It looks like the Colts will hold a kicking competition. With second-year kicker Chase McLaughlin already signed, the Colts made one of college football’s best kickers part of their UDFA class.
Indianapolis will give Georgia kicker Rodrigo Blankenship a $20K bonus to sign, Joel Erickson of the Indianapolis Star tweets. Last season, Blankenship won the Lou Groza award, which is given annually to Division I-FBS’ best kicker.
The first-team All-American kicked for the Bulldogs for four straight seasons. In 2019, he hit 27 of 33 field goals. His 82.5% make rate over four years ranks as the best in Georgia history. Although college football has yet to move extra points back, Blankenship went 200-for-200 on PATs in college. He also recorded 65 touchbacks on 85 career kickoffs.
The Colts enjoyed kicker stability for most of this century, transitioning from Mike Vanderjagt to Adam Vinatieri in 2006 and seeing the latter become the NFL’s all-time leading scorer during his Indianapolis stay. But Vinatieri struggled mightily last season and is unsigned. McLaughlin, a 2019 UDFA, and Blankenship appear set to compete to be the Colts’ post-Vinatieri kicker.
Looks like it’s getting too spicy for the pepper!
Take it down a notch Francine.
Lol nice
Beautiful work
Isn’t Mike V the ‘idiot kicker’ called out by Manning. Or liquored up kicker something like that.
man i know xps arent too hard to make but 200-200 is impressive
It’s incredibly impressive. I know many men, including myself, who stand a foot away from a toilet at 3am and can only dream about having 200-200 type accuracy.
Pat McAfee will love this
What a great young kicker with a promising future with the Colts at a bargain price! R.B. = “Really Balanced”
Welcome to Indianapolis!