****Rodrigo Blankenship’s 2019-20 Season Highlight Film now available on YouTube****

Rodrigo’s NFL debut: 8 points in Colts’ 27-20 loss at Jacksonville Jaguars; click on 2020-21 Season tab

For Rodrigo’s updated news and stats, click on Biography, Field Goals, Kicking Distances and Kickoffs tabs

Updated through September 18, 2020

Welcome to Rodrigo Blankenship’s website, Internet home of the Indianapolis Colts’ rookie place kicker and kickoff specialist from Marietta, Ga.

Rodrigo competed for the Colts’ place kicking job as an undrafted free agent, and was rewarded for his efforts when he was announced as the Colts’ starting kicker on Sept. 5, 2020, the NFL cut-down date. He made his NFL debut a week later by scoring 8 points in the Colts’ 27-20 season-opening loss at the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Before he moved on to the professional level, Rodrigo recorded an impressive collegiate career for the Georgia Bulldogs, obliterating numerous program benchmarks, including finishing as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 440 points, all-time leading touchback specialist with 234, all-time highest field goal percentage at 82.5 and earning first-team All-American honors as well as winning the school’s first-ever Lou Groza Award as the nation’s best kicker.

During Rodrigo’s tenure, the Dawgs won 44 games, equaling the all-time most victories in a 4-year period. That included an SEC championship and a Rose Bowl victory in 2017, a Sugar Bowl victory in 2019 and a Liberty Bowl victory in 2016. For his UGA career, Rodrigo converted 80 of 97 field goal attempts and never missed an extra point, converting 200 straight, an all-time SEC record.

Rodrigo’s redshirt senior season got off to an auspicious beginning on Aug. 31 when the Bulldogs traveled to Nashville for a “home” game against Vanderbilt. In front of a massive Georgia crowd, Rodrigo contributed 12 points and 5 touchbacks to the Dawgs’ 30-6 victory. On Sept. 7, the Dawgs posted a 63-17 home win over Murray State with Rodrigo contributing 9 points and 6 touchbacks. On Sept. 14, Georgia whitewashed visiting Arkansas State 55-0 with Rodrigo posting 13 points and 7 touchbacks.

Georgia hosted Notre Dame in a clash of Top 10 teams on Sept. 21, and the Dawgs prevailed 23-17 as Rodrigo accounted for 11 points and 5 touchbacks. After a bye week, UGA brushed off Tennessee 43-14 on Oct. 5 with Rodrigo assisting with 13 points and 6 touchbacks. South Carolina upset the Dawgs 20-17 on Oct. 12, and on Oct. 19 Georgia managed to defeat Kentucky 21-0.

The critical month of November got off to an excellent start with a 24-17 victory over Florida in Jacksonville, with Rodrigo putting 10 points on the scoreboard and recording 5 touchbacks. On Nov. 9, The Dawgs marched past Misouri 27-0 as Rodrigo stayed busy with four field goals and an extra point for 13 points plus 4 touchbacks.

On Nov. 16, the Dawgs avenged their two-year-old 40-17 beatdown at Auburn by defeating the Tigers 21-14 at Jordan-Hare Stadium to win their third straight SEC East title. The Dawgs closed out their Sanford Stadium part of the schedule with a 19-13 win over Texas A&M on Nov. 23 with Rodrigo playing a significant role with 13 points and 4 touchbacks. The regular season finale on Nov. 30 was a 52-7 annihilation of Georgia Tech in Atlanta with Rodrigo providing 10 points and 7 touchbacks.

On Dec. 7 in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Georgia was defeated 37-10 by LSU in the SEC title game; Rodrigo had 4 points and 2 touchbacks. Rodrigo ended his record-setting UGA career with 8 points and 5 touchbacks as the Dawgs stopped Baylor 26-14 on New Year’s Day in the Sugar Bowl in the New Orleans Superdome.

Rodrigo’s final collegiate game was played on Jan. 25, 2020 in Mobile as he and his South teammates lost to the North 34-17 in the Reese’s Senior Bowl; Rodrigo converted a pair of NFL-style extra points and a 25-yard field goal.

Rodrigo’s junior season began on a positive note on Sept. 1, 2018 when Georgia played host to Austin Peay in Sanford Stadium. The Bulldogs prevailed 45-0 as Rodrigo contributed 9 points (six PATs, one field goal) and 8 touchbacks from 8 kickoffs. On Sept. 8, the Dawgs traveled to Columbia, S.C., where they dismantled South Carolina 41-17 in their SEC opener with Rodrigo contributing 11 points and 7 touchbacks, including a career-best 84-yard kickoff.

On Sept. 15, Georgia played host to Middle Tennessee State and drubbed the visitors 49-7 with Rodrigo scoring 7 points and notching 8 touchbacks. Going on the road again, the Dawgs withstood stubborn Missouri 43-29 as Rodrigo assisted the winning effort with 13 points and 7 touchbacks. Back in Sanford Stadium to meet Tennessee on Sept. 29, UGA methodically withstood the Volunteers 38-12 with Rodrigo assisting with 8 points and 7 touchbacks. Homecoming was on Oct. 6, and everyone went home happy as Georgia disposed of Vanderbilt 41-13 with Rodrigo supplying 11 points and 7 touchbacks.

The Oct. 13 journey to Baton Rouge to face LSU was not a rewarding one for the Dogs as LSU prevailed 36-16 with Rodrigo chipping in 4 points and 3 touchbacks. In true bounce-back form, UGA skipped past Florida 36-17 on Oct. 27 with Rodrigo’s able assistance–12 points and 6 touchbacks. On Nov. 3, UGA journeyed to Lexington, Ky., where the Dawgs throttled the Wildcats 34-17 to win the SEC East title with Rodrigo notching 10 points and 6 touchbacks. Back in Sanford Stadium after a 5-week hiatus, the Dawgs pulled away from Auburn 27-10 after trailing 10-6; Rodrigo chipped in 9 points and 5 touchbacks. On Nov. 17, Rodrigo logged 12 points and 5 touchbacks as Georgia decimated Massachusetts 66-27 in Sanford Stadium. The Dawgs ended November with a 45-21 dismissal of Georgia Tech on the 24th as Rodrigo had 9 points and 5 touchbacks.

On Dec. 1, Georgia zoomed out to a 28-14 lead against Alabama for the SEC title, but the Crimson Tide rallied for a 35-28 comeback victory in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The setback dropped the Dawgs to 11-2 for the season, sending them to a Jan. 1, 2019 matchup with Texas in the Sugar Bowl in the New Orleans Superdome. Rodrigo had 4 points and 5 touchbacks against Alabama. On Jan. 1, 2019, Georgia fell behind Texas 17-0 in the Sugar Bowl and eventually lost 28-21; Rodrigo had 3 PATs and 3 touchbacks.

Rodrigo’s 2017 sophomore season started on Sept. 2 with a 31-10 home victory over Appalachian State; Rodrigo helped out with 7 points and 5 touchbacks from 6 kickoffs. On Sept. 9, Rodrigo and his teammates traveled to South Bend, Ind. and left town with a 20-19 win over Notre Dame, thanks to Rodrigo’s 30-yard field goal with less than 4 minutes left in the game. On Sept. 16, Rodrigo accumulated 7 touchbacks from 7 kickoffs and added 5 extra points in a 42-14 Georgia victory over visiting Samford. On Sept. 23, Rodrigo contributed 6 touchbacks from 6 kickoffs, 4 PATs and a 49-yard field goal to a 31-3 dismantling of Mississippi State in the Dawgs’ SEC opener. On Sept. 30, Georgia thrashed Tennessee 41-0 as Rodrigo assisted with 5 touchbacks and 8 points.

On Oct. 7, Rodrigo put 9 points on the scoreboard in a 45-14 triumph at Vanderbilt, and that was followed on Oct. 14 by a 17-point, 8-touchback performance in a 53-28 home win over Missouri. After a bye week, Georgia defeated Florida 42-7 on Oct. 28 with Rodrigo chipping in with 6 points and 4 touchbacks. On Nov. 4, Georgia defeated South Carolina 24-10 at Sanford Stadium with Rodrigo helping out with 6 points and 3 touchbacks. On Nov. 11 the Bulldogs traveled to Auburn and were routed 40-17; Rodrigo contributed 5 points and 3 touchbacks to the losing cause. In the Nov. 18 42-13 home win over Kentucky, Rodrigo’s 4 touchbacks tied him with Kevin Butler for the all-time school record of 51 in one season. On Nov. 25, Georgia traveled to Atlanta and Bobby Dodd Stadium, where Rodrigo had 8 points and 4 more touchbacks in the Dawgs’ 38-7 throttling of Georgia Tech.

With the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta as the site, Georgia captured the SEC championship with a 28-7 decision over Auburn as Rodrigo put 8 points on the scoreboard and 5 touchbacks in the end zone. The Dogs earned a return trip to Atlanta for the national championship final with a 54-48 double-overtime win over Oklahoma on Jan. 1 over Oklahoma; Rodrigo notched 12 points and 4 touchbacks. In Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Jan. 8, Alabama rallied to defeat Georgia 26-23 in overtime for the CFP title; Rodrigo had 11 points and 3 touchbacks.

Rodrigo’s redshirt freshman season began with a Georgia Dome opener against North Carolina, continued with his Sanford Stadium debut against Nicholls State and continued with eight Southeastern Conference games against Missouri, Mississippi, Tennessee, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Florida, Kentucky and Auburn, a non-conference matchup against University of Louisiana-Lafayette, a home game against in-state rival Georgia Tech and ended with a Liberty Bowl victory over TCU.

Rodrigo started the 2016 season as the Bulldogs’ kickoff specialist; he assumed placekicking duties against Mississippi. After leading the team in scoring, Rodrigo was selected to the SEC’s all-freshman team and a few days later was named an honorable mention All-American by Campusinsiders.com. Following the Bulldogs’ bowl victory in late December, Rodrigo was named as kicker to the Football Writers Association of America Freshman All-American team.

Rodrigo’s 2015 season became a redshirt one as the Bulldogs’ coaching staff employed seniors Marshall Morgan and Collin Barber during the season, saving Rodrigo an extra year of eligibility.

Fall semester ended in mid-December with final exams as Georgia prepared for its Jan. 2 Taxslayer Bowl game against Penn State in Jacksonville, Fla., a game for which Rodrigo traveled and dressed out but did not play.

The Bulldogs defeated Penn State 24-17 and Rodrigo was named to the Athletic Director’s List for academic achievement as he compiled a 3.5 GPA for the fall semester. He duplicated that distinction during spring semester with a 3.75 GPA. He raised his overall GPA to 3.7 by making an A in his lone summer semester course.

Spring semester included weight training three times a week, conditioning runs twice a week, a full academic schedule and five weeks of spring practice, culminated by the annual G-Day spring game on Apr. 16 in Sanford Stadium.

Rodrigo enjoyed a multiple-record-setting career at Sprayberry High School in Marietta, Ga., where he played for varsity coach Billy Shackelford. Capping his outstanding tenure at Sprayberry was an impressive performance at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Jan. 3, 2015 in San Antonio’s Alamodome, where he averaged 71.3 yards on kickoffs, made his only field goal attempt and all three PATs and had two onside kickoffs recovered (though one was overturned).

In January of 2014 Rodrigo was named Prokicker.com’s 2013 first team All-American kicker after his appearance in the Dec. 31, 2013 AT&T Georgia Junior Bowl, where he converted three field goals and scored 12 points in the West’s 38-7 rout of the East. Rodrigo’s excellence in all areas was demonstrated after the 2014 season as he was honored 10 times by various groups, six as a kicker and four as a punter, including U.S. Army All-American kicker and all-state punter (for the second straight year). On signing day, Feb. 4, 2015, Rodrigo officially became a Georgia Bulldog by signing his letter of intent to play for Coach Mark Richt’s team.

As a kicker, Rodrigo was named to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, also was selected to the Region 7-AAAAA first team as kicker, the Atlanta Touchdown Club’s all-metro/all-classification team as Place Kicker of the Year, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s all-metro/Cobb first team kicker, the Marietta Daily Journal’s all-Cobb County team as first team kicker, and Kickdoctor.com’s Class AAAAA first team kicker. As a punter, he was selected first team all-state for Class AAAAA, Punter of the Year for the Cobb County Touchdown Club and Kickdoctor.com’s Class AAAAA first team punter as well as all-classification Punter of the Year.

On Mar. 28, Rodrigo was named Georgia all-classification state punter of the year in a ceremony at Atlanta’s American Cancer Society Center. The honor came from kicking service Kickdoctor.com (run by Cedric Oglesby), which previously had named Rodrigo first team Class AAAAA kicker and punter. He was a finalist for the all-classification honor as both punter and kicker. The designation as Georgia punter of the year was Rodrigo’s 10th luminary selection of his senior year, four for punting and six for place kicker. Rodrigo exited the ceremony with a football trophy for his mantel and three all-state plaques, one of them for his selection as 2014 first team all-state punter.

Rodrigo added a second honor from his classmates in late April after being voted Most Athletic male member for the Class of 2015 in February. In a final round of Senior Superlative voting, Rodrigo was elected Most Likely to Become a Professional Athlete.

Rodrigo was selected to All-American teams six years in a row, twice as a junior All-American in seventh and eighth grades, also as a ninth-grade Eastbay/U.S. Army All-American in 2012, two years (2012 and 2013) by Prokicker.com and then by the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. He participated in the Eastbay-U.S. Army All-American Bowl in 2010-11-12, scoring 20 points (14 extra points, two field goals) in four games. In his last appearance in the Alamodome, on Jan. 3, 2015 for the East in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, he averaged 71.7 yards for his kickoffs, made his only field goal attempt plus was 3 for 3 on extra points and had one of four onside attempts recovered by his teammates, just missing on two others. Rodrigo totaled 26 points (3 for 3 on field goals, 17 for 18 PATs) for his four trips to San Antonio.

Rodrigo’s 2013 season began with his selection to the Class AAAAA all-state team as a punter, and continued through the postseason with his selection as first team punter for the Marietta Daily Journal all-Cobb County team. Rodrigo led the county in punting average and had the four longest punts of the season — 71, 70, 62 and 61 yards. The next longest punt by any other kicker in the county was 58. Rodrigo was also named first team punter for the Georgia SportsWriters Association all-state team for Class AAAAA. For the 2013 season, Rodrigo notched a dozen more school records for kicking and punting, including total touchbacks, touchback percentage, kickoff yard average, kickoffs of 70-plus yards, kickoffs of 4.0-second hang time or better, field goals attempted and made, kick-scoring, punting average, longest punt and PAT percentage. For the 2012 football season, Rodrigo either set or broke 16 individual kicking records at Sprayberry, eight each for varsity and junior varsity — touchbacks (both), kickoff average (both), touchback percentage (both), punting average (both), kickoff return yards (both), punting return yards (both), longest punt (varsity), field goals attempted (both), field goals made (junior varsity). Finally, Rodrigo was also selected as both kicker and punter to the 7-AAAAA All-Region team, his first official high school honor.