player on the team. The Red Raiders have 3 more games left on their regular season schedule. If Jacob Rodriguez continues playing like this for the rest of the schedule, there shouldn’t be any reason he isn’t a Heisman finalist. It’s about time Heisman voters ease up on the quarterbacks and appreciate the players who are producing at a generational level.

All that Heisman talk wouldn’t mean a thing if the Red Raiders don’t handle business this weekend against No. 8-ranked BYU.

Texas Tech’s biggest challenge of the season

The Week 11 matchup between No. 8 Texas Tech and No. 7 BYU might be the most important game of the season for both sides. BYU is planning to push for the top four-seed (yes, some undefeated teams have to drop points). Texas Tech is fighting to protect its $28 million roster investment and playoff hopes. Head coach Joey McGuire reminded his team that they have “earned the right to play” in this moment, but they haven’t earned the right to win. Winning still requires the Red Raiders to stay disciplined, focused, and execute at a high level.

McGuire made it clear this week that distractions will not be tolerated. He warned his players that if they let outside noise or storylines creep in, they would not be ready. Texas Tech is 5-1 in the Big 12, tied with Cincinnati. One loss could flip the entire conference race and put Cincinnati in position for the title game instead. Texas Tech’s defense has been dominant all year, giving up just 74.6 rushing yards and 13.2 points per game.

BYU freshman QB Bear Bachmeier will be their toughest rushing challenge so far, with nine rushing touchdowns already. McGuire believes a big win over BYU would prove just how strong the Big 12 really is, especially with College GameDay returning for the first time in 17 years. Everything about this week feels heavy, meaningful, and loaded with postseason consequences – and Texas Tech knows there is zero margin for error now.