Kentucky’s Willie Rodriguez Named a Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Semifinalist

Compiled by a subset of the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year selection committee, the semifinalists have all demonstrated a record of leadership by exhibiting exceptional courage, integrity and sportsmanship both on and off the field.

The award, presented by Albertsons and Tom Thumb, is the first college football honor to focus primarily on a player’s leadership, both on and off the field. The winner of the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year will also receive a $10,000 contribution in his name to his school’s athletic scholarship fund. The contribution will be made by Jason Witten’s SCORE Foundation, the official charity of Jason and his wife, Michelle.

Rodriguez, a native of Taylor Mill, Kentucky, is a junior management major. The two-year letterwinner has played in 31 career games with 17 starting assignments and has totaled 61 receptions for 661 yards and four scores in his Wildcat career. He has caught a pass in 18 of the past 19 games and in nine straight outings.

Through seven weeks of the 2026 season, Rodriguez already has career highs in receptions (33), yards (257) and touchdowns (three) to help lead the 12th-ranked Cats to a 6-1 record overall and a 4-1 mark in the Southeastern Conference. His 33 catches are the most of any tight end in the SEC and ranks fourth among all FBS tight ends.

Against Alabama, he had a career-best eight catches. It’s the most passes snared for a UK tight end since Jacob Tamme had nine vs. Tennessee in 2007. He had five catches for 57 yards in the comeback at South Carolina, but no snag was bigger than the walk-off winning 2-point conversion in overtime.

He then had five catches for 38 yards and two scores at Oklahoma. It marked the first time in his career he scored twice in the same outing. He also became the first UK tight end to have at least five receptions in four SEC games in a single season since Tamme in 2007.

Rodriguez’s commitment to service began at home, where he has helped care for his younger sister, Gabby, 19, who has Rett syndrome, a rare neurological and developmental disorder that primarily affects girls and impacts the way the brain develops. From an early age, he embraced the responsibilities of helping care for Gabby, assisting with her daily needs while serving as one of her biggest advocates and supporters. Through that experience, Rodriguez developed a deep sense of compassion, patience, and empathy that has shaped his character and inspired his desire to make a positive impact on those around him. The lessons he has learned from Gabby have fueled his passion for serving others, especially children, and have helped mold him into a servant leader who consistently puts the needs of others before his own.

Some of his community service events include volunteering at Golisano Children’s Hospital every Thursday, volunteering at Easterseals of the Bluegrass, a non-profit in Lexington that supports individuals and families with disabilities, volunteering to help at a shoe drive to benefit Camp Horsin’ Around, a local nonprofit that enriches the lives of children whose health is compromised or who have special needs by collaborating with organized groups to provide an outdoor camp adventure and volunteering at Gabby’s high school, Scott High School, where he played games and spent time with her classmates.

This is the 10th year of the Witten Award. Exemplifying UK Athletics’ commitment to all-around athletic, academic and personal development, two Wildcats have won the honor already – Josh Paschal in 2021 and J.J. Weaver in 2024.

Three finalists will then be named for the award on Dec. 14. The winner will be announced at the award ceremony which will take place in Spring of 2027.

Rodriguez and the Cats return to action on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET against Vanderbilt. The game will air live from Kroger Field on SEC Network.