Let’s see… since Ken Blankenship’s public eruption about how Kirby’s done his son wrong, Georgia has taken one graduate transfer kicker and now offered another preferred walk-on status.
Georgia’s 2017 class continues to grow. Though it’s not a 4- or 5-star like Bulldog fans might hope for, Kirby Smart reeled in another important commitment on Thursday night, this time from Norcross, Ga. kicker Brooks Buce…
Buce will be joining the Bulldogs as a preferred walk-on, eschewing scholarship offers from Air Force, Army, Navy and Jacksonville State, according to 247Sports.
Rodrigo Blankenship, Georgia’s current kicker, had an outstanding freshman season in 2017, but the controversy over his lack of scholarship offer has his future with the team at least somewhat in doubt. Buce could certainly serve as a backup plan should anything further happen with Blankenship, but nonetheless he’ll be a part of the Georgia team next fall and for the foreseeable future.
As responses go, that’s subtle, but effective. Hopefully, the competition will be good for Rodrigo. And some advice for Ken — in the immortal words of Omar, you come at the king, you best not miss.
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Buce could be the kickoff specialist as soon as he steps on campus. He consistently kicked the ball deep into the end zone or over the back line the last couple of years at GAC.
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And the kid punts as well
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We’ve said the same about every kicker arriving on campus. Check out Blankenship’s HS highlight tape, or Marshal Morgan’s, or….
That said, the more the merrier as long as they fit with the team. I wish Blankenship Sr. would shut up and let his son kick.
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I’ve watched him the last 2 years in person as opposed to some online highlight video.
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Omar was apparently a student of American literature; the quote “If you strike at a king, you must kill him” comes from Ralph Waldo Emerson. I guess there’s something to be said for reading the classics, even in the hood.
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Omar helped the bailiff with the crossword puzzle, remember?
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Didn’t realize the Senator was a fan of The Wire.
Occupation?…I rip and run…I robs from drug dealers!
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Same as you man. I got the shotgun, you got the briefcase. All in the game though.
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If you are a kicker and the coach issues you a jersey number in the 90s, it’s a sign that the coach doesn’t think much of you or your position. Blankenship should have taken that as an omen.
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Kickers with high numbers are usually badass.
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Groza was an offensive lineman in an era when kickers/punters were not specialists. Nice try, though.
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Omar took one to the dome from a kid while at a gas station.
the king always gets got when he is always putting it out there.
I feel pretty confident that one of these guys is going to “beat out” Blankenship for the starting role and then miss 4/5 FGs to open the season and probably bang an XP off the upright.
Just have to hope that this doesnt cost us games early in the season while the king figures out he is getting sunburned all over in those new clothes.
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Pops definitely over played his hand in his extortion attempt. I am sure he meant well but could have simply communicated the financial plans privately to KS. I like Hot Rod, he has handled this as well as could be expected, but daddy dearest burned him…and his case just wasn’t strong enough. I wish Rodrigo well in whichever direction this goes, but while he may hold onto his placekicking duties, he seems a sure bet to lose the kickoff contest. Buce may not fair as well with giving up the tee on FGs but he led the nation in kickoffs for touch backs and I don’t think that tee changes. That phase of STs should be a welcome improvement next season.
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Good thoughts, Mac. I hope Rodrigo and his Father have worked out any rift that this whole deal may have caused. Sometimes we parents screw up and humiliate our kids when we think we’re helping them..and I’m sure Mr. R. was also thinking about costs. I believe he’s a school teacher and they don’t make enough.
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We’ll see on field goals. He primarily was responsible for the long (40+) kicks because the coaches didn’t want to wear out his leg on short field goals and extra points. The move from the tee to the ground always is a crap shoot with kickers. Even the best struggle with it … if I remember correctly, Rex Robinson only stayed in the NFL for a couple of years.
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The tee is an inch shorter in college and the kickoff is five yards further back. Add in the fact that by rule any kickoff that crosses the goal line in high school is automatically a touchback, so in high school the height on the kicks isn’t a priority as long as the kick is reaching the goal line. College coaches demand more loft on the kicks for coverage reasons. So with the shorter tee, the five yards, and requirement for higher kicks, a lot of kids that boomed kicks to the back of the end zone in high school struggle when they get to college.
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Don’t cloud the issue with facts. The current kicker (or QB, or whoever) always sucks compared to the one we’re recruiting.
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LOL..ain’t it the truth?
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@ he dawg abides: thanks for posting, saved me the trouble.
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With few exceptions, I haven’t seen people taking shots at Rodrigo. I’ve seen plenty take shots at his father.
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Mac, I was at the Dome to watch Rome in the 5A finals and GAC played Cedar Grove just before. Buce was kicking without a tee from what I could tell and we were down pretty close to the field.
I do know that many kickers with talent drop the tee their last year to show college coaches they can make the adjustment.
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Thanks for your info, and that of Dawg Abides. If that info about not using the tee is right, he will be able to compete on FGs as Blankenship struggles around the 50. Also, Buce kicked some of his through the uprights on kickoffs so the five yards may not be an issue for him (although I don’t know the wind situation when that happened.) Either way, smart to have another option for an area that hasn’t been strong for a while.
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He may have been kicking off the ground in warm-up and practice, but I’m pretty sure he was using the tee during games. By the way, we had some Rome people sit in front of us for the 2nd half of the GAC-Cedar Grove game. Y’all are good people, and congrats on your championship.
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So is it Buck, Bussey or is it french?
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I like Blankenship, but I’d frankly like to get a better kicker. Blankenship made some clutch kicks for us, but he lacks the range that I’d gotten used to with better kickers over the years, and his accuracy still left a lot to be desired for me. I know that “automatic” kickers with big time legs don’t grow on trees, but Georgia is a big enough program to get one. We need one.
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Blankenship was a freshman and was better than half the SEC. I think if Butler continues to work with him, he will only improve. Dad needs to shut his pie hole.
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This is true.
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The game is out there and it’s either play or get played.
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Omar Little. Best character in the greatest television show of all time.
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Amen
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Nah, McNulty was the best!
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don’t take a knife to a gun fight pops
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With kickers the more eccentric they are the better. Billy Bennett was slightly goofy. Heck Butler was full on mad and made the All Madden team because of the way he tackled on kickoffs. Blankenship has quirks and as such he is able to ignore the pressure. I’ve also seen him throw his body into a return man who has gotten through our 4* special teamers to try and make the stop so he is not too fragile. I love the damn glasses too.
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Goggles. Fify.
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I would not be a bit surprised if Blankenship ends up in a backup role next year. The next time he decides to try and play the fans against Kirby, he may have to sign his tweet “the 3rd String Kicker.”
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Rodrigo needs to transfer. The handwriting is on the wall. Go to a I-AA team where you can play immediately, Rod. The big schools won’t give you a full ride particularly if you can’t play immediately.
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I agree. It doesn’t matter if you kick in NAIA, FCS, or FBS…Marquette King went from Fort Valley State to the NFL. As long as you consistently hit 50-yarders, the NFL will come.
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My friends and I use the phrase “pulling a McNulty” for any damn the torpedoes plan that spectacularly backfires.
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