Rodrigo Blankenship couldn't go on forever handling kicks and kickoffs for the University of Georgia.
The Bulldogs may have landed his successor Thursday.
Jared Zirkel, a 6-foot-3, 185-pounder from Tivy High School in Kerrville, Texas, announced his nonbinding pledge to Georgia's 2020 signing class via social media. Zirkel won a kickoff competition earlier this month at Georgia among a field of more than 160 campers.
"I am excited to announce my commitment to the University of Georgia to continue my education and football career. Go Dawgs!" Zirkel posted on Twitter.
Zirkel made a 59-yard field goal as a junior last season and had 63 of his 70 kickoffs result in touchbacks. He also averaged 38.3 yards on 44 punts with a long of 56.
According to kickingworld.com, Zirkel has a 3.9 GPA and a 1290 SAT score.
Blankenship arrived at Georgia in 2015 and redshirted that season. He has provided incredible stability ever since, connecting on 53 of 64 (82.8%) career field-goal attempts and making all 154 of his extra-point tries.
Out of 97 kickoffs last season, Blankenship had 82 result in touchbacks.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.