St. Thomas Aquinas’ Nicholas Rodriguez is the Broward 4M-3M Defensive Player of the Year
After three weeks of the 2023 season, St. Thomas Aquinas didn’t look quite like its typical self.
The Raiders were most uncompetitive in a season-opening loss to St. John Bosco of Bellflower, California, and then needed some help from a controversial finish in Week 3 to edge out Cocoa at home.
A week later, St. Thomas Aquinas turned back into its typical self -- a defensive stalwart, above all else -- and rolled to yet another state championship.
Nicholas Rodriguez was at the heart of that early-season turnaround and is now the Miami Herald’s Broward County Defensive Player of the Year for Classes 4M-3M.
The linebacker broke his own school record with 114 tackles. He had 15 tackles for loss, nine sacks, two passes defended, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery, which he returned for a touchdown. Most importantly, his defense gave up just 10.5 points per game, 6.6 in the 11 games after the close call with the Tigers and five in the first four rounds of the playoffs.
In the Class 3M championship, the Raiders shut out Homestead in the first half and hung on for a 31-28 win, with Rodriguez tallying 12 tackles and half a tackle for loss.
Rodriguez won four state championships in his time at St. Thomas Aquinas and got to be part of this historic season, with the Raiders becoming the first team to ever win five straight Florida High School Athletic Association championships.
The outside linebacker signed with Missouri last month and was the top linebacker in Broward for the Class of 2024, according to the 247Sports composite rankings.
