LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech senior linebacker Jacob Rodriguez collected his fifth national award this season Friday evening as he was tabbed the winner of the Bednarik Award during the College Football Awards Show live on ESPN.

Rodriguez is the first Red Raider in program history to win the Bednarik Award, which is presented annually by the Maxwell Football Club to the nation’s top defensive player. The Bednarik Award selected Rodriguez over Ohio State safety Caleb Downs and Texas A&M defensive end Cashius Howell.

With the addition of the Bednarik Award, Rodriguez is now the winner of the Butkus Award (nation’s top linebacker), the Bronko Nagurski Trophy (nation’s top defensive player), the Lombardi Award (nation’s top lineman or linebacker) and the Pony Express Award (nation’s top duo with David Bailey) this season alone. He is the third player in history to win the Butkus Award as well as the Nagurski Trophy and Bednarik Award in the same season, joining Miami’s Dan Morgan (2000) and Notre Dame’s Manti Te’o (2012). Rodriguez joins Te’o as the only players to also win the Lombardi Award.

Rodriguez, who was also tabbed a first team All-American by the Walter Camp Foundation during the ESPN broadcast, has bolstered one of the nation’s top defenses, leading the Red Raiders to their first Big 12 title in program history this season and their first appearance in the College Football Playoff. The Red Raiders enter a potential matchup with either No. 5 Oregon or No. 12 seed James Madision at 12-1 overall, marking the most wins in program history.

Rodriguez has now led Texas Tech to four-consecutive bowl appearances during his career after going from a scholarship quarterback at Virginia, to walk-on linebacker with the Red Raiders and now a national award winner. He was joined during the ESPN College Football Awards Show by his parents, Joe and Ann Rodriguez, and his wife, Emma.

Rodriguez enters bowl season as the FBS leader with seven forced fumbles and ranks among the top-15 players nationally with 117 tackles. He is the first FBS player since 2005 to record at least five forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and four interceptions all in the same season. His impact has bolstered a Texas Tech defense that leads the nation with 31 takeaways and ranks third nationally in scoring defense at 10.9 points per game. Rodriguez was responsible for nine takeaways himself — all in Big 12 play – thanks to his ability to punch the ball out and also read the quarterback in coverage.

Rodriguez is currently the highest-rated player in all of college football, according to Pro Football Focus, grading out at 93.3 overall so far this season. He is the top-rated player in the country in terms of rush defense, receiving a 95.5 grade in that area for a Red Raider defense that is easily the nation’s best in stopping opponents on the ground. Texas Tech is giving up only 68.5 rushing yards a game thanks to Rodriguez, who also ranks fifth nationally in coverage with a 92.3 grade.

Established in 1995, the Chuck Bednarik Award is one of the most-prestigious honors in college football, awarded annually to the most outstanding defensive player. This accolade recognizes exceptional talent, tenacity and impact on the defensive side of the ball. The award is named in tribute to Chuck Bednarik, a revered figure in football history known for his remarkable career as a linebacker.

Although Indiana just beat Ohio State on a neutral field to win the Big Ten Championship, the Hoosiers are a consensus underdog to the Buckeyes when it comes to winning the national title.

Surveying six different online gambling sites — Bet365, MGM, DraftKings, Caesers, FanDuel and Bet Rivers — Indiana has the second-best odds as of Friday morning at each outlet to win the 2025 national championship.  Ohio State has the consensus best odds, and Georgia the third-best.

The consensus national champion odds at Action Network has Ohio State at +222, Indiana at +280, and Georgia at +550.

Indiana is the No. 1 team in the College Football Playoff, AP Top-25, and Coaches Poll.  The Hoosiers beat Ohio State for the first time since 1988 on Saturday in Indianapolis.

Ohio State would likely have to beat Georgia in the national semifinal to reach the national championship game.  Indiana would likely have to beat either Oregon or Texas Tech, the teams with the fourth and fifth-best odds, respectively.

Against its potential quarterfinal round opponents at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, Indiana is around a 6.5-point favorite over Alabama, and a 9.5-point favorite over Oklahoma.

For complete coverage of IU football, GO HERE.

The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly”

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The state of the entire Michigan football program is in flux at the moment as it looks find a replacement for Sherrone Moore, who was fired on Wednesday afternoon after the university found him culpable in an inappropriate relationship with a staffer.

While many might think the Wolverines need to rush to find a new leader, it will be important for the athletic department to do its due diligence and make sure they have the right man for the job. The next head coach will be vital for retaining several key players on the roster, including quarterback Bryce Underwood.

According to a report from On3’s Pete Nakos ($) on Thursday, Underwood’s NIL contract he signed last year doesn’t include a buyout. That could drastically lower the financial commitment any school would need to make to pry the former five-star out of Ann Arbor.

Additionally, Nakos made it clear that Underwood and those around him will be keeping a close eye on the coaching search as they determine his next steps.

“(Sherrone) Moore’s firing and who the next (head coach) at Michigan will be will be critical to determining Bryce Underwood’s future in Ann Arbor, sources emphasized to On3,” Nakos wrote.

Of course, Underwood was committed to LSU for nearly a year before flipping to Michigan last November. The Tigers and new head coach Lane Kiffin would likely love to bring Underwood into the fold if they could, while countless other schools would certainly be interested in him as well if he opts to enter the portal.

One can’t expect the athletic department to fully cater specifically to what Underwood is looking for in a head coach, but it seems like this will be an important thing to consider.

Furthermore, whoever ends up taking the reigns of the program will have to do their part to make sure the Wolverines don’t lose the handful of young contributors from the 2025. They will also have to prevent any further attrition from the 2026 recruiting class after Michigan signee Matt Ludwig was granted release from his letter of intent on Thursday.

Changes and attrition are fast approaching for the program. Let’s see just how drastic they are in the days and weeks ahead.

The relationship between Kentucky and its multimedia rights partner, JMI, has been all the talk in recent days. Two days after KSR’s story on Wednesday about Kentucky’s recruiting efforts, which touched on the topic, Mark Pope addressed the conversation for himself.

During Friday’s press conference, Pope was asked about Kentucky’s need for a general manager to be in charge of NIL and other matters. While answering that question, Pope went on to address the recent talk circulating about JMI, Kentucky’s media partner’s involvement with NIL, giving a lot of credit to Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart.

Pope Says Kentucky is in ‘Such a Good Spot Right Now’

Mark Pope went into some detail on the JMI partnership and Mitch Barnhart’s involvement. He was entirely positive about the partnership.

“We’re in such a good spot right now, in the sense of, I’m telling you, and it’s like, this would probably be when someone needs to do like a super in depth New Yorker magazine 30-page article on Mitch, but his leadership in this space has been incredible, and I get to see it firsthand, where I have ADs from other major universities reach out and try to figure out, ‘How are you doing this?’” Pope said. “And how did you move ahead this way and this partnership with JMI? Paul [Archey] is incredible, and Kim [Shelton], who we work with day to day, is incredible.”

Pope further applauded his team’s involvement with JMI. He called his team “incredible in the dynamic times.”

“And when we get to write the book, there’s been a lot of late nights, tight deadlines, trying to get to winning spots and and so we have an incredible team in the dynamic times finding the landing on exactly the right spot is ultimately, that’s my job to get some space but the support that we’re getting is ridiculous, from managing the administration from JMI,” he said.

The Recruiting Relationship Between Kentucky and JMI

Kentucky is yet to land a commit in the 2026 class. KSR’s Jacob Polacheck and Jack Pilgrim shared the role of JMI in the recruiting struggles, among other topics, in a feature story on Wednesday night.

For context, the University of Kentucky and JMI reached an agreement in August to extend their partnership through 2040 for a multimedia rights agreement valued at $465 million. That agreement features the creation of JMI’s BBNIL Suite that serves as Kentucky’s in-house NIL collective. Through it, athletes can broker deals with UK’s 200+ official partners, or try to find their own third-party deals; however, Mitch Barnhart himself admitted the latter may be trickier than the former, as the university strives to protect the brand.

KSR reported on Wednesday that JMI, in conjunction with the UK basketball staff, is requiring prospective student-athletes to sign away NIL rights that would normally be untouched at any other school. A highly structured brand partnership agreement is something uncommon at other schools, but it is something Kentucky has pursued in accordance with JMI, making this arrangement unique to the current landscape of college basketball recruiting.

“I will say that Kentucky is the only school I’ve dealt with that even has anything remotely like this in their contracts,” one anonymous source said.

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By Weston Blasi

The Heisman Trophy award may not come with a cash prize, but these finalists have already scored millions through their name, image and likeness deals

Fernando Mendoza of the Indiana Hoosiers celebrates after defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Big Ten Championship Game on Dec. 6.

It pays to be the Heisman.

The final voting for the 2025 Heisman Trophy will take place on Saturday, as the top players in college football compete for the game’s highest individual honor.

The Heisman Trophy, given to the most outstanding player in college football, doesn’t come with any cash prizes – just prestige. But while the Heisman finalists may not be paid for winning, they’re still among the highest earners in college sports when it comes to name, image and likeness (NIL) deals.

College athletes have been allowed to leverage their influence and make money from NIL deals since 2021, after decades of having to avoid any form of payment that could compromise their amateur status and NCAA eligibility. Now, many of the top student-athletes earn millions of dollars each year from NIL arrangements.

The four finalists for the Heisman this year are Fernando Mendoza, Diego Pavia, Julian Sayin and Jeremiyah Love.

Here’s at look at what the 2025 Heisman finalists are estimated to have made from NIL deals this year, according to On3’s deal tracker.

Fernando Mendoza, QB, $2.6 million

Fernando Mendoza of the Indiana Hoosiers runs the ball in a game against the Oregon Ducks.

Indiana University quarterback Fernando Mendoza was not a highly rated Heisman contender headed into the season – but Mendoza had a great 2025 campaign, leading Indiana to its first Big Ten conference title since 1967, a 13-0 record and the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.

Mendoza won a separate Associated Press player of the year award, and is the betting favorite to win Heisman, according to DraftKings (DKNG) odds.

Mendoza has an NIL deal with sports-apparel giant Adidas (XE:ADS) (ADDYY).

“At the beginning of the year, I saw the list of the top 10 Heisman contenders, and evidently [my name] wasn’t there,” he said about the award.

But that didn’t discourage Mendoza. “I was like, ‘Wow, I want to make a goal for myself.’ I prayed about, like, if I could make it to the ceremony, how cool that would be,” he said. “Now that it’s come to fruition, I’m able to share that moment with people who appreciate it. It’s such a cool moment.”

Related: A $100 million NFL contract isn’t enough money to last a lifetime, says former football star Odell Beckham Jr.

Diego Pavia, QB, $2.5 million

Quarterback Diego Pavia on the Vanderbilt Commodores celebrates after defeating the Auburn Tigers.

Vanderbilt University quarterback Diego Pavia threw 27 touchdowns this season, leading his team to the eighth-best scoring offense in the country.

Pavia, who has the second-best odds to win the Heisman, behind Mendoza, is expected to declare for April’s NFL draft.

Pavia has NIL deals with AutoPro, Raising Cane’s and the NIL Store.

He also recently joked on “The Pivot Podcast” that he would donate his 2025 NIL money if one of the lower-ranked teams like Tulane or James Madison won the College Football Playoff this year.

Julian Sayin, QB, $2.5 million

Quarterback Julian Sayin of the Ohio State Buckeyes enters Ohio Stadium prior to a game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Ohio State University quarterback Julian Saying led his team to yet another College Football Playoff bid this year, in addition to his Heisman-hopeful season. It’s the fifth time in the last eight years that an Ohio State signal-caller has been a Heisman finalist.

Sayin threw 31 touchdown passes this season, which was third in the nation. He has NIL deals with The Foundation (Ohio State’s collective), Panini and EA Sports (EA).

Related: Why Michigan’s Sherrone Moore probably won’t get paid the millions left on his contract – unlike other recently fired college football coaches

Jeremiyah Love, RB, $1.6 million

Jeremiyah Love of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates after a touchdown.

University of Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love is the only non-quarterback among this year’s Hesiman finalists.

Love was fourth in the nation with 1,372 rushing yards, and led Notre Dame to a 10-2 record. Unfortunately for the Fighting Irish, they narrowly missed out on the College Football Playoff.

Love has NIL deals with Samsung (KR:005930), Celsius (CELH) and New Balance.

The 2025 Heisman winner will be announced at 7 p.m. Eastern time on Saturday, Dec. 13, on ABC.

From the archives: The number of millionaire college athletes has tripled

-Weston Blasi

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Lane Kiffin’s betrayal of the Ole Miss faithful to sign as the next head football coach at rival Louisiana State University is more significant than just the $91 million price tag. This situation exemplifies the current state of college sports in the American South, one that is dominated by the professionalization of coaches, athletes, and what it means for the states in which these colleges reside.

A coach earning $91 million over seven years, while the university also has to pay $54 million to buy out former coach Brian Kelly’s contract in October, is problematic for the flagship university of a state that ranks 50th in crime and economy, 48th in infrastructure, and 46th in education nationally. Kiffin’s contract and the surrounding controversies — his choice to leave the University of Mississippi before the upcoming College Football Playoff and his NIL and financial fund criticism of the university—  expose the contradictions of  football in the American South. It may be a deeply flawed system that doesn’t financially help any of the state’s residents other than the select few superstar players and coaches, but LSU and SEC football provide identity and joy for deep Southerners that external circumstances may not provide.

Kiffin’s contract at LSU is the second-highest annual salary for any college football coach, only marginally behind the University of Georgia’s head coach Kirby Smart. His previous contract still netted him $9 million annually, which left a foul taste in the mouths of Ole Miss fans when Kiffin decided not to coach Ole Miss for their run during the College Football Playoff. This behavior by Kiffin is irregular; both Tulane’s Jon Sumrall and James Madison’s Bob Chesney have accepted other head football coaching positions and are choosing to continue to coach their teams through their playoff runs. The increased professionalization of college football is the direct cause of this lack of loyalty; priorities are now more than ever focused on what is next and how much that contract pays.

With Mississippi and Louisiana constantly being ranked at the bottom nationally in income, education, infrastructure, healthcare, and overall opportunity, an interesting question arises: Should these publicly funded universities be spending tens of millions of dollars on football salaries? To understand this question, it is important to note that the money to pay these coaches comes directly from the respective universities’ athletics departments. The funding for these departments comes primarily through TV network deals, ticket sales, and wealthy alumni boosters who directly donate money to the programs. So, this situation is not directly stealing taxpayer dollars like estranged Green Bay Packers legend Brett Favre, who was involved in the welfare scandal in Mississippi that misallocated money toward a volleyball facility at Southern Mississippi University. 

However, even if the money is not coming directly from the taxpayers, the university still has discretion over how to use the revenue brought in. Because of that, it is still valid to criticize how that money is being spent. It’s impossible to ignore the optics: Ole Miss and LSU are each ranked around the 92nd-best public colleges in the U.S., yet they choose to spend tens of millions of dollars on football coaches rather than to put that money back into their faculty and research, improvements that would increase the quality of education and expand opportunities for their residents.

At first glance, it seems obvious why a resident of Louisiana or Mississippi might not support such a high salary for a public employee when they are statistically more likely to be struggling financially themselves. Yet LSU fans were ecstatic when Kiffin was hired. An LSU fan site, Death Valley Voice, recently published an article titled “LSU fans are fired up for the future of this position group under Lane Kiffin.” 

The truth is that this reaction stems from the unique role these SEC schools play in the Deep South. Outside of New Orleans, which has the Pelicans and the Saints, these states cannot financially support professional sports teams. As a result, SEC schools like the University of Alabama, the University of Arkansas, Auburn University, LSU, and Ole Miss are the de facto professional sports teams. They are often the only large-scale, shared cultural institutions for people in these places, so their success means far more to Southerners than it might to people in other parts of the country. This is also why the feeling of abandonment and disloyalty surrounding Kiffin’s departure was so exacerbated.

In today’s college sports environment, the “Power Four” designation is no longer accurate, because there is now a tier above the “Power Four.” Within the ACC, SEC, Big Ten, and Big 12, there are true “blue bloods” backed by the largest NIL funds. The NIL college economy has changed the game entirely. The ever-delayed and controversial SCORE Congressional Act and other legislative efforts are attempting to put guardrails on NIL, but for now, and the foreseeable future, it is the unregulated wild west of the sports world. Kiffin just happens to be someone who is taking advantage of that system.

When looking at the bigger picture, it is truly absurd how much college football coaches are making, especially in states with such major socioeconomic struggles. The truth is that, for many people in Mississippi and Louisiana, college football is one of the few reliable and communal sources of pride and entertainment. SEC football is the one of the biggest sources of Southern identity, and it is exactly why the Kiffin story is compelling. It shows how much people care about football success, but it also shows the inflection point that college football has reached, a point where the financial logic is drifting ever further from the communities that love it.