READ: Herald-Leader goes in-depth on Willie Rodriguez's relationship with sister Gabby

Only a sophomore, Kentucky tight end Willie Rodriguez is having a breakout season through three games for the Wildcats, but his life serves a much larger purpose than just catching footballs at Kroger Field.

Mark Story of the Lexington Herald-Leader dropped a must-read article this week covering Rodriguez’s relationship with his younger sister, Gabby, who was diagnosed at a young age with Rett syndrome, a disease that mostly affects girls and impacts brain development. Where Rodriguez, 19, was blessed with a football player’s body and the talent to go with it, his nonverbal sister Gabby, 18, has faced a different path.

But as Story explains, the two siblings have formed an unbreakable bond in spite of that.

“When I would see her after my (high school) games and come over to her, she would smile or look at me,” Rodriguez said, according to Story. “Obviously, you don’t know, she can’t talk, but she knows it’s me. She sees me every day. She knows I’m a brother. Every time, after the game, after I came off the field, she’d stare at me. It was pretty cool.”

My column: UK football’s Willie Rodriguez finds inspiration from his sister’s Rett syndrome battle https://t.co/jyRu6iCZ6x

— Mark Story (@markcstory) September 23, 2025

On the field, Rodriguez is off to a terrific start for the Wildcats. He has five catches (matching his total as a freshman in 2024) for 68 yards. His first college touchdown came earlier this month in Kentucky’s 49-23 win over Eastern Michigan. Expectations are growing every game for the impressive Covington Catholic product.

But having Gabby be a part of Willie’s life has given him a different perspective, one that most kids his age likely don’t have. In his own words, he questioned how he could ever be upset about losing a game when his sister has to go experience what she does on a daily basis. Gabby’s presence is one that he happily and embracingly carries with him.

To read the entire article and learn more about the Rodriguez family’s journey, click the link below.

[UK football’s Willie Rodriguez finds strength in sister’s Rett syndrome battle]