It's a bye week for Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, which set up the perfect opportunity for him to return home to Texas and attend the massive top-10 showdown in Lubbock between the No. 7 BYU Cougars and his alma mater, the No. 8 Texas Tech Red Raiders.
Mahomes served as the celebrity guest picker for ESPN's “College GameDay,” and after picking the Red Raiders to win, they lived up to the hype with a dominant 29-7 victory, led by a stifling defensive performance.
One player in particular has caught the attention of fans nationwide-and Mahomes himself: Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez. Following the game, Mahomes publicly endorsed Rodriguez to be included on the ballot for the Heisman Trophy in New York.
“Get him to New York! @HeismanTrophy,” Mahomes posted.
Fans had strong reactions to Mahomes’ post on social media.
“I totally agree with this! Heisman 100%” A fan said.
Someone else added: “Hell yeah! I love it when defensive players get nominated! Let’s do this! Wreck ‘Em!”
Another person wrote: “Get him to the chiefs!”
“Nah, that award belongs to either Ty Simpson, Julian Sayin or Fernando Mendoza,” one more fan commented.
Rodriguez has been a standout all season for the Red Raiders, but he truly made his mark on the national stage Saturday, recording 14 combined tackles (nine solo), one tackle for loss, a forced fumble, and an interception.
He showcased his versatility, doing a little bit of everything to help Texas Tech rise to the top of the Big 12 standings.
Rodriguez is in his fifth season of college football after spending his freshman year at Virginia in 2021. Coming into Saturday's game, he had already compiled 77 combined tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, one sack, and five pass deflections this season.
2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.