Rodrigo Blankenship shouts out Georgia fan after nailing ESPN College GameDay kick
On ESPN College GameDay Saturday morning, Georgia freshman Henry Silver became a household name on social media when he won Pat McAfee’s kicking contest. He also drew the attention of a former Bulldogs kicker who was just as accurate – Rodrigo Blankenship.
Silver drilled the 33-yard field goal after the initial contestant, Belle Sessions, decided to let someone else to the honors. They split the $400,000 prize from McAfee, who upped the ante from the initial $150,000 payout and told Silver he could only win it if he made the first attempt. He also donated $400,000 to hurricane relief.
Silver’s efforts led to a shoutout from Blankenship, who won the Lou Groza Award at Georgia in 2019. He congratulated him and Sessions on their prize while also putting the magnitude of the kick in perspective.
“I’ve seen a lot of great kicks in my life,” Blankenship said. “But I don’t know if any of them come close to that one. Congrats on the big kick. Congratulations Henry, congratulations Belle. Go Dawgs.”
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Rodrigo Blankenship became one of the best kickers in UGA history during his career. He started out as a walk-on, but later earned a scholarship and became the program’s all-time leading scorer, passing Blair Walsh. His 82.7% field goal percentage also ranks in the Top 10 in Bulldogs history, and he never missed an extra point attempt.
McAfee’s kicking contest has become a staple on College GameDay, with Kirk Herbstreit traditionally holding and Stanford Steve waiting at the field goal to signal if the kick is good or not. Silver didn’t leave any room for doubt with his attempt Saturday, which came ahead of a pivotal showdown between Georgia and Tennessee at Sanford Stadium.
Funny enough, Silver is from Fishers, Indiana – just north of Indianapolis, where McAfee hosts his daily show on ESPN and YouTube. He’s also an Indianapolis Colts fan, which means he saw Blankenship kick for the franchise from 2020-22 after his college career ended. Blankenship later spent time with the Arizona Cardinals and is currently a free agent.