Semi-OT: Georgia Decides Not to Give Starting K a Scholarship (TL;DR Kirby Smart is a ....)

Submitted by boliver46 on

I guess part of me is torn by this story.  Some devalue kickers calling them "idiot kickers", but this guy has been pretty good for a college kicker.  

It seems pretty apparent that Georgia is playing some numbers games regarding scholarships - as they've decided NOT to provide a scholarship for their starting kicker:

Georgia coach Kirby Smart’s decision not to give redshirt freshman kicker Rodrigo Blankenship a scholarship for the spring semester has rankled Blankenship’s parents. And it’s rankled them so much so that they’ve released a statement regarding the coach’s decision.

At issue is the kid is struggling to pay his way through school, and has now been the starting kicker at Georgia for two years:

That means the newbies will be cashing those weekly $200 maintenance checks (not to mention the free housing, tuition, books, etc.) while our son uses his debit card for weekend meals and incidentals; back home in Marietta there’s a dad who has to keep his son’s checking account balance on the plus side. Yes, our son is allowed to participate at the training table during the week —a godsend when meal plan costs are computed.Blankenship’s father told the AJC earlier in the fall his son may have to transfer because of financial reasons if he didn’t get a scholarship. Ken said in November he’s been using his retirement fund to help pay for Rodrigo’s expenses and the spring semester is the last semester he can afford.

I know there has been some chatter about Smart working the state legislature to change FOI laws, and we've seen some recruiting battles take a "sudden turn" at the last minute.

This just adds to my hatred of all that is $EC.  We reward WALK-ONS with scholarships - yet a 2-year starter cannot be guaranteed anything.

Link

Rodrigo Blankenship missed four kicks all season.

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Mr Miggle

January 6th, 2017 at 8:44 AM ^

It doesn't say he kicked for two years. He was their kicker this season and now his dad is demanding that he be given a scholarship immediately. They disagree about how valuable his son is to the team.

Smart wants to leave room for EEs or new recruits. In this dispute, I think I'll side with the coach. The kicker can walk away and Smart is willing to let him. I'm not seeing that he was ever promised anything. 

 

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Mr Miggle

January 6th, 2017 at 9:55 AM ^

our LS was on scholarship for 4 years and is graduating. He was never a walk on. It's the same in that our coach has to decide whether bringing him back for a 5th year is better than using the roster spot for a freshman. Both coaches are doing what they think is best for the team. I don't see how either is breaking any promises or doing anything wrong. The only real basis for criticism would seem to be disagreement about how valuable those specialists are.

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YoOoBoMoLloRoHo

January 5th, 2017 at 10:46 PM ^

This is the SEC. You get a redshirt if your team finishes 7-5 or worse in the regular just to balance the competitive scales. Luckily for Kirby, his entire roster gets a redshirt for 2016 and they can probably expect the "double redshirt" in 2017 ...

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Mr Miggle

January 6th, 2017 at 8:23 AM ^

Walk ons aren't guaranteed to keep their scholarships even in the Big Ten. We have an exception only if they get one as a true freshman. Putting one on scholarship is meant as a reward. Moving him off in the spring is making room for an EE. I dare say it happens elsewhere. 

But that's not what happened here. The kicker was never on scholarship. There's not even a mention that he was ever promised anything. His father thinks he's entitled to a scholarship because he was their kicker this season. The coach disagrees. I'll save my outrage.

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ak47

January 6th, 2017 at 8:33 AM ^

We've had long snappers who never get a scholarship. He isn't having one being taken away, he was a walk on and still is. Becoming a starter generally gets you a scholarship but it's no guarantee and a risk you take. It isn't awesome but smart didn't do anything wrong here.

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nerv

January 5th, 2017 at 9:21 PM ^

My disdain for Georgia is growing at an alarming pace. I hope they keep stinking it up on the field. Would also love to see them get stomped by Miami.

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lhglrkwg

January 5th, 2017 at 9:55 PM ^

They were similar to us. Good recruiting school, stuggling to be Elite but still very good, seemed to mostly play by the rules in the dirty SEC, but all of a sudden they're becoming East Ole Miss to me. A lot of slightly sketch stuff happening in Athens all at once

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The FannMan

January 5th, 2017 at 11:09 PM ^

This is a problem.

I got a cousin who is a big UGA fan. Over the years, we kinda have an unspoken agreement. Michigan is his northern team (his sister went to ND and I think he enjoys cheering for a team the Irish hate) and UGA is my SEC team. Seemed harmless as, for some reason, we never play UGA. My cousin and I text and commiserate about refs and stuff. It's a good time.

Now, it seems as if I should hate Georgia. This is a problem for me.



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swan flu

January 5th, 2017 at 9:22 PM ^

Devaluing kickers is stupid. Kirby Smart is a dick. Ncaa rules are written such that they reward dicks like smart... But satellite campus are unfair........

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SeattleWolverine

January 5th, 2017 at 9:22 PM ^

I understand the family's position and that he deserves one.  But if K wasn't recruited or promised a scholarship then I dunno that Smart is really in the wrong per se. He's making a calculated decision to save a scholarship for another position. On a one year basis, isn't this quite similar to what we are doing with Sypniewski? Except his response was to go on twitter to find a schollie spot elsewhere. Kid should do the same, announce he's interested in transferring on twitter and jet.

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boliver46

January 5th, 2017 at 9:32 PM ^

you read the article - Smart basically had an interview session where he tore down the kicker and basically lambasted him for why he wouldn't have him on scholarship...but if you look at the history of Georgia kickers - he has been pretty darn spectacular.  

It all smells like an excuse to save a scholarship while "saving face" for Smart.

I personally hope the guy transfers and ultimately plays Georgia and they win against them with a last-minute FG.

Fuck the $EC.

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SeattleWolverine

January 5th, 2017 at 9:43 PM ^

Apparently I'm missing something. Was that in one of the links in the article? Didn't bother to go through all of those.  I only see a rehashed paraphrasing of Smart's comments in the meeting by the kicker's dad in the article linked. Obviously, that's one side of the story but there are no actual direct quotes from Smart. 

 

I'd probably also be inclined to judge kickers against other kickers in general, since a history of meh kickers at Georgia doesn't cause this guy to be awesome just because his predecessors sucked. 

 

Agreed, fuck the $EC. Mostly for the $ part of the recruiting world. 

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Mr Miggle

January 6th, 2017 at 9:00 AM ^

Count me skeptical that he reported it accurately. Telling his son that he wasn't convinced he was good enough to be put on scholarship immediately and would need to win the job in the spring or fall camp first makes a lot more sense. 

Don't we hear about our walk ons being awarded scholarships in the fall? And doesn't that make the most sense? The coaches know how many scholarships are available by then and the players have earned their roles on the team. This father was asking for (or demanding) an immediate scholarship. I'm guessing that wouldn't go over well most places.

 

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SeattleWolverine

January 6th, 2017 at 12:32 PM ^

The history isn't the same, and maybe it isn't the same morally but that probably depends on the background with how the kid was recruitied by Richt and I don't know the details. But I think it is pretty similar from a roster management perspective. We made a strategic decision that a special teams player is not worth a scholarship in 2018. Smart is making the same decision for a kicker. He's betting the kid won't transfer, or that he has another K who is more or less or good or just that the schollie is better spent on someone else. Harbaugh knows that Sypniewski will transfer so that's a little different, but he's also betting that he has a LS who is more or less as good and that the schollie is better spent on OL/DL or whatever. All about allocating those 85 efficiently. 

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Billy Seamonster

January 5th, 2017 at 9:27 PM ^

What's bad is that (I believe) if someone offers him a full scholarship at another school, he couldn't leave without sitting out a year. That's the ineptitude of the NCAA. Either pay your own way at a school, or transfer with a scholarship and sit out a year and who knows if he would even be the starting kicker after that

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boliver46

January 5th, 2017 at 9:35 PM ^

At this point - Smart telling him he won't get a Spring scholarship is basically limiting his options.  Most players know by end of the season whether they will be continuing on with their current scholarship.

Smart has basically said: (Read the article) "You have sucked to date despite being one of the better kickers in more than a decade, so we won't provide you with a scholly.  But since it is so late in the cycle - you can decide to suck it up - or sit out a year."

Basically a big F-U. to their starting kicker.

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titanfan11

January 5th, 2017 at 9:52 PM ^

if this kid has a kick next year to win the SEC title game?  

He calls timeout himself, strolls over to Kirby and says right into the camera "Scholarship if I make this?"

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1464

January 5th, 2017 at 10:12 PM ^

Better yet, he runs up to kick the ball, and simply nudges it.  Flips the double bird to the crowd, then walks away under police protection.

I mean, he'd immediately have to leave the state.  And it would never happen.  But that would be an amazingly gratifying thing to watch.

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SeattleWolverine

January 5th, 2017 at 10:05 PM ^

If a guy hasn't signed any grant in aid paperwork, or a letter of intent, which seems to be true for someone not on a scholarship by definition, then Smart has no control over where he transfers. You can't restrict how you release someone from a scholarship, that he isn't even on. 

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