NEED TO KNOWJacob Rodriguez spoke with PEOPLE exclusively about the 2026 NFL Draft and his next chapter with his wife, Emma, an Army Black Hawk helicopter pilot
The athlete opened up about long-distance relationships, and how they plan to navigate this next chapter of life together as he prepares for pro football and she readies for deployment
Rodriguez is a top linebacker prospect from Texas Tech
Jacob Rodriguez is ready to tackle life's next chapter, but he's not doing it alone.
The top linebacker prospect from Texas Tech spoke with PEOPLE exclusively ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft about his anticipated transition into the league, while his wife, Emma, prepares for deployment as an Army Black Hawk helicopter pilot.
Together, they strengthen one another and inspire their respective dreams, despite the distance between them. In fact, the high school sweethearts-turned-life partners have been long-distance for seven years, time that Rodriguez tells PEOPLE "was worth it."
"You're just growing and learning every day... It's very important that you learn how to communicate," Rodriguez, 23, says of "the key" to making their relationship work. "We get to begin this opportunity to be around each other when we can, but know that we're always going to be there for each other."
Recently, Rodriguez teamed up with USAA, the official Salute to Service Partner of the NFL, to show appreciation for America's military alongside Emma, a West Point graduate now serving on active duty and preparing for an upcoming deployment in a few months.
"It was awesome being able to partner with USAA, Salute to Service," Rodriguez tells PEOPLE. "I think it was a big thing for me and her to be able to be a part of that. It's something that we truly care about and it's something that means a lot to us."
During their time spent together, Rodriguez and Emma visited a local flight simulator where the football player got to put his pilot skills to the test. To no surprise, the West Point alum was better trained, but doubled as a great coach!
"I got to see how she flies and see what she gets to do on a daily basis... It's very stressful," he shares. "To see her in her element, doing what she does, doing what she loves to do, it shows me a deeper appreciation for everything."
The unique opportunity gave the standout college athlete a deeper respect for the unique challenges that military families overcome.
"All military service members, everybody in that line of work who volunteered to potentially put their life on the line, to protect the country, it's truly unbelievable," Rodriguez says. "It really puts me in a great head space knowing that she's out there doing what she loves."
Rodriguez and Emma met as teenagers when they attended rival high schools in northern Texas. They eventually got engaged on July 1, 2023, and to their families' surprise, wound up marrying later that night.
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"It means so much to have somebody like that in my corner," the star athlete says of Emma. "I'm just so appreciative of her."
Rodriguez now eyes a future as a professional football player, with this year's NFL draft set to begin Thursday, April 23, in Pittsburgh . Nerves aside, the linebacker — who's projected as a second-round pick with late first-round buzz —tells PEOPLE he's "excited" for what's next.
"It's something I've wanted to do since I was three years old. And so being in this position now, it's been so much fun," Rodriguez shares. "It's been such a blessing to just get to know everybody who I've met along this process. It's been so much fun, and it's been more than I could ever dream of."
He says, "I'm excited to see what happens and how this will unfold."
As for how Rodriguez and Emma plan to keep their love strong as they embark on their respective dreams?