Prior to Saturday's 52-15 walloping of West Virginia in Lubbock, over 20 Texas Tech football players went through the Senior Day ceremony where they were honored for their sacrifices for the program. While it was great to have an opportunity to recognize seniors like running back Tahj Brooks, Braylon Lux, Jalin Conyers, and Josh Kelly, there was one surprise participant that Red Raider fans didn't expect to see honored, linebacker Jacob Rodriguez.
The native of Wichita Falls, Texas has been Texas Tech's best defender this season but few thought he'd be considering a departure given that he has a year of eligibility remaining. According to head coach Joey McGuire, though, it was McGuire's idea to have Rodriguez go through the Senior Day ceremony.
"We do this every year with our guys that have eligibility left, that have the ability to the opportunity to get drafted," McGuire said. "I met with him and his wife on Thursday. We do a presentation with what the scouts are saying, what the NFL is saying, you know, what we have to offer. And so he has a decision to make, you know, to worry if he comes out or he comes back, you know."
McGuire is extremely conscientious about making sure his players have the opportunity to experience special moments in their careers and Senior Day is high on his list. What's more, with rosters being limited to just 105 players next year, there were players that he wanted to make sure got their moment to be honored because they may not be part of the program next season.
"The thing that we always try to do," he said, "and we had some guys like that, you know, it's going to be crazy this next semester because there's going to be guys you got to get to 105 you know. And so there's going to be some guys that are going to have to leave Texas Tech and so not all of them, but some of them that I was like, 'Hey, if there's any chance that you're not going to be back, I don't want you to miss the opportunity to walk out there with your parents.'"
Of course, Rodriguez isn't in that category. If he wants to come back, Texas Tech will welcome him with open arms just like it did with Brooks last year, a player who also went through Senior Day festivities despite having another year of eligibility.
"You know, we believe in memories and moments and things that we're trying to create together, and I don't want them to miss that opportunity," McGuire said. "So you had some guys like that that have a chance to come back, kind of like Tahj. Tahj, he got to walk twice, because he walked last year and he walked this year, and thank God he came back. And so we're going to we're going to present everything we can.
"I want Jacob Rodriguez back. The one thing that I always tell my guys is, if you're supposed to come out, I'm going to tell you, come out. I don't want you to come back. You're supposed to come back to where you can push your draft stock up. And I think it's, you know, really important to come back. So we'll see. You know, that's up to him. And it was funny, his wife, who is an absolute rock star, you know, and she's a helicopter pilot in the military, she asked a lot more questions than he did. So we all know who's tougher whenever it comes to that, I might start recruiting her and see if she's got any eligibility."
So far in 2024, Rodriguez has been one of the best linebackers in the nation. He has 118 total tackles and his 72 solo tackles leads the Big 12.
Additionally, he's been credited with 10 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, and an interception. It is the first year that he's been both a full-time starter and fully healthy for an entire season and he's proven to be one of the best players in America.
The hope of all Texas Tech fans is that he will return to anchor the Red Raider defense in 2024. However, there is no guarantee that will happen after he participated in Senior Day this year.