Semi-OT: Georgia Decides Not to Give Starting K a Scholarship (TL;DR Kirby Smart is a ....)

Submitted by boliver46 on

I guess part of me is torn by this story.  Some devalue kickers calling them "idiot kickers", but this guy has been pretty good for a college kicker.  

It seems pretty apparent that Georgia is playing some numbers games regarding scholarships - as they've decided NOT to provide a scholarship for their starting kicker:

Georgia coach Kirby Smart’s decision not to give redshirt freshman kicker Rodrigo Blankenship a scholarship for the spring semester has rankled Blankenship’s parents. And it’s rankled them so much so that they’ve released a statement regarding the coach’s decision.

At issue is the kid is struggling to pay his way through school, and has now been the starting kicker at Georgia for two years:

That means the newbies will be cashing those weekly $200 maintenance checks (not to mention the free housing, tuition, books, etc.) while our son uses his debit card for weekend meals and incidentals; back home in Marietta there’s a dad who has to keep his son’s checking account balance on the plus side. Yes, our son is allowed to participate at the training table during the week —a godsend when meal plan costs are computed.Blankenship’s father told the AJC earlier in the fall his son may have to transfer because of financial reasons if he didn’t get a scholarship. Ken said in November he’s been using his retirement fund to help pay for Rodrigo’s expenses and the spring semester is the last semester he can afford.

I know there has been some chatter about Smart working the state legislature to change FOI laws, and we've seen some recruiting battles take a "sudden turn" at the last minute.

This just adds to my hatred of all that is $EC.  We reward WALK-ONS with scholarships - yet a 2-year starter cannot be guaranteed anything.

Link

Rodrigo Blankenship missed four kicks all season.

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Hard-Baughlls

January 6th, 2017 at 12:42 AM ^

They will lose at least one game next year due to a missed chip shot FG, extra point, or the kicker going 0 for 3 on makable kicks.

Book it.

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Witz57

January 6th, 2017 at 2:07 AM ^

I was all ready to get on board with disliking Georgia more, but browsing the /CFB reddit thread makes dad seem not the best.

https://www.reddit.com/r/CFB/comments/5m8rh6/uga_kicker_rodrigo_blankenships_father_says_its/

Another user points the way to this hilarous Rodrigo website:

http://www.rodrigoblankenship.com/soccer-2015/

(which I now see was earlier discussed in this thread)

and provides the following quote.

Just want to shine some light onto the kind of dad Rodrigo's dad is. I played varsity soccer at Sprayberry with Rodrigo 2014-2015.

His dad would constantly berate my teammates (including me on many occasions) even though the vast majority of us were better soccer players than Rodrigo.

He kept up some ridiculous website counting the touches that Rodrigo had every game and the passing accuracy he had. These were obviously bullshit numbers because Rodrigo was pretty terrible but he put them down anyways.

Joined: 06/11/2011

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I Hate Buckeyes

January 6th, 2017 at 7:54 AM ^

Kirby Smart will not be coaching Georgia by 2019. He does not look or act remotely like a head coach when you see him on the side lines or tv interviews. He looks like a coordinator kind of how I see Will Muschamp. He is selling he had rings with Bama and that they will be Bama East. And when they get beat by Vandy and Kentucky, they will call for his head.



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bronxblue

January 6th, 2017 at 9:34 AM ^

This is really bad way to treat your players, and other teammates will notice. Most of the Saban tree has underwhelmed as coaches, and he doesn't seem to be breaking the mold.

Joined: 11/22/2008

MGoPoints: 171968

You Only Live Twice

January 6th, 2017 at 12:20 PM ^

So you can play - he WAS the kicker this season... and not be on scholarship?

Even if he wasn't promised a scholarship as walk on, the very fact that he started for the team, seems incredible that he wouldn't be given one now.   I don't know how you can spin that in the favor of the coaching staff.  

Is the kid being punished because the coaches don't like his parents?

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