Wikipedia

Rodrigo Blankenship

Rodrigo John Blankenship (born January 29, 1997),[1] nicknamed "Hot Rod",[2][3] is an American professional football placekicker. He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs,[4] where he kicked the longest field goal in Rose Bowl history. Blankenship has received considerable media attention for the thick glasses that he wears during games.[5][6]

Rodrigo Blankenship
refer to caption
Blankenship in 2018
Personal information
Born: (1997-01-29) January 29, 1997 (age 27)
Marietta, Georgia, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:184 lb (83 kg)
Career information
High school:Sprayberry (Marietta)
College:Georgia (2015–2019)
Position:Placekicker
Undrafted:2020
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Field goals made:47
Field goal attempts:56
Field goal %:83.9
Points scored:195
Longest field goal:53
Touchbacks:32
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Blankenship was born in Marietta, Georgia, to Ken and Izabella Blankenship.[7][8] He is of Brazilian descent through his maternal grandparents, who still live there.[8] After spending several years playing soccer,[8] Blankenship began kicking footballs at 10 years old.[2][7] He attended Sprayberry High School.[5][7] As a high schooler, Blankenship participated in the 2014–15 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.[9][10] He was ranked by 247sports.com as the ninth-best kicker in the country.[10]

College career

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Blankenship entered Georgia in 2015 as a preferred walk-on and redshirted his first year.[5] As a redshirt 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.[11] He led the team in scoring and was named to the All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) Freshman team.[5]

In 2017 – his redshirt sophomore season – Blankenship received a full athletic scholarship.[12][13] He informed the team of the positive news after Georgia's 20–19 victory over Notre Dame.[8][12] 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.[5][12] 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.[14] However, Georgia ultimately lost the national championship game, 26–23.[15]

Blankenship finished the 2017 season having made 20 of his 23 field goal tries and all 63 extra points attempts.[11] By making 87 percent of his field goals attempts, Blankenship had the sixth-best season in school history.[14] 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.[14][16] He led the SEC in extra point attempts and conversions in the 2017 season.[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.[11] 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.[20] He also was honored as a member of the SEC Football Community Service Team.[21] In his senior season, Blankenship led the SEC in field goal attempts and conversions.[22]

Notably, Blankenship never missed a single extra point (200/200) in his college career.

College statistics

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Season Team Conf Class Pos GP Kicking
XPM XPA XP% FGM FGA FG% Pts
2016 Georgia SEC FR PK 10 26 26 100.0 14 18 77.8 68
2017 Georgia SEC SO PK 15 63 63 100.0 20 23 87.0 123
2018 Georgia SEC JR PK 14 65 65 100.0 19 23 82.6 122
2019 Georgia SEC SR PK 14 46 46 100.0 27 33 81.8 127
Career 53 200 200 100.0 80 97 82.5 440

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span
6 ft 1 in
(1.85 m) 		190 lb
(86 kg) 		30+5⁄8 in
(0.78 m) 		9 in
(0.23 m)
All values from NFL Combine[23]

Indianapolis Colts

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2020 season

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Blankenship signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent on April 29, 2020.[24]

In his NFL debut, Blankenship made both extra-point attempts and two of three field goal attempts in a 27–20 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Jaguars' only win of the season.[25] In Week 11 against the Green Bay Packers, Blankenship kicked a 39 yard game-winning field goal in overtime during the 34–31 victory, later earning the American Football Conference Special Teams Player of the Week award.[26][27] By the end of the regular season, Blankenship had converted 43 out of 45 extra point attempts and made 32 out of 37 field goal tries, with a long of 53 yards.[28] He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.[29] During the 27–24 road loss to the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs, Blankenship made one of his two field goal attempts and converted his only extra point opportunity.[30]

2021 season

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Blankenship played the first five games for the Colts before being placed on injured reserve on October 16, 2021, due to a hip injury.[31] He converted seven of eight extra point attempts and 11 of 14 field goal attempts on the season.[32]

2022 season

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On September 11, in the Colts' season opener against the Houston Texans, Blankenship went 2-for-3 on field goals, kicking two kickoffs out of bounds and missing a potential game-winning 42-yarder in overtime as the game ended in a 20–20 tie.[33] He was waived two days later on September 13.[34]

Blankenship had a tryout with the Jacksonville Jaguars on September 27, 2022.[35]

Arizona Cardinals

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On October 3, Blankenship was among a group of kickers brought in to work out with the Arizona Cardinals after kicker Matt Prater suffered a right hip injury during the Week 4 win against the Carolina Panthers.[36] Blankenship was outperformed by Matt Ammendola, who was chosen as Prater's replacement. However, Ammendola was released on October 17, after missing kicks in the two games he played.[37] The next day, Blankenship was signed to the Cardinals' practice squad.[38]

On October 20, 2022, Blankenship was elevated to the main roster for the Week 7 game against the New Orleans Saints.[39] He made two field goals, one from 50 yards and two out of three extra points in the 42–34 win.[40] Blankenship reverted to the practice squad the next day.[41] He was signed to the active roster on October 26.[42] On November 2, Blankenship was waived with an injury settlement.[43]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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On June 15, 2023, Blankenship signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[44] He was released on August 21, 2023, after losing the kicker competition to Chase McLaughlin.[45]

NFL career statistics

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Year Team GP Field Goals Extra Points Points
FGA FGM Lng Pct XPA XPM Pct
2020 IND 16 37 32 53 86.5 45 43 95.6 139
2021 IND 5 14 11 48 78.6 8 7 87.5 40
2022 IND 1 3 2 45 66.7 2 2 100.0 8
ARI 2 2 2 50 100.0 3 2 66.7 8
Career 24 56 47 53 83.9 58 54 93.1 195

Postseason

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Year Team GP Field Goals Extra Points Points
FGA FGM Lng Pct XPA XPM Pct
2020 IND 1 2 1 30 50.0 1 1 100.0 4
Career 1 2 1 30 50.0 1 1 100.0 4

Personal life

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Blankenship's father, Ken, played football at Florida from 1967 to 1969.[46] Ken coached the kickers on every team for which Rodrigo played from fifth grade through the end of high school.[8]

While at Georgia, Blankenship studied digital and broadcast journalism,[47] with a particular focus on sports journalism.[8] On April 16, 2018, Blankenship released a rap song titled "ATD."[48]

Blankenship is a big fan of LEGO products and speaks frequently about how he loves building up the big models in particular.[49] Blankenship has also formed a friendship with LEGO internet personality Ryan McCullough (MandRproductions).[50] An avid shoe collector, Blankenship has amassed a respectable collection of rare sneakers that he keeps at his home, notably owning sneakers with designs that he matches with his socks. A pet owner, Blankenship owns a cat named Lucas, which he has shown in interviews made at his home.

Blankenship looks up to Eric Dickerson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and is noted to wear glasses while playing. He believes that no one should be ashamed to do so and let their performance on the field speak for itself.[51]

In 2020, Blankenship was named Arthur Ashe Jr. Male Sports Scholar of the Year by Diverse: Issues In Higher Education.[52]

References

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  1. ^ "Rodrigo Blankenship Stats, News, Bio". ESPN. Archived from the original on November 21, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Gartland, Dan (January 8, 2018). "Five things to know about Rodrigo Blankenship". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on January 9, 2018.
  3. ^ May, Jed (November 9, 2016). "Rodrigo "Hot Rod" Blankenship enjoying newfound fame". The Red & Black. Archived from the original on January 11, 2018.
  4. ^ Scott, Nate (January 4, 2018). "Rodrigo Blankenship is the college football hero we need". SB Nation. Archived from the original on January 9, 2018.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ Johnson, Jon (January 6, 2018). "Georgia notebook: UGA kicker recognized for glasses as much as ability". Dothan Eagle. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ a b c d e f 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.
  9. ^ "Biography – Rodrigo Blankenship". www.rodrigoblankenship.com. Archived from the original on January 11, 2018.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ a b c "Rodrigo Blankenship College Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ Berg, Nathan (January 9, 2018). "Kicker Rodrigo Blankenship shines in national title loss". The Red & Black. Archived from the original on January 11, 2018.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ Waldstein, David (January 9, 2018). "Alabama Wins National Championship With a Halftime Twist". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  16. ^ Butt, Jason (September 4, 2017). "Blankenship changes approach, booms kicks for touchbacks". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on April 20, 2018.
  17. ^ "2017 Southeastern Conference Leaders". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  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. ^ "Lou Groza Award Winners". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  21. ^ Carpenter, Scott (November 28, 2018). "Georgia's Rodrigo Blankenship Named To SEC Community Service Team". WLTZ. Archived from the original on December 17, 2018.
  22. ^ "2019 Southeastern Conference Leaders". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  23. ^ "Rodrigo Blankenship Combine Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  24. ^ "Colts Sign 10 Undrafted Free Agents". Colts.com. April 29, 2020. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
  25. ^ "Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars - September 13th, 2020". Pro Football Reference. September 14, 2020. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
  26. ^ "Green Bay Packers at Indianapolis Colts - November 22nd, 2020". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  27. ^ Gordon, Grant (November 25, 2020). "Texans QB Deshaun Watson, Rams WR Robert Woods lead Players of the Week". NFL.com. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  28. ^ "Rodrigo Blankenship 2020 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  29. ^ "2020 NFL All-Rookie Team". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  30. ^ "Wild Card - Indianapolis Colts at Buffalo Bills - January 9th, 2021". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  31. ^ Levine, Ben (October 16, 2021). "Colts Activate WR T.Y. Hilton, Place K Rodrigo Blankenship On IR". Pro Football Rumors. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  32. ^ "Rodrigo Blankenship 2021 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  33. ^ "ndianapolis Colts at Houston Texans - September 11th, 2022". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  34. ^ "Colts waiving kicker Rodrigo Blankenship following poor Week 1 performance". NFL.com. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  35. ^ Stites, Adam (September 27, 2022). "Jaguars reportedly bring in a pair of kickers for tryouts". Jaguars Wire. USA Today Sports. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  36. ^ Druin, Donnie (October 3, 2022). "Cardinals Host Kickers in Wake of Matt Prater's Status". FanNation. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  37. ^ Urban, Darren (October 17, 2022). "Cardinals Activate DeAndre Hopkins, Cut Matt Ammendola". AZCardinals.com. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  38. ^ Urban, Darren (October 18, 2022). "Cardinals Add Kicker Rodrigo Blankenship To Practice Squad". AZCardinals.com. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  39. ^ "Cardinals' Rodrigo Blankenship: Joins 53-man roster Thursday". CBSSports.com. October 20, 2022. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  40. ^ Romero, José M. (October 21, 2022). "Rodrigo Blankenship kicks down Cardinals' door of opportunity, stabilizes kicking game". AZCentral. USA Today Sports.
  41. ^ "Rodrigo Blankenship: Reverts to practice squad". CBSSports.com. October 21, 2022. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  42. ^ Urban, Darren (October 26, 2022). "Cardinals Promote Rodrigo Blankenship, Put Rashard Lawrence On IR". AZCardinals.com. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  43. ^ Kosko, Nick (November 2, 2022). "Cardinals waive kicker Rodrigo Blankenship with injury settlement". 247Sports. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  44. ^ David Smith, Michael (June 15, 2023). "Buccaneers sign Rodrigo Blankenship". NBCSports.com. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  45. ^ Smith, Scott (August 21, 2023). "Bucs Waive Rodrigo Blankenship, Ending Kicker Competition". Buccaneers.com.
  46. ^ 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. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  47. ^ "Rodrigo Blankenship - 2016 Football Roster - University of Georgia". Georgia Bulldogs. Archived from the original on May 4, 2018. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  48. ^ 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. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  49. ^ Wells, Mike (December 10, 2020). "Colts rookie Rodrigo Blankenship still gets a kick out of Lego sets". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  50. ^ Wharfe, Chris (February 24, 2021). "Royal Danish Consulate commends American footballer for his love of LEGO". Brick Fanatics. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  51. ^ Cluff, Jeremy (October 20, 2022). "New Arizona Cardinals kicker Rodrigo Blankenship proud of his Legos, shoes and glasses". azcentral.com. The Arizona Republic. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  52. ^ Elfman, Lois (May 27, 2020). "Paying Attention to the Details". Diverse: Issues In Higher Education. Cox, Matthews and Associates. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
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