If you are a fan of American football, you might have heard of Reed Blankenship and Rodrigo Blankenship, two players who share the same last name and play in the NFL. But are they related? The answer is **no**. Reed and Rodrigo are not brothers, cousins, or any other kind of relatives. They just happen to have a common surname and a passion for football.
Who is Reed Blankenship?
Reed Blankenship is a safety for the Philadelphia Eagles. He was born on March 2, 1999, in Athens, Alabama. He played football and basketball at West Limestone High School, where he was an all-state, all-region, all-county and all-area selection in football and earned the Player of the Year award in 2016. He also served as the team’s captain in two seasons and finished his career with 3,192 rushing yards, 1,004 yards receiving, 1,056 yards passing and 46 total touchdowns.
Reed attended Middle Tennessee State University and played college football for the Blue Raiders from 2017 to 2021. He was a four-year starter and a team captain who earned several honors, including first-team All-Conference USA in 2021 and second-team All-Conference USA in 2019. He also holds the school record for most career interceptions returned for touchdowns (four) and most career blocked kicks (three). He finished his college career with 312 tackles, eight interceptions, 13 passes defended, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, four sacks and five touchdowns.
Reed was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2022. He made his NFL debut on September 12, 2022, against the Atlanta Falcons and recorded one tackle. He has played in 14 games so far and has registered 34 tackles, two pass deflections and one interception.
Who is Rodrigo Blankenship?
Rodrigo Blankenship is a placekicker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was born on January 29, 1997, in Marietta, Georgia. He played soccer and football at Sprayberry High School, where he was an all-state, all-region and all-county selection in football and participated in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. He was ranked by 247sports.com as the ninth-best kicker in the country.
Rodrigo attended the University of Georgia and played college football for the Bulldogs from 2015 to 2019. He was a walk-on who earned a full scholarship in 2017 after making several clutch kicks for his team. He was nicknamed “Hot Rod” for his thick glasses that he wore during games. He won the Lou Groza Award as the nation’s best kicker in 2019 and was also named first-team All-SEC that year. He holds the school records for most career points (440), most career field goals (80), most consecutive field goals made (20) and longest field goal (55 yards). He also kicked the longest field goal in Rose Bowl history (55 yards) in Georgia’s win over Oklahoma in 2018.
Rodrigo was signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2020. He made his NFL debut on September 13, 2020, against the Jacksonville Jaguars and made two field goals and two extra points. He had a stellar rookie season, making 32 of his 37 field goal attempts and all 43 of his extra point attempts. He led the league in scoring with 139 points and was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.
Rodrigo played for the Colts until 2022, when he was released after missing five field goals in nine games. He was then signed by the Arizona Cardinals as a replacement for Matt Prater, who was injured. He played in four games for the Cardinals and made six of his seven field goal attempts and all nine of his extra point attempts.
Rodrigo joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2023 as a free agent after Ryan Succop retired. He has played in three games so far and has made five of his six field goal attempts and all eight of his extra point attempts.
Conclusion
Reed Blankenship and Rodrigo Blankenship are both talented NFL players who share a common last name but are not related to each other. They have different backgrounds, different positions and different teams. They have never played against each other or with each other in their careers.
