As we enter into awards season, it’s only fitting that Georgia’s Rodrigo Blankenship would be the first to land a trophy.
The graduate place-kicker from Marietta was named the SEC’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the SEC announced Thursday. Blankenship becomes the fourth Bulldog to earn that honor, joining quarterbacks David Greene (2004), Aaron Murray (2013) and wide receiver Chris Conley (2014).
Blankenship graduated cum laude with 3.71 GPA and a degree in digital and broadcast journalism last year. He currently has a 3.65 GPA while pursuing a master’s degree in journalism. A two-time district academic All-American, Blankenship serves on the SEC’s Football Leadership Council and is a member of the UGA Athletic Association’s Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) group.
On the field, Blankenship became Georgia’s all-time leading scorer this year and is No. 2 in SEC history on scoring charts with 428 points. He’s a finalist for the Lou Groza Award, which goes each year to the nation’s top kicker, as well for the Campbell and Burlsworth trophies. He was a semifinalist for the Wuerffel Trophy, which goes to a player who combines athletic and academic success with a dedication to community service.
Heading into Saturday’s SEC Championship game against LSU, Blankenship is averaging 9.6 points per game, has connected on 24 of 28 field-goal attempts – including three 50-yarders -- and all 43 of his PATs. He has connected on a school record 197 consecutive PATs, which also ranks second in SEC history and has Georgia leading the nation with 288 PATs in a row dating to 2014.
The No. 4 Bulldogs (11-1, 7-1 SEC) face No. 2 LSU (12-0, 8-0) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday. CBS will televise the matchup at 4 p.m.
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