Texas Tech University Athletics
Lott IMPACT Trophy names Rodriguez as a finalist
November 24, 2025 | Football
Jacob Rodriguez picked up his third finalist honor already this season Monday with the Lott IMPACT Trophy
LUBBOCK, Texas – The Lott IMPACT Trophy became the latest national award to name Texas Tech senior linebacker Jacob Rodriguez as a finalist Monday, marking the third finalist honor already for the nation's leader in takeaways.
Rodriguez was joined on the Lott Trophy finalists list by George linebacker CJ Allen, Miami defensive end Rueben Bain and Ohio State safety Caleb Downs. The award will be presented Dec. 7 from The Pacific Club in Newport Beach, Calif., in a live television broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
This is the 22nd year of the Lott IMPACT Trophy presented by Allied Universal, which is awarded annually to the student-athlete that best exhibits the characteristics of hall of fame safety Ronnie Lott by making an IMPACT on and off the field. IMPACT is an acronym for Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.
That acronym couldn't describe Rodriguez better as he's arguably one of the nation's top defensive players and a senior captain for a Red Raider program that is No. 5 in the College Football Playoff rankings and 10-1 overall heading into Saturday's regular-season finale at West Virginia. In the classroom, Rodriguez is already a Texas Tech graduate and a two-time Academic All-Big 12 honoree.
On the field, there aren't many players who have made more of an impact than Rodriguez, who leads the country with seven forced fumbles this season to go along with a team-leading 100 tackles, four interceptions and two fumble recoveries. Dating back to 2005, he is the only FBS player during that span to have at least five forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and four interceptions all in the same season.
Texas Tech ranks among the nation's top defenses this season thanks in large part to Rodriguez and his ability to create turnovers. Rodriguez has had his hand in nine takeaways for the Red Raiders already this season, all during Big 12 play. He has produced at least one takeaway in each game during Texas Tech's current four-game winning streak, which was highlighted by a key interception and fumble recovery in a top-10 win over BYU.
His play has bolstered a Texas Tech defense that currently ranks fourth nationally in scoring defense, giving up only 12.3 a contest, which is on pace to be the Red Raiders' lowest since setting the single-season school record at only 11.3 points per game in 1963. Texas Tech enters this week also tied for second in the FBS for takeaways as well as seventh for total defense at 266.1 yards per game allowed, including just 71.8 yards on the ground. The Red Raiders remain the nation's leader in rushing defense, averaging a whole eight yards better than top-ranked Ohio State in second place.
Rodriguez is the only player in the FBS with both a defensive and offensive touchdown after returning his own forced fumble 69 yards into the end zone against Oklahoma State. He later rushed for a touchdown against UCF, finding paydirt out of the Wildcat formation in Texas Tech's FBS-leading 10th win by 20 or more points this season.
Rodriguez, the highest rated player on either side of the ball by Pro Football Focus, has already been named a finalist for both the Lombardi Award and the Nagurski Trophy. He is also a semifinalist for both the Bednarik Award and Butkus Award.
The Red Raiders can clinch their first-ever appearance in the Edward Jones Big 12 Championship with a victory Saturday in the regular-season finale at West Virginia. Kickoff is slated for 11 a.m. CT with coverage provided on ESPN and the Texas Tech Sports Network.
