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Rodrigo Blankenship

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Rodrigo Blankenship
refer to caption
Blankenship in 2018
No. 3 – Indianapolis Colts
Position:Placekicker
Personal information
Born: (1997-01-29) January 29, 1997 (age 27)
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

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.

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

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rodrigo Blankenship.
  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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b c d e 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.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b c d e 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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b c "Rodrigo Blankenship College Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 17, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b c 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.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  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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