Georgia coach Kirby Smart names Bulldogs’ starting kicker

Even though Georgia K Rodrigo Blankenship earned freshman All-America honors last year, he still found himself in a battle this summer.

The Bulldogs brought in David Marvin, a kicker from Wofford, to compete for the starting job, but on Tuesday, coach Kirby Smart announced that Blankenship had retained his job.

Blankenship, now a sophomore, will handle the team’s field goals and kickoffs this fall, according to the second-year coach:

Rodrigo Blankenship has won the placekicking and kickoff job, Kirby Smart said.

— Marc Weiszer (@marcweiszer) August 29, 2017

Blankenship went 14-for-18 on his field-goal attempts last season, with his longest made field goal coming from 49 yards away.

He also went a perfect 26-for-26 on extra points in 2016.

Georgia kicks off the 2017 season on Saturday, Sept. 2, against Appalachian State. Blankenship will need to have a good performance in that game or else Marvin could find his way into the starting lineup.

Adam Spencer

Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.