Jacob Rodriguez position change: How Texas Tech star went from QB recruit to All-American linebacker

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Jacob Rodriguez position change: How Texas Tech star went from QB recruit to All-American linebacker originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Texas Tech Red Raiders are making their first-ever College Football Playoff debut, set to take on the Oregon Ducks in the Orange Bowl quarterfinal matchup. 

A big reason for Tech's success this season is how well linebacker Jacob Rodriguez has been playing. He leads the Red Raiders in tackles with 117 total stops on the year, and has helped lead Texas Tech into an elite defense this season. 

But what you may not know about the veteran linebacker is that he actually only started playing defense once he got to Texas Tech in 2022, previously starting his career at Virginia as an offensive player. 

Let's take a look at how Rodriguez transformed his college career, moving from offense to defense. 

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Jacob Rodriguez high school stats

Rodriguez attended Rider High School in Wichita Falls, Texas, where he played both quarterback and free safety. Per his Texas Tech bio, he passed for 7,085 yards with 68 touchdowns, adding 3,051 yards and 38 touchdowns on the ground. His high school made two trips to the  Class 5A Division II state semifinals during his sophomore and senior seasons.  

Per his 247Sports recruiting page, Rodrigues also played basketball and participated in the long jump, triple jump and relays for his track and field team. 

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Jacob Rodriguez recruiting

Given his multi-position background in high school, he was listed as an athlete by 247Sports. The outlet listed him as a 3-star, ranked as the No. 26 athlete from the class of 2021. 

He received offers from a number of power-conference schools, such as Baylor, Houston, Indiana, Kansas State, Iowa State and Virginia. He committed to the Cavaliers' 2021 class in April 2020 and remained committed up through his Dec. signing. Despite other schools wanting him to play defense, UVA actually recruited Rodriguez as a quarterback.

“That had a little effect on my decision,” Rodriguez said in April 2020 via the Times Record News. “Beyond playing football, I want to go into coaching. I feel like learning the quarterback position at the college level gives me a better understanding of play calls and how to learn how to do things as a whole on offense."

But once he got to Virginia, he was utilized at a number of positions on offense, including receiver and fullback. He appeared in all 12 games as a true freshman, getting eight receptions for 65 yards and a touchdown with another 10 carries for 56 yards on the ground. 

He played behind UVA quarterback Brennan Armstrong, who broke single-season records for the Cavaliers in 2021.  

Per a recent ESPN feature on Rodriguez, UVA coaches told him they planned to make him into the next Taysom Hill. But his time in Charlottesville lasted just one season, as he entered the transfer portal in Dec. 2021 after UVA head coach Bronco Mendenhall abruptly resigned after six seasons as the Cavs head coach.  

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Why did Jacob Rodriguez transfer from Virginia?

Rodriguez entered the portal largely because of Mendenhall leaving.   

"I loved it there and loved the people there," Rodriguez said via ESPN of his time at Virginia. "But I kind of went there to play for him."

Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire, who had recruited Rodriguez in high school while he was at Baylor, offered Rodriguez a spot on the team as a walk-on, but was placed on scholarship before the 2022 season. 

Jacob Rodriguez position change

Prior to him transferring to Texas Tech, the Red Raiders coaches informed him he would not be joining as a quarterback. Although it took some time, Rodriguez started figuring out the defensive side of things in 2022. 

"Really just knowing that I can make an impact whatever position I play," Rodriguez said via NWA Online of the position change. "I've done it on the offensive side of the ball, I've done it on the defensive side of a ball, and I've done it on special teams. I can really play with anybody," he said. "That's kind of when I figured I can do this. I saw myself progressing a lot on the defensive side of the ball, and week to week just getting better and better."

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Jacob Rodriguez Texas Tech stats

Rodriguez finished with a combined 59 total tackles during his first two seasons at linebacker. But you can see the huge numbers he's put up during his junior and senior seasons: 

Jacob Rodriguez awards

Unsurprisingly, Rodriguez cleaned up during the college football awards season. Here's a look at each award he took home: 

• Chuck Bednarik Award (nation's top defensive player) 
• Butkus Award (nation's top linebacker)
• Bronko Nagurski Trophy (nation's top defensive player) 
• Lombardi Award (nation's top lineman or linebacker) 
• Pony Express Award (nation's top duo with David Bailey)

Despite a campaign for him to be a Heisman finalist, was not invited to New York City. Even still, the linebacker impressively finished fifth in Heisman voting, receiving 17 first-place votes.

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