Zach Thomas tops a deep list of Red Raider linebackers.
Texas Tech is not Linebacker U. I suppose that moniker still belongs to Penn State. Nevertheless, Texas Tech has produced many quality linebackers, several of whom (Don Rives, Mike Kinsey, Brad Hastings, Michael Johnson, Will Smith, Dakota Allen, Jordyn Brooks) didn't even make this list. There was a period from roughly 1996 thru 2012 which constituted a linebacker dry spell. Since then, however, the talent has improved dramatically and continues on an upward bound. Indeed, there are a couple of linebackers on the current team that could one day make a list such as this.
No. 1 Zach Thomas: The Pampa Pummeler remains the only Texas Tech football player with a spot in Canton, and that will stay the case until Patrick Mahomes hangs 'em up. Thomas had the greatest college career of any Texas Tech linebacker, and until 2025, had the best single season of any Texas Tech linebacker. He went on, of course, to enjoy a long and stellar NFL career with the Miami Dolphins and is now a member of Texas Tech's Ring of Honor. Not bad for an obscure high school recruit whose only other real suitor besides Texas Tech was Arizona State.
No. 2 E. J. Holub: No Texas Tech football player is more legendary than EJ Holub. Known as The Beast in his high school days at Lubbock High, he acquired the moniker Double Tough while at Texas Tech. And of that toughness there is absolutely no doubt. Over the course of his football career, which also spanned 10 years with the Kansas City Chiefs, Holub underwent 17 surgeries, 11 of which were on his knees. Toward the end of his career, blood and other fluids had to be pumped out of his knees before each game. And such was the extent of his injuries that he had no tendons and cartilage in one of his knees. The consequent immobility precipitated his permanent move from linebacker to center where he was not required to run. He started at the professional level while being effectively immobile. Holub is an original member of Texas Tech's Ring of Honor.
No. 3 Marcus Coleman: Imagine a college linebacker who was athletic enough to have a long career as a cornerback in the NFL. That is Marcus Coleman, who was a teammate of Zach Thomas in the mid-nineties. Coleman, who was no more heavily recruited than Thomas coming out of Dallas Lake Highlands High School, played a hybrid outside linebacker/safety position at Tech, but was positioned close to the line of scrimmage most of the time. But no matter where he was, either at Texas Tech or in the NFL, Coleman was a big play waiting to happen. Over the course of his Texas Tech career he intercepted nine passes, returning four for touchdowns, and blocked six kicks. He was named first-team All-American after his senior season. Coleman played 11 seasons in the NFL, mostly with the Jets but also with the Texans. He recorded 502 tackles and 25 interceptions.
No. 4 Thomas Howard: If Marcus Coleman wasn't the most athletic linebacker ever to suit up for Texas Tech, Thomas Howard was. As a senior at Lubbock Dunbar, Howard had the nation's fastest time in the 120-meter high hurdles and he didn't lose any of that speed as he blossomed into a collegiate and NFL linebacker. Howard had a tremendous season for Texas Tech's co-SWC champ team of 1976, earning first-team All-America honors. Kansas City drafted him in the third round and Howard gave the Chiefs nine quality seasons of play, recording seven interceptions and eight fumble recoveries, three of which he returned for touchdowns. Howard also notched 17.5 quarterback sacks. He is now a member of Texas Tech's Ring of Honor.
No. 5: Jacob Rodriguez: As it stands, Jacob Rodriguez checks in at No. 5 on this list. However, depending upon what he does in the NFL, Rodriguez could one day push Zach Thomas for the top spot. But there's plenty of work to do before he can quite be classified with the Hall of Famer. One thing is for certain, though--no Texas Tech linebacker, heck, probably no Red Raider defender regardless of position, had a season like Rodriguez did in 2025. In short, he was the best defensive player in the college game and it wasn't even close. He won the Bednarik, Nagurski, Lombardi and Butkus Awards, and finished fifth in the Heisman balloting. Until Rodriguez came along, no Red Raider had won any of those awards; Rodriguez swept them. He did basically everything a linebacker could do at the collegiate level; now the question is how well does his success there translate to the NFL? He was selected in the second round of the draft by the very franchise that drafted Zach Thomas, the Miami Dolphins. When it comes to Red Raider linebackers in the NFL, it's all about the Dolphins and the Chiefs.
This article originates on InsideTheRedRaiders.com.