Texas Tech Linebacker Talks About The 'New Era' In Lubbock
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What has long been called the 'best kept secret in Texas' won't be staying that way much longer. The Texas Tech Red Raiders plan to make Lubbock, Texas, a college football hotspot.
While already making headlines in the recruiting field and angering SEC fanbases, the Red Raiders are entering an exciting new era.
Jacob Rodriguez, who enters his fourth season in Lubbock, has seen the program's cultural shift and shared what it means for the upcoming 2025 season.
Intensity and Leadership
The 2025 Red Raiders will have new faces on both sides of the ball, including the defensive line, which has been revamped primarily through transfers from this past spring. However, Jacob Rodiguez, the always steady captain of that side of the ball, will anchor them once again.
In his three seasons in Lubbock, Rodriguez has never seen a season below seven wins, but he's also never seen a season with more than eight. Now, with expectations seemingly rising every day for the success of the 2025 season, the captain reflects on how things have changed within the program.
“Intensity in practice — I think everybody in every single practice comes to work and they all kind of know what it should look like. They want to be the best and want to try as hard as they can. Not saying that wasn’t the case in the past, but this year especially. Somebody different is speaking up each day and trying to get everyone going, and we’ve had that drive all the way through nine practices now, we just have to continue that way.”
Rodriguez, though, credits Shiel Wood, the Red Raiders' defensive coordinator, with molding the defense into what it has been thus far. Wood installed a mindset of intensity, pressure, and hustle on the defense.
“I think we are doing a great job of running to the ball right now. I think that everbody is bought into what coach Wood and the whole defensive staff is preaching to us every day. You know it’s exciting whenever somebody runs to the ball, especially somebody like Jayden Cofield who’s 335 pounds and sprints down on a screen to go and tackle a perimeter screen, like that’s so much fun to watch.
Preparing For The Season
Just two weeks into fall camp, Rodriguez and the rest of the defense have some time ahead of them until they can hit someone in different jerseys.
For now, though, they are focusing on their effort to fix the mistakes they have made so far, refining their execution to dominate opposing offenses, and remembering to take it day by day.
“I think we have a lot of good stuff that we put on tape today, and also in days past. So then we just come out Monday and reset. I know we have a lot of time but then again, it will be here before we know it. So we just need to take a step back and try to fix one thing at a time.”
The Red Raiders will begin their season at home on Aug. 30 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
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JD Andress is an accomplished sports writer and journalist with extensive experience covering a wide range of collegiate sports. JD has provided in-depth coverage of the TCU Horned Frogs and the Texas Longhorns. He looks forward to being part of the coverage of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. His experience spans various sports, including football, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, rifle, equestrian, and others, reflecting his broad interest and commitment to sports journalism.