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Robert Griffin III picks defender as Heisman front-runner after Week 11

Joe Cox|
FOX Sports analyst Robert Griffin III dropped a surprise pick for his Heisman Trophy front-runner as he moved to the defensive side of the ball for the pick.
FOX Sports analyst Robert Griffin III dropped a surprise pick for his Heisman Trophy front-runner as he moved to the defensive side of the ball for the pick. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

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Texas Tech Red Raiders

Robert Griffin III was a Heisman Trophy winning quarterback. With his weekly list of top candidates for the 2025 awarding of the Heisman, Griffin picked five quarterbacks in his list of six. But it's the sixth pick that will surprise-- and that pick is the front runner.

Griffin went to defense to find his top Heisman front-runner: Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez. To say that Rodriguez has an uphill climb in that candidacy would be an understatement, but Griffin's surprising endorsement could start a ground swell.

History's case against defensive Heisman Winners

The slate of Heisman Trophy winning defenders is a short one. The only two players who were primarily defenders who claimed the award were Michigan's Charles Woodson in 1997 (in a narrow margin over Tennessee' Peyton Manning) and 2024 winner Travis Hunter. In all fairness, Hunter was nearly as big of a star as a wide receiver as he was as a defender. Woodson moonlighted on offense and was a special teams star as a kick returner.

Rodriguez's Heisman Resume

Rodriguez doesn't play offense and is unlikely to land any special teams nods in his Heisman pursuit. The preseason Big 12 Player of the Year has racked up 91 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, seven forces fumbles, three interceptions, and a fumble return touchdown this year. This is off a season in which he had 127 tackles and 10.5 tackles for loss.

Rodriguez began his career at Virginia, where funny enough, he played offense, rushing for 56 yards on 10 carries and catching eight passes for 65 more yards. He transferred to Texas Tech ahead of the 2022 season and has grown into likely the nation's top linebacker.

A significant aspect of Rodriguez's candidacy is Texas Tech's under-the-radar climb up the polls. Tech took a mid-October 26-22 loss at Arizona State, but has otherwise blazed through every opponent, winning every game by 22 or more points. Last week's 29-7 thumping of previously unbeaten BYU certainly testified to the Red Raiders' dominance.

Rodriguez had 14 tackles in that win, his fifth double-digit tackle game in seven league appearances. He has now forced a fumble or made an interception in each of the last four games. If Tech makes the College Football Playoff, Rodriguez may invade the Heisman Trophy presentation in New York City on December 13th.

Other Heisman contenders from Griffin

The rest of Griffin's Heisman list is much less surprising. Fernando Mendoza and Julian Sayin are the two odds-on favorites in the Heisman race, with Alabama's Ty Simpson trailing close behind. Texas A&M's Marcel Reed is gaining ground off an undefeated season, and while Georgia Tech QB Haynes King is something of a dark horse, if the Yellowjackets can win the ACC race, he's certainly likely to be in the Heisman picture.

Rodriguez
Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez is worthy of Heisman front-runner status per prior Heisman winner Robert Griffin III. | Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images
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Joe Cox
JOE COX

Joe is a journalist and writer who covers college and professional sports. He has written or co-written over a dozen sports books, including several regional best sellers. His last book, A Fine Team Man, is about Jackie Robinson and the lives he changed. Joe has been a guest on MLB Network, the Paul Finebaum show and numerous other television and radio shows. He has been inside MLB dugouts, covered bowl games and conference tournaments with Saturday Down South and still loves telling the stories of sports past and present.

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