Ben Roberts is stepping into Jacob Rodriguez’s spotlight as Texas Tech football eyes another Big 12 title behind a loaded defense.
Texas Tech football lost a superstar when Jacob Rodriguez headed to the NFL, but the Red Raiders don’t look like a team searching for answers.
They look like a team reloading the hard way with another linebacker ready to become a problem for the entire Big 12.
Ben Roberts is next up in Lubbock, and the early buzz says he’s not just filling a role; he’s taking over the defense.
After Rodriguez posted 128 tackles, became one of the best linebackers in college football and landed with the Miami Dolphins in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft, Texas Tech had every reason to worry about a leadership vacuum.
Instead, Joey McGuire’s program appears to have another defensive tone-setter already waiting.
Roberts was named USA TODAY Network’s preseason Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year after a breakout 2025 season that proved he’s more than a supporting piece.
He finished with 90 tackles, four tackles for loss and four interceptions, giving the Red Raiders production, range and attitude in the middle of the field.
The loudest moment came in the Big 12 Championship Game, where Roberts picked off two passes and added five tackles on his way to earning game MVP honors.
Now he gets the keys to one of the nastiest defenses in the conference. Texas Tech isn’t leaning on Roberts alone, either.
Defensive lineman AJ Holmes, linebacker Austin Romaine and cornerback Brice Pollock also drew preseason Defensive Player of the Year consideration, giving the Red Raiders a rare kind of defensive depth.
When every honorable mention in the vote comes from the same roster, that’s not hype. That’s a warning label.
And it matters because Texas Tech isn’t being treated like a cute contender anymore.
The Red Raiders are being projected as the team to beat in the Big 12, and if they repeat as conference champions, it’ll likely start with a defense built to suffocate opponents.
Rodriguez leaves behind a massive legacy, and nobody should pretend replacing him is simple.
But Roberts doesn’t need to be a copy. He needs to be the next version of Texas Tech’s defensive identity: fast, violent, opportunistic and annoying as hell to play against.
The Big 12 has been put on notice. Texas Tech’s defense didn’t disappear. It just found a new face.
