Jacob Rodriguez keeps robbing award season blind, snagging the Lombardi as Texas Tech's wrecking-ball linebacker fuels a CFP run for the ages.
While he won't be in New York for the Heisman ceremony, Jacob Rodriguez is doing something arguably more impressive ... he's robbing award season blind.
The Texas Tech linebacker just added the Lombardi Award to an already ridiculous haul, becoming the first player in program history to bring the trophy back to Lubbock.
The Lombardi goes to the top player who lives on or near the line of scrimmage, which this season might as well have been renamed the Jacob Rodriguez Zone.
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Rodriguez has already claimed the Butkus Award, the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, a share of the Pony Express Award with edge terror David Bailey, and the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year nod.
The Lombardi makes it four trophies in a single week, and his case still isn't closed. He's a finalist for both the Walter Camp Player of the Year and the Chuck Bednarik Award.
He didn't exactly win this stuff on reputation, either.
Rodriguez captained one of the nastiest defenses in the country, spearheading a unit that finished in the top five nationally in points allowed, yards allowed, rushing yards allowed per game, and stop rate.
Texas Tech didn't just slow people down, they shut the water off.
Individually, Rodriguez was a walking disaster for opposing offenses. In 13 games, he racked up 117 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, a sack, four interceptions, and a nation-leading seven forced fumbles - the second-most in Texas Tech history.
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When the ball hit the ground or changed hands, odds are No. 10 was somehow involved. The Red Raiders led the country in takeaways, and Rodriguez was the chaos engine at the center of it.
The analytics only make his season look even more absurd.
Among defenders with at least 100 snaps, Rodriguez finished first in PFF defensive grade (93.5), first in run defense (95.3), and second in coverage (92.9), while ranking fourth nationally in total stops.
Linebackers aren’t supposed to erase the run, blanket routes, and still live in the backfield ... he did all three.
He also beat out some serious dudes to get that Lombardi, including his own teammate Bailey, who led the nation in sacks, Texas A&M edge rusher Cashius Howell, and Alabama mauler Kadyn Proctor.
And in the history books, Rodriguez now joins rare Big 12 company as the first winner from the league since Brian Orakpo in 2008 and Ndamukong Suh in 2009.
The wild part? None of this feels like the final chapter.
Rodriguez and the Red Raiders still have work to do, with a College Football Playoff quarterfinal looming at the Orange Bowl. Texas Tech will face the winner of No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 12 James Madison at Hard Rock Stadium on Jan. 1, with a chance to turn this award tour into a full-blown legacy run.
He may not have the Heisman invite, but Jacob Rodriguez is stacking something even better in Lubbock ... trophies, turnovers, and a shot at a national title.