Blankenship, RodrigoGeorgia redshirt freshman kicker Rodrigo Blankenship felt the need this week to apologize for his season and for the actions of his father.
The 6-foot-1, 191-pound walk-on from Marietta made 14 of 18 field-goal attempts for the Bulldogs, who capped an 8-5 year with a 31-23 victory over TCU in the Liberty Bowl on Dec. 30. Blankenship was perfect on all 26 extra-point tries.
“It is evident Georgia deserved better than what I was able to offer this season,” Blankenship posted early Friday morning on social media, “and I would like to apologize for my clearly-defined deficiencies.”
Blankenship started September as Georgia’s backup kicker but took over when redshirt sophomore walk-on William Ham, who reportedly is no longer on the team, missed four of his first seven field-goal attempts. Blankenship became a fan favorite in early November, when he made a 25-yard field goal as time expired to give the Bulldogs a 27-24 win at Kentucky and kept his helmet on afterward during an interview with the SEC Network.
It was after his 4-for-4 field-goal performance in Lexington when his father, Ken Blankenship, expressed disappointment that first-year Georgia coach Kirby Smart had not put his son on scholarship.