Rivalries run deep, and for a player who grew up in Austin and spent five seasons representing his hometown program, victories over a historic rival always carry extra meaning. After earning one of college football’s most prestigious honors, he decided to take a quick trip to his rival’s stadium to proudly display his new trophy before heading home.
On Wednesday night, he shared an Instagram post featuring promotional photos from the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, along with images of him participating in workouts at Lucas Oil Stadium. The final photo showed him sitting outside the rival team’s stadium, holding the trophy in front of the iconic backdrop.
“Even though the odds were against me, I still came out better,” he wrote in the caption.
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The award, given annually to the top defensive back in college football, is presented at a banquet in Oklahoma City. With the location just a short drive from his rival’s home turf, it gave him the perfect opportunity to make a statement while celebrating the honor. His team also dominated the rivalry game last season, delivering a decisive 34-3 victory.
He became just the third player from his program to ever win the award, following two previous winners from the early 2000s. Along with this achievement, he was also a finalist for the award given to the best overall defensive player in the nation.
With the NFL Draft approaching, he is considered a likely first-round selection. One recent projection has him going 23rd overall to Green Bay, a team potentially looking for a versatile defensive back to fill a key role after the expected departure of a veteran starter.