Texas Tech football's Jacob Rodriguez wins Lombardi Award
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Already in the past week, Jacob Rodriguez had become the first Texas Tech football player to win the Butkus Award, which goes annually to the nation’s top linebacker, and the first Texas Tech player to take home the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, which goes each year to the best defensive player in college football.
See a pattern developing?
On Wednesday, Dec. 10, Rodriguez became the first Red Raider to win the Lombardi Award, which goes each year to the country’s top lineman or linebacker.
The announcement and presentation were made on Wednesday night in Houston. The other three finalists were Texas Tech edge defender David Bailey, Texas A&M defensive end Cashius Howell and Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor.
The Rotary Club of Houston established the Lombardi Award in 1970, shortly after the death of its namesake, NFL coach Vince Lombardi. The dominant feature of the trophy is a block of polished granite. That’s a nod to the line Lombardi played on at Fordham, nicknamed “The Seven Blocks of Granite”.
On Tuesday, Rodriguez and Bailey won the Pony Express Award, an honor established in 2024 for the two most outstanding teammates in college football. It’s named for former SMU running backs Eric Dickerson and Craig James, who, during an 11-0-1 season in 1982, were honored as a unanimous all-American (Dickerson) and a third-team all-American (James).
Texas Tech this season is 12-1, the Big 12 champion for the first time, and Rodriguez has been a main reason why. The 6-foot-1, 235-pound senior from Wichita Falls Rider has been credited with 117 tackles, including 11 tackles for loss with one sack. He also has an FBS-leading seven forced fumbles, six pass breakups, four interceptions, and 2 fumble recoveries.
Bailey’s 13 1/2 sacks are second in the FBS and first among power-conference players. The 6-3, 250-pound senior from Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei has been credited with 43 tackles, including 17 1/2 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles.
As was the case with the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Rodriguez was the first Big 12 player to win the Lombardi since Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh in 2009. He was the first Big 12 player to win the Butkus Award since Texas A&M linebacker Von Miller in 2010.
Earlier this week, Rodriguez missed the cut to four finalists for the Heisman Trophy, which will be presented Saturday.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech football’s Jacob Rodriguez wins Lombardi Award
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