Rodriguez named semifinalist for Collegiate Man of the Year award
October 14, 2025 | Football
DALLAS  – Texas Tech's Jacob Rodriguez was named a semifinalist on Tuesday for the ninth annual Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award, a group that consists of 20 of the nation's top leaders in college football. The award is the first college football honor to focus primarily on a player's leadership, both on and off the field.
Rodriguez is a two-time captain for Texas Tech, who is ranked No. 7 in the most recent AP Top 25, and was instrumental during the offseason in meshing a talented group of returning players with the nation's top-ranked transfer portal class.
His head coach, Joey McGuire, often refers to Rodriguez as the "quarterback of the defense." It's a fitting description for Rodriguez, who was a standout high school quarterback at Wichita Falls Rider High School and later signed with Virginia to play offense. Rodriguez has adapted that quarterback mentality into becoming the nation's top inside linebacker, both in his ability to stop the run and also assist in coverage.Â
Rodriguez enters this week as the highest-graded inside linebacker with at least 150 snaps by Pro Football Focus, as he's grading out at 91.9 overall through the first six games of the season. That grade ranks seventh nationally among players of all positions and third on his own team. Rodriguez leads the country (all positions) with a 94.8 grade in rush defense, while his 89.3 grade in coverage ranks fifth among linebackers and 15th overall.Â
An Academic All-Big 12 honoree, Rodriguez's wife Emma is an active-duty helicopter pilot stationed in Kansas. He has been involved in several visits to local schools and with Habitat for Humanity.
Compiled by a subset of the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Selection Committee, the semifinalists have all demonstrated a record of leadership by exhibiting exceptional courage, integrity, and sportsmanship both on and off the field.
Sixteen seniors and four juniors make up the list. Among conferences, the SEC led the way with six selections, while the Big 12 had five. The Big Ten had four selections, while the ACC and Conference USA had two each. Notre Dame, an Independent, had one semifinalist.Â
Three finalists will be named for the award on Monday, December 16. The winner will be announced at the award ceremony at The Star in Frisco, Texas, on April 16, 2026.Â
It was not long ago that Texas Tech was heavily involved with the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award; in 2023, Tony Bradford Jr. was named a semifinalist, and then one of the three finalists for an award that ultimately went to Mike Hollins of Virginia.
2025 Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Semifinalists
The full list of semifinalists includes: CJ Allen (Georgia), Nick Andersen (Wake Forest), Cam Ball (Arkansas), Jude Bowry (Boston College), Deion Burks (Oklahoma), Arion Carter (Tennessee), Dontay Corleone (Cincinnati), Jalon Daniels (Kansas), Nick Dawkins (Penn State), Aiden Fisher (Indiana), Ernest Hausmann (Michigan), Tyler Martinez (New Mexico State), Devin Mockobee (Purdue), Koa Naotala (Old Dominion), Sawyer Robertson (Baylor), Jacob Rodriguez (Texas Tech), Eli Stowers (Vanderbilt), Michael Taaffe (Texas), Aamil Wagner (Notre Dame) and Tanner Wall (BYU).
About the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award
The award, presented by Albertsons and Tom Thumb, is the first college football honor to focus primarily on a player's leadership, both on and off the field. Leadership is a term synonymous with Jason Witten, who, in addition to becoming one of the best tight ends in the history of the sport, served as one of football's most prominent role models during his 16-year pro career. In addition to winning the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award in 2012, Witten also received the Bart Starr Award, Pro Football Weekly's Humanitarian of the Year Award, Home Depot NFL Neighborhood MVP and the Bob Lilly Award, among many others. All of those honors have recognized his work in the community, achievements on the field and dedication to his teammates and family.
The winner of the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year will also receive a $10,000 contribution in his name to his school's athletic scholarship fund. The contribution will be made by Jason Witten's SCORE Foundation, the official charity of Jason and his wife Michelle. The SCORE Foundation, founded in 2007, has positively impacted tens of thousands of children and families in Texas and Tennessee over the last 16 years. The foundation operates its nationally-recognized SCOREkeepers program, which places trained male mentors on staff to work with children at family violence shelters, at nine shelters in the two states.Â
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Rodriguez is a two-time captain for Texas Tech, who is ranked No. 7 in the most recent AP Top 25, and was instrumental during the offseason in meshing a talented group of returning players with the nation's top-ranked transfer portal class.
His head coach, Joey McGuire, often refers to Rodriguez as the "quarterback of the defense." It's a fitting description for Rodriguez, who was a standout high school quarterback at Wichita Falls Rider High School and later signed with Virginia to play offense. Rodriguez has adapted that quarterback mentality into becoming the nation's top inside linebacker, both in his ability to stop the run and also assist in coverage.Â
Rodriguez enters this week as the highest-graded inside linebacker with at least 150 snaps by Pro Football Focus, as he's grading out at 91.9 overall through the first six games of the season. That grade ranks seventh nationally among players of all positions and third on his own team. Rodriguez leads the country (all positions) with a 94.8 grade in rush defense, while his 89.3 grade in coverage ranks fifth among linebackers and 15th overall.Â
An Academic All-Big 12 honoree, Rodriguez's wife Emma is an active-duty helicopter pilot stationed in Kansas. He has been involved in several visits to local schools and with Habitat for Humanity.
Compiled by a subset of the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Selection Committee, the semifinalists have all demonstrated a record of leadership by exhibiting exceptional courage, integrity, and sportsmanship both on and off the field.
Sixteen seniors and four juniors make up the list. Among conferences, the SEC led the way with six selections, while the Big 12 had five. The Big Ten had four selections, while the ACC and Conference USA had two each. Notre Dame, an Independent, had one semifinalist.Â
Three finalists will be named for the award on Monday, December 16. The winner will be announced at the award ceremony at The Star in Frisco, Texas, on April 16, 2026.Â
It was not long ago that Texas Tech was heavily involved with the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award; in 2023, Tony Bradford Jr. was named a semifinalist, and then one of the three finalists for an award that ultimately went to Mike Hollins of Virginia.
2025 Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Semifinalists
The full list of semifinalists includes: CJ Allen (Georgia), Nick Andersen (Wake Forest), Cam Ball (Arkansas), Jude Bowry (Boston College), Deion Burks (Oklahoma), Arion Carter (Tennessee), Dontay Corleone (Cincinnati), Jalon Daniels (Kansas), Nick Dawkins (Penn State), Aiden Fisher (Indiana), Ernest Hausmann (Michigan), Tyler Martinez (New Mexico State), Devin Mockobee (Purdue), Koa Naotala (Old Dominion), Sawyer Robertson (Baylor), Jacob Rodriguez (Texas Tech), Eli Stowers (Vanderbilt), Michael Taaffe (Texas), Aamil Wagner (Notre Dame) and Tanner Wall (BYU).
About the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award
The award, presented by Albertsons and Tom Thumb, is the first college football honor to focus primarily on a player's leadership, both on and off the field. Leadership is a term synonymous with Jason Witten, who, in addition to becoming one of the best tight ends in the history of the sport, served as one of football's most prominent role models during his 16-year pro career. In addition to winning the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award in 2012, Witten also received the Bart Starr Award, Pro Football Weekly's Humanitarian of the Year Award, Home Depot NFL Neighborhood MVP and the Bob Lilly Award, among many others. All of those honors have recognized his work in the community, achievements on the field and dedication to his teammates and family.
The winner of the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year will also receive a $10,000 contribution in his name to his school's athletic scholarship fund. The contribution will be made by Jason Witten's SCORE Foundation, the official charity of Jason and his wife Michelle. The SCORE Foundation, founded in 2007, has positively impacted tens of thousands of children and families in Texas and Tennessee over the last 16 years. The foundation operates its nationally-recognized SCOREkeepers program, which places trained male mentors on staff to work with children at family violence shelters, at nine shelters in the two states.Â
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Players Mentioned
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