Rodrigo Blankenship

Rodrigo Blankenship (born January 29, 1997)[1] is an American football placekicker for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL).[2] He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs.[3] His nickname is "Hot Rod."[4][5] He has received considerable media attention for the thick glasses that he wears during games.[6][7] He kicked the longest field goal in Rose Bowl history.

Rodrigo Blankenship
Blankenship in 2018
No. 3 – Indianapolis Colts
Position:Placekicker
Personal information
Born: (1997-01-29) January 29, 1997
Marietta, Georgia
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:217 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school:Sprayberry High School
College:Georgia
Undrafted:2020
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards

Early life

Blankenship was born in Marietta, Georgia to Ken and Izabella Blankenship.[8][9] After spending several years playing soccer,[9] he began kicking footballs at ten years old.[4][8] Blankenship attended Sprayberry High School.[6][8] As a high schooler, he participated in the 2014–15 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.[10][11] He was ranked by 247sports.com as the ninth-best kicker in the country.[11]

College career

Blankenship entered Georgia in 2015 as a preferred walk-on and red-shirted his first year.[6] As a red-shirt freshman, Blankenship earned the starting kicker spot. During the 2016 season, Blankenship was 14-for-18 on field goals and 26-for-26 on extra points.[12] He led the team in scoring and was named to the All-SEC Freshman team.[6]

In 2017 – his redshirt sophomore season – Blankenship received a full athletic scholarship.[13][14] He informed the team of the positive news after Georgia's 20–19 victory over Notre Dame.[9][13] In the 2018 Rose Bowl, Blankenship made a record-long 55-yard field goal that proved pivotal in shifting the momentum away from Oklahoma, leading to Georgia's eventual 54–48 overtime victory.[6][13] In the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship game against Alabama, Blankenship hit a 51-yard field goal in overtime to put the Bulldogs temporarily ahead.[15] However, Georgia ultimately lost the national championship game, 26–23.[16]

Blankenship finished the 2017 season having made 20 of his 23 field goal tries and all 63 extra points attempts.[12] By making 87 percent of his field goals attempts, Blankenship had the sixth-best season in school history.[15] His 67 touchbacks – a dramatic improvement over his 20 touchbacks in 2016 – were also a school record, and they came after he adjusted his technique on kickoffs.[15][17]

In July 2018, Blankenship was selected for the preseason All-SEC First Team.[18] During the 2018 season, he went 19-for-23 on field goal attempts and made all 65 of his extra point attempts.[12] Following the 2018 regular season, Blankenship was named to the All-SEC Second Team.[19] In December 2019, Blankenship won the Lou Groza Award, given to the nation's top placekicker. He also was honored as a member of the SEC Football Community Service Team.[20]

Professional career

Blankenship signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent on April 29, 2020.[21]

Personal life

Blankenship's father, Ken, played football at Florida from 1967 to 1969.[22] Ken coached the kickers on every team for which Rodrigo played from fifth grade through the end of high school.[9]

While at Georgia, Blankenship studied digital and broadcast journalism,[23] with a particular focus on sports journalism.[9]

On April 16, 2018, Blankenship released a rap song entitled "ATD."[24]

References
  1. "The Official Website of the Indianapolis Colts". www.colts.com. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  2. "Rodrigo Blankenship signed by Colts as un-drafted free agent". Dawgs247. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  3. Scott, Nate (January 4, 2018). "Rodrigo Blankenship is the college football hero we need". SB Nation. Archived from the original on January 9, 2018.
  4. Gartland, Dan (January 8, 2018). "Five things to know about Rodrigo Blankenship". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on January 9, 2018.
  5. May, Jed (November 9, 2016). "Rodrigo "Hot Rod" Blankenship enjoying newfound fame". The Red & Black. Archived from the original on January 11, 2018.
  6. Patterson, Chip (January 6, 2018). "Georgia football's title hopes may rest in the legs of a bespectacled former walk-on". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on January 9, 2018.
  7. Johnson, Jon (January 6, 2018). "Georgia notebook: UGA kicker recognized for glasses as much as ability". Dothan Eagle. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  8. Busbee, Jay (January 8, 2018). "The legend of Hot Rod: How Georgia's Rodrigo Blankenship became a star". Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on January 9, 2018.
  9. Hebert, Michael (November 29, 2018). "Behind the goggles: Rodrigo Blankenship blazes his own path to sports stardom". The Red & Black. Archived from the original on December 17, 2018.
  10. "Biography – Rodrigo Blankenship". www.rodrigoblankenship.com. Archived from the original on January 11, 2018.
  11. Riley, Connor (December 15, 2014). "Georgia adds kicker to its 2015 recruiting class". The Red & Black. Archived from the original on January 11, 2018.
  12. "Rodrigo Blankenship College Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  13. Cox, Joe (January 6, 2018). "Walk-on to walking on air: Why Rodrigo Blankenship is Georgia's most unlikely hero". Saturday Down South. Archived from the original on January 11, 2018.
  14. Berg, Nathan (January 9, 2018). "Kicker Rodrigo Blankenship shines in national title loss". The Red & Black. Archived from the original on January 11, 2018.
  15. Butt, Jason (March 28, 2018). "This UGA player passed the eye test in 2017. Numbers show just how good a season he had". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on April 20, 2018.
  16. Waldstein, David (January 9, 2018). "Alabama Wins National Championship With a Halftime Twist". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  17. Butt, Jason (September 4, 2017). "Blankenship changes approach, booms kicks for touchbacks". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on April 20, 2018.
  18. Wellman, David (July 20, 2018). "12 Bulldogs chosen by media for preseason All-SEC". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on December 17, 2018.
  19. "2018 All-SEC Football Team announced". Southeastern Conference. December 5, 2018. Archived from the original on December 17, 2018.
  20. Carpenter, Scott (November 28, 2018). "Georgia's Rodrigo Blankenship Named To SEC Community Service Team". WLTZ. Archived from the original on December 17, 2018.
  21. "Colts Sign 10 Undrafted Free Agents". Colts.com. April 29, 2020.
  22. Gearhart, Sarah (November 18, 2014). "U.S. Army All-American Bowl spotlight: Rodrigo Blankenship". USA Today High School Sports. Archived from the original on April 20, 2018.
  23. "Rodrigo Blankenship - 2016 Football Roster - University of Georgia". Georgia Bulldogs. Archived from the original on May 4, 2018.
  24. Culpepper, JuliaKate E. (April 17, 2018). "Georgia kicker Rodrigo 'Blanko' Blankenship releases rap 'ATD'". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on April 20, 2018.
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