Rodrigo Blankenship
Rodrigo John Blankenship (born January 29, 1997),[1] nicknamed "Hot Rod",[2][3] is an American football placekicker who is a free agent. He played college football at Georgia,[4] where he kicked the longest field goal in Rose Bowl history. He has received considerable media attention for the thick glasses that he wears during games.[5][6]
Blankenship in 2018 | |||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born: | January 29, 1997 Marietta, Georgia | ||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 184 lb (83 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Sprayberry (Marietta, Georgia) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Georgia (2015–2019) | ||||||||||||
| Position: | Placekicker | ||||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2020 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 8, 2022 | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||||||||||||
Early life
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] he began kicking footballs at ten years old.[2][7] Blankenship attended Sprayberry High School.[5][7] As a high schooler, he 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
Blankenship entered Georgia in 2015 as a preferred walk-on and red-shirted his first year.[5] 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.[11] He led the team in scoring and was named to the All-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, he led the SEC in field goal attempts and conversions.[22]
Notably, Blankenship never missed a single extra point (200/200) in his college career.
Collegiate statistics
| Rodrigo Blankenship | Kicking | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Conf | Class | Pos | GP | 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
| 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
Blankenship signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent on April 29, 2020.[24]
2020 season
In his first game with the Colts, 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 win, later earning the AFC 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] In the 27–24 loss to the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the playoffs, Blankenship made one of his two field goal attempts and converted his only extra point opportunity.[28]
2021 season
Blankenship played the first five games for the Colts before being placed on injured reserve on October 16, 2021 due to a hip injury.[29]
2022 season
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. He was waived two days later on September 13.[30]
Arizona Cardinals
Blankenship had a tryout with the Jacksonville Jaguars on September 27, 2022.[31] On October 3, he 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.[32] He 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.[33] The next day, Blankenship was signed to the Cardinals' practice squad.[34]
On October 20, 2022, he was elevated to the main roster for the Week 7 game against the New Orleans Saints.[35] He made two field goals, one from 50 yards and two out of three extra points in the 42–34 win.[36] He reverted to the practice squad the next day.[37] He was signed to the active roster on October 26.[38] On November 2, he was waived with an injury settlement.[39]
NFL career statistics
| 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
Personal life
Blankenship's father, Ken, played football at Florida from 1967 to 1969.[40] 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,[41] with a particular focus on sports journalism.[8] On April 16, 2018, Blankenship released a rap song titled "ATD."[42]
Blankenship is a big fan of LEGO products and speaks frequently about how he loves building up the big models in particular.[43] He has also formed a friendship with LEGO internet personality Ryan McCullough (MandRproductions).[44] 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 one should not be ashamed to do so and let their performance on the field speak for itself.[45]
In 2020, Blankenship was named Arthur Ashe Jr. Male Sports Scholar of the Year by Diverse: Issues In Higher Education.[46]
References
- ^ "Rodrigo Blankenship Stats, News, Bio". ESPN. from the original on November 21, 2020.
- ^ a b Gartland, Dan (January 8, 2018). "Five things to know about Rodrigo Blankenship". Sports Illustrated. from the original on January 9, 2018.
- ^ May, Jed (November 9, 2016). "Rodrigo "Hot Rod" Blankenship enjoying newfound fame". The Red & Black. from the original on January 11, 2018.
- ^ Scott, Nate (January 4, 2018). "Rodrigo Blankenship is the college football hero we need". SB Nation. from the original on January 9, 2018.
- ^ 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. from the original on January 9, 2018.
- ^ Johnson, Jon (January 6, 2018). "Georgia notebook: UGA kicker recognized for glasses as much as ability". Dothan Eagle. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
- ^ a b c Busbee, Jay (January 8, 2018). "The legend of Hot Rod: How Georgia's Rodrigo Blankenship became a star". Yahoo! Sports. from the original on January 9, 2018.
- ^ 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. from the original on December 17, 2018.
- ^ "Biography – Rodrigo Blankenship". www.rodrigoblankenship.com. from the original on January 11, 2018.
- ^ a b Riley, Connor (December 15, 2014). "Georgia adds kicker to its 2015 recruiting class". The Red & Black. from the original on January 11, 2018.
- ^ a b c "Rodrigo Blankenship College Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
- ^ 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. from the original on January 11, 2018.
- ^ Berg, Nathan (January 9, 2018). "Kicker Rodrigo Blankenship shines in national title loss". The Red & Black. from the original on January 11, 2018.
- ^ 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. from the original on April 20, 2018.
- ^ Waldstein, David (January 9, 2018). "Alabama Wins National Championship With a Halftime Twist". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
- ^ Butt, Jason (September 4, 2017). "Blankenship changes approach, booms kicks for touchbacks". The Telegraph. from the original on April 20, 2018.
- ^ "2017 Southeastern Conference Leaders". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- ^ Wellman, David (July 20, 2018). "12 Bulldogs chosen by media for preseason All-SEC". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. from the original on December 17, 2018.
- ^ "2018 All-SEC Football Team announced". Southeastern Conference. December 5, 2018. from the original on December 17, 2018.
- ^ "Lou Groza Award Winners". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- ^ Carpenter, Scott (November 28, 2018). "Georgia's Rodrigo Blankenship Named To SEC Community Service Team". WLTZ. from the original on December 17, 2018.
- ^ "2019 Southeastern Conference Leaders". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- ^ "Rodrigo Blankenship Combine Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
- ^ "Colts Sign 10 Undrafted Free Agents". Colts.com. April 29, 2020. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
- ^ "Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars - September 13th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. September 14, 2020. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
- ^ "Green Bay Packers at Indianapolis Colts 2020 REG 11 - Game Center". NFL.com. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
- ^ Gordon, Grant (November 25, 2020). "Texans QB Deshaun Watson, Rams WR Robert Woods lead Players of the Week". NFL.com.
- ^ a b "Rodrigo Blankenship Stats". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
- ^ "Colts Activate WR T.Y. Hilton, Place K Rodrigo Blankenship On IR". Pro Football Rumors.com. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
- ^ "Colts waiving kicker Rodrigo Blankenship following poor Week 1 performance". NFL.com. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
- ^ Stites, Adam (September 27, 2022). "Jaguars reportedly bring in a pair of kickers for tryouts". Jaguars Wire. USA Today Sports.
- ^ Druin, Donnie (October 3, 2022). "Cardinals Host Kickers in Wake of Matt Prater's Status". FanNation. Sports Illustrated.
- ^ Urban, Darren (October 17, 2022). "Cardinals Activate DeAndre Hopkins, Cut Matt Ammendola". AZCardinals.com. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
- ^ "Cardinals Add Kicker Rodrigo Blankenship To Practice Squad". AZCardinals.com. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
- ^ "Cardinals' Rodrigo Blankenship: Joins 53-man roster Thursday". CBSSports.com. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
- ^ Romero, José M. (October 21, 2022). "Rodrigo Blankenship kicks down Cardinals' door of opportunity, stabilizes kicking game". azcentral. USA Today Sports.
- ^ "Rodrigo Blankenship: Reverts to practice squad". CBSSports.com. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
- ^ Urban, Darren (October 26, 2022). "Cardinals Promote Rodrigo Blankenship, Put Rashard Lawrence On IR". AZCardinals.com.
- ^ Kosko, Nick. "Cardinals waive kicker Rodrigo Blankenship with injury settlement". 247Sports. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
- ^ Gearhart, Sarah (November 18, 2014). "U.S. Army All-American Bowl spotlight: Rodrigo Blankenship". USA Today High School Sports. from the original on April 20, 2018.
- ^ "Rodrigo Blankenship - 2016 Football Roster - University of Georgia". Georgia Bulldogs. from the original on May 4, 2018.
- ^ Culpepper, JuliaKate E. (April 17, 2018). "Georgia kicker Rodrigo 'Blanko' Blankenship releases rap 'ATD'". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. from the original on April 20, 2018.
- ^ "Colts rookie Rodrigo Blankenship still gets a kick out of Lego sets". ESPN.com. December 10, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
- ^ "Royal Danish Consulate commends American footballer for his love of LEGO". Brick Fanatics. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Paying Attention to the Details". Diverse: Issues In Higher Education. Cox, Matthews and Associates. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
External links
- Indianapolis Colts bio
- Georgia Bulldogs bio