‘It’s Everything I’ve Dreamed Of’
Aug 21, 2025 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Some in the Kansas State football program call him a blessing. Some left the first training camp practice shaking their heads over the display. Here's what we know for sure: On July 11, a young man by the name of Luis Rodriguez walked into the Vanier Family Football Complex after a flight from Hollywood Burbank Airport in Los Angeles. He was a 6-foot-1, 200-pound native of Sylmar, California, with a mop of dark hair. He spent his freshman year at College of the Canyons, a community college situated in the Santa Clarita Valley, about 30 miles north of downtown Los Angeles. He was a kicker. And he had never played in front of a crowd greater than 3,000 people. But he possessed confidence. And he possessed a strong leg.
And he arrived at K-State just in time.
"This is what I dreamed of," Rodriguez said. "Now I'm living it."
Less than a year ago, Rodriguez was kicking footballs inside stadiums across the Southern California Football Association. A crowd of 2,500 showed up for a game at Ventura on November 16. Rodriguez, a true freshman, went 21-of-25 (84%) on field goals in 2024, including a 54-yarder, and went 31-of-34 (91%) on extra points. He even nailed a 63-yard field goal in practice. He was rated the third-best community-college kicker in the Class of 2025 by Chris Sailer Kicking and was named to the California Community College Football Coaches Association All-American team.
This came after Rodriguez went 20-of-27 on field goals and 26-of-27 on extra points during his career at Verdugo High School. As a senior, he was named to the 2023 All-California Team by SBLive/Sports Illustrated after connecting on 15-of-20 field goals — including a long of 49 — and 20-of-21 extra points.
And now? Rodriguez will step onto the field as a Division I player for the first time — and not just as a Division I player, but as a FBS player, and not just as a FBS player, but as a player on a Power 4 Conference team seeking to begin a path to the College Football Playoff — when No. 17 K-State opens its season against No. 22 Iowa State in the 2025 Aer Lingus College Football Classic at 47,000-capacity Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland, at 11:00 a.m. CT on Saturday. It will mark the first game of the 2025 college football season. It will be televised back home in Los Angeles, and all over the globe, on ESPN.
"It's definitely starting to settle in that I'm going to make my debut in Ireland," Rodriguez said. "Not a common way for people to start out, but I'm really excited. I get to show my hard work, which has gotten me to this point. My family and friends are all really happy."
The question: Exactly how did K-State — and Rodriguez — reach this present day? Last season, Chris Tennant completed a standout K-State career finishing third all-time in school history with 139 extra points and 143 extra point attempts, and fourth with 42 made field goals and 57 field goal attempts, and fifth with three 50-yard field goals. Last year, Tennant went 17-of-21 on field goals and 44-of-45 on extra points, and he ranked fourth in the Big 12 with 1.31 field goals per game. Most exciting? Tennant hit a career-long tying 51-yarder with 1:42 left against Kansas to send K-State to a 29-27 win, marking the longest game-winning field goal with under 2 minutes remaining in regulation in the history of K-State football.
Tennant's departure after his senior season in 2024 opened the door for a kicking competition at K-State. Leyton Simmering is a junior who made 1-of-2 extra-point attempts in 2023, but who saw no action last season and has yet to attempt a field goal in a game. The Wildcats also have true freshman Cub Patton, a native of Lubbock, Texas, who earned all-state honors as a sophomore, junior and senior from the Texas Sports Writers Association. But upon arriving in Manhattan, Patton went down with an injury that will likely keep him out for an undetermined amount of time, and Simmering suffered minor injuries in the summer. Their absences left the kicking game with a big question mark. The Wildcats had sophomore Simon McClannan, who was one of the finest punters in the Big 12 last season, but who hadn't attempted a field goal in his collegiate career, while sophomore punter/kicker Teagan Cobb had yet to play in a college game.
The unique dilemma likely prompted a few sleepless nights for K-State second-year special teams coordinator Nate Kaczor, a 34-year veteran who worked as an NFL coach for 16 seasons before rejoining the collegiate ranks. Kaczor, a native of Scott City, Kansas, enjoyed coaching stints with the Jacksonville Jaguars (2008-11), Tennessee Titans (2012-15), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2016-18) and Washington Commanders (2019-23), and he helped send three special teams players to the Pro Bowl.
K-State didn't need a Pro Bowler for the 2025 season. It simply needed a kicker. A blessing. A savior.
Well, since his arrival at K-State, Kaczor has maintained a library of past potential prospects. His studiousness and dedication were about to pay off. He ran across the film of Rodriguez. He liked Rodriguez's technique — a very repeatable, smooth technique — and he liked the consistency with which Rodriguez struck the football on his kicks. Kaczor was sold.
He sprang into action.
Imagine the surprise. Here was Rodriguez, sitting in a waiting room at the Glendale Galleria while his sister Alejandra, tried on summer clothes, when his phone rang. On the other end was K-State defensive tackles coach Mike Tuiasosopo, who knew a member of the College of the Canyons coaching staff, and who, in fact, knew about everybody across the California community colleges.
"Have you signed any papers?" Tuiasosopo asked Rodriguez on the phone.
"No, I haven't signed any papers. I might be playing another year of juco." Rodriguez replied.
There was a brief pause.
Tuiasosopo asked. "How'd you like to change that location? Certain situations happened in our special teams room. We're looking for the next guy."
Rodriguez had never been to the state of Kansas. College of the Canyons was just 15 minutes from his home. His family and his home meant everything.
Tuiasosopo started again.
"This is a powerful program," Tuiasosopo said. "This is a big deal, man. You're going to be playing against nationally-ranked opponents."
Then Kaczor called.
"I automatically knew there was a good connection between us," Rodriguez said. "Coach Kaczor kept it straight to the point. That's how I grew up — they don't sugar-coat it. They say, 'This is it, and this is what we're going to do.' That's what I liked from our first conversation. I knew this was a place I wanted to be."
Rodriguez got a crash course of K-State football on Google and watched several games at Kaczor's recommendation, including Tennant's 51-yard heroics against Kansas, and Ty Zentner's game-winning 31-yard field goal to beat No. 3 TCU in a 31-28 thriller to capture the 2022 Big 12 Championship title.
"Coach Kaczor said, 'This is something I see you doing. I want you to see the atmosphere. I want you to do situations like that. You have to prepare for those moments,'" Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez envisioned the kicks. He envisioned 50,000 fans filling Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Rodriguez knew of K-State head coach Chris Klieman and his success from afar and yearned for the opportunity to grow as a man and team member under Klieman's guidance, and he sought Kaczor's direction to get the most out of his abilities.
Rodriguez committed to K-State on June 30.
"Manhattan is the farthest I've been away from home by myself, and I thought it would be a nice change for me," Rodriguez said. "I'm going to get to grow as an individual and as a person and build my skills and not rely on my parents helping me. I'll learn to do stuff myself."
Less than two weeks later, Rodriguez stood with his mother, Maria, and Kazor outside of the Vanier Family Football Complex and soaked in the sight of Bill Snyder Family Stadium for the first time.
It's a place that he never thought he would be — a college football stadium — after a love affair with soccer that began when he was 2. The Rodriguez household and extended family were all invested in soccer. It wasn't until a football coach at high school approached Rodriguez that football sparked his interest.
"Toward my sophomore year, I was in soccer practice and one of the football coaches had to be a soccer coach because our soccer coach was on leave," Rodriguez said. "The football coach asked me, 'Have you ever thought about kicking?' My mom never loved all the contact and injuries with football. He said, 'You should think about it. I think it's something you could excel at.'"
Rodriguez eventually convinced his mother that he would be safe. He kicked part of his sophomore year, and then he decided to go full steam ahead with football starting his junior year.
"I fell in love with kicking, and I took it serious," he said. "I thought I could go farther with football than soccer."
And now, here he was, standing with his mother and Kaczor outside the Vanier Family Football Complex, staring down at the green field and the white uprights at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. It's where the great Martin "Automatica" Gramatica once kicked a 65-yarder in 1998, which still ranks as the longest field goal in NCAA history without use of a kicking tee.
"A spark went through my body," Rodriguez said. "I knew this was where I was going to show who I really am. It is a blessing. I believe in God and that He has a path for me. Him leading me here was a part of my path."
A storied lineage of outstanding kickers has carved out memorable careers at K-State. Perhaps 1997 is as good a place as any to start. That year, Consensus All-American Martin Gramatica won the Lou Groza Award as the best kicker in the FBS, and Gramatica was runner-up for the award in 1998. All-American Jaime Rheem was twice runner-up for the award (1999 and 2000). Then Joe Rheem was a semifinalist (2004). Brooks Rossman was a candidate (2007). All-American Anthony Cantele was a semifinalist (2012). Jack Cantele was a preseason candidate (2014). All-American Matthew McCrane was a preseason candidate (2015) and a semifinalist (2017). Blake Lynch twice was a preseason candidate (2019 and 2020).
For now, Rodriguez merely wanted to make a positive impression upon Klieman, Kaczor and his new teammates on the first day of training camp on July 23. After Rodriguez's first practice, Kaczor knew he had his guy. More than one coach shook his head in disbelief. More than one player shook his head in disbelief.
"That first practice was a little nerve-wracking, coming into a new environment and with how they warm up and prepare even before practice," Rodriguez said. "It was a little nerve-wracking kicking in front of Coach Klieman. To excel on that first day was a good step forward for me to build my foundation for what I'm trying to build here.
"I went a perfect 8-for-8 on field goals and went back to 47 yards, just a nice, light day to get myself into the groove. I performed at a pretty good standard — one that Coach Kaczor knew I could perform at. It was a good first step for my journey."
The tales of training camp crawled out of the indoor practice facility, as Rodriguez turned kicking time into his personal stage.
"Coach Kaczor is a professional, and I love the professional scene," Rodriguez said. "I know I can trust everything he said to me with his NFL knowledge and career. I enjoy talking with him, and I gather all the information so when I get to a certain level in the professional scene, I can say, 'Coach Kaczor taught me this.' He says, 'Day by day.' He says that the next day is a new day. Get 1% better than what you were. If you have a bad day, review the film and correct it the next day. You just perform the best you can on that day. Each day, try to be better."
As Rodriguez and K-State prepare for the season opener on Saturday, Rodriguez's mind drifts to his initial conversation with Kaczor.
"Coach Kaczor said, 'Do you know where we're playing Game 1?'" Rodriguez said. "I said, 'No.' He said, 'We'll search it together.' The schedule read, 'Ireland.' I said, 'Ireland — Ireland?' He said, 'Ireland — Ireland.' I said, 'Wow, that's amazing.' We had a 20-minute phone call. He said, 'You're going to be kicking in that stadium in Ireland.' I said, 'That's amazing.'"
Now Rodriguez is days away from playing his first Division I game at Aviva Stadium.
"Preparation wise, it won't take me long to adjust," Rodriguez said. "I just want to get a sense for what the stadium feels like, like the grass and how the ball moves in the air with the wind or if there isn't any wind at all. I want to see how the weather feels on my body and adjust into things. Getting there a few days early helps a lot because I get to adapt to the environment and see how I feel from breathing to kicking the ball and seeing how the ball moves in the air."
Rodriguez will get his first chance to put his kicking on display at home against North Dakota on August 30 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. He will visit many opposing Big 12 stadiums this season as well — at Arizona, at Baylor, at Kansas, at Oklahoma State and at Utah.
"I'm going to play Big 12 football," Rodriguez said. "It's something very exciting. My cousins said, 'You've made it. You're at the next point.' When they told me that, it finally hit me: This is another level."
And Rodriguez doesn't flinch and doesn't hedge on revealing his exact goals for this season.
"I have set in stone to hit above 90% of my field goals," he said. "It's something I can do and the standard that Coach Kaczor has for me. I can get to that point. I want to be named an All-Big 12 kicker. I want to get that accolade because it shows that K-State gave me this opportunity, and I've excelled in this opportunity and have helped the team win games. One of the big things here is: Do your job."
Rodriguez will punch the clock on Saturday as the member of a Big 12 team eager to begin its path toward the College Football Playoff and at a stadium and in a country that he could never have envisioned that day in June when he sat in that waiting room at the Glendale Galleria and fate — or Mike Tuiasosopo — came calling.
Now Rodriguez's life might never be the same again.
And he's forever grateful.
"This is what I dreamed of when I first went to juco," Rodriguez said. "I thought, 'I want to shoot for a big school.' Now I'm living in it. It's everything I've dreamed of. I'm extremely blessed. Coach Tui called me over here. It's an extreme blessing. K-State could've picked any other kicker. They chose me. It's a blessing every day. I'm living in the blessing."
Some in the K-State football program call him the blessing.
Some in the Kansas State football program call him a blessing. Some left the first training camp practice shaking their heads over the display. Here's what we know for sure: On July 11, a young man by the name of Luis Rodriguez walked into the Vanier Family Football Complex after a flight from Hollywood Burbank Airport in Los Angeles. He was a 6-foot-1, 200-pound native of Sylmar, California, with a mop of dark hair. He spent his freshman year at College of the Canyons, a community college situated in the Santa Clarita Valley, about 30 miles north of downtown Los Angeles. He was a kicker. And he had never played in front of a crowd greater than 3,000 people. But he possessed confidence. And he possessed a strong leg.
And he arrived at K-State just in time.
"This is what I dreamed of," Rodriguez said. "Now I'm living it."
Less than a year ago, Rodriguez was kicking footballs inside stadiums across the Southern California Football Association. A crowd of 2,500 showed up for a game at Ventura on November 16. Rodriguez, a true freshman, went 21-of-25 (84%) on field goals in 2024, including a 54-yarder, and went 31-of-34 (91%) on extra points. He even nailed a 63-yard field goal in practice. He was rated the third-best community-college kicker in the Class of 2025 by Chris Sailer Kicking and was named to the California Community College Football Coaches Association All-American team.
This came after Rodriguez went 20-of-27 on field goals and 26-of-27 on extra points during his career at Verdugo High School. As a senior, he was named to the 2023 All-California Team by SBLive/Sports Illustrated after connecting on 15-of-20 field goals — including a long of 49 — and 20-of-21 extra points.
And now? Rodriguez will step onto the field as a Division I player for the first time — and not just as a Division I player, but as a FBS player, and not just as a FBS player, but as a player on a Power 4 Conference team seeking to begin a path to the College Football Playoff — when No. 17 K-State opens its season against No. 22 Iowa State in the 2025 Aer Lingus College Football Classic at 47,000-capacity Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland, at 11:00 a.m. CT on Saturday. It will mark the first game of the 2025 college football season. It will be televised back home in Los Angeles, and all over the globe, on ESPN.
"It's definitely starting to settle in that I'm going to make my debut in Ireland," Rodriguez said. "Not a common way for people to start out, but I'm really excited. I get to show my hard work, which has gotten me to this point. My family and friends are all really happy."
The question: Exactly how did K-State — and Rodriguez — reach this present day? Last season, Chris Tennant completed a standout K-State career finishing third all-time in school history with 139 extra points and 143 extra point attempts, and fourth with 42 made field goals and 57 field goal attempts, and fifth with three 50-yard field goals. Last year, Tennant went 17-of-21 on field goals and 44-of-45 on extra points, and he ranked fourth in the Big 12 with 1.31 field goals per game. Most exciting? Tennant hit a career-long tying 51-yarder with 1:42 left against Kansas to send K-State to a 29-27 win, marking the longest game-winning field goal with under 2 minutes remaining in regulation in the history of K-State football.
Tennant's departure after his senior season in 2024 opened the door for a kicking competition at K-State. Leyton Simmering is a junior who made 1-of-2 extra-point attempts in 2023, but who saw no action last season and has yet to attempt a field goal in a game. The Wildcats also have true freshman Cub Patton, a native of Lubbock, Texas, who earned all-state honors as a sophomore, junior and senior from the Texas Sports Writers Association. But upon arriving in Manhattan, Patton went down with an injury that will likely keep him out for an undetermined amount of time, and Simmering suffered minor injuries in the summer. Their absences left the kicking game with a big question mark. The Wildcats had sophomore Simon McClannan, who was one of the finest punters in the Big 12 last season, but who hadn't attempted a field goal in his collegiate career, while sophomore punter/kicker Teagan Cobb had yet to play in a college game.
The unique dilemma likely prompted a few sleepless nights for K-State second-year special teams coordinator Nate Kaczor, a 34-year veteran who worked as an NFL coach for 16 seasons before rejoining the collegiate ranks. Kaczor, a native of Scott City, Kansas, enjoyed coaching stints with the Jacksonville Jaguars (2008-11), Tennessee Titans (2012-15), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2016-18) and Washington Commanders (2019-23), and he helped send three special teams players to the Pro Bowl.
K-State didn't need a Pro Bowler for the 2025 season. It simply needed a kicker. A blessing. A savior.
Well, since his arrival at K-State, Kaczor has maintained a library of past potential prospects. His studiousness and dedication were about to pay off. He ran across the film of Rodriguez. He liked Rodriguez's technique — a very repeatable, smooth technique — and he liked the consistency with which Rodriguez struck the football on his kicks. Kaczor was sold.
He sprang into action.
Imagine the surprise. Here was Rodriguez, sitting in a waiting room at the Glendale Galleria while his sister Alejandra, tried on summer clothes, when his phone rang. On the other end was K-State defensive tackles coach Mike Tuiasosopo, who knew a member of the College of the Canyons coaching staff, and who, in fact, knew about everybody across the California community colleges.
"Have you signed any papers?" Tuiasosopo asked Rodriguez on the phone.
"No, I haven't signed any papers. I might be playing another year of juco." Rodriguez replied.
There was a brief pause.
Tuiasosopo asked. "How'd you like to change that location? Certain situations happened in our special teams room. We're looking for the next guy."
Rodriguez had never been to the state of Kansas. College of the Canyons was just 15 minutes from his home. His family and his home meant everything.
Tuiasosopo started again.
"This is a powerful program," Tuiasosopo said. "This is a big deal, man. You're going to be playing against nationally-ranked opponents."
Then Kaczor called.
"I automatically knew there was a good connection between us," Rodriguez said. "Coach Kaczor kept it straight to the point. That's how I grew up — they don't sugar-coat it. They say, 'This is it, and this is what we're going to do.' That's what I liked from our first conversation. I knew this was a place I wanted to be."
Rodriguez got a crash course of K-State football on Google and watched several games at Kaczor's recommendation, including Tennant's 51-yard heroics against Kansas, and Ty Zentner's game-winning 31-yard field goal to beat No. 3 TCU in a 31-28 thriller to capture the 2022 Big 12 Championship title.
"Coach Kaczor said, 'This is something I see you doing. I want you to see the atmosphere. I want you to do situations like that. You have to prepare for those moments,'" Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez envisioned the kicks. He envisioned 50,000 fans filling Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Rodriguez knew of K-State head coach Chris Klieman and his success from afar and yearned for the opportunity to grow as a man and team member under Klieman's guidance, and he sought Kaczor's direction to get the most out of his abilities.
Rodriguez committed to K-State on June 30.
"Manhattan is the farthest I've been away from home by myself, and I thought it would be a nice change for me," Rodriguez said. "I'm going to get to grow as an individual and as a person and build my skills and not rely on my parents helping me. I'll learn to do stuff myself."
Less than two weeks later, Rodriguez stood with his mother, Maria, and Kazor outside of the Vanier Family Football Complex and soaked in the sight of Bill Snyder Family Stadium for the first time.
It's a place that he never thought he would be — a college football stadium — after a love affair with soccer that began when he was 2. The Rodriguez household and extended family were all invested in soccer. It wasn't until a football coach at high school approached Rodriguez that football sparked his interest.
"Toward my sophomore year, I was in soccer practice and one of the football coaches had to be a soccer coach because our soccer coach was on leave," Rodriguez said. "The football coach asked me, 'Have you ever thought about kicking?' My mom never loved all the contact and injuries with football. He said, 'You should think about it. I think it's something you could excel at.'"
Rodriguez eventually convinced his mother that he would be safe. He kicked part of his sophomore year, and then he decided to go full steam ahead with football starting his junior year.
"I fell in love with kicking, and I took it serious," he said. "I thought I could go farther with football than soccer."
And now, here he was, standing with his mother and Kaczor outside the Vanier Family Football Complex, staring down at the green field and the white uprights at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. It's where the great Martin "Automatica" Gramatica once kicked a 65-yarder in 1998, which still ranks as the longest field goal in NCAA history without use of a kicking tee.
"A spark went through my body," Rodriguez said. "I knew this was where I was going to show who I really am. It is a blessing. I believe in God and that He has a path for me. Him leading me here was a part of my path."
A storied lineage of outstanding kickers has carved out memorable careers at K-State. Perhaps 1997 is as good a place as any to start. That year, Consensus All-American Martin Gramatica won the Lou Groza Award as the best kicker in the FBS, and Gramatica was runner-up for the award in 1998. All-American Jaime Rheem was twice runner-up for the award (1999 and 2000). Then Joe Rheem was a semifinalist (2004). Brooks Rossman was a candidate (2007). All-American Anthony Cantele was a semifinalist (2012). Jack Cantele was a preseason candidate (2014). All-American Matthew McCrane was a preseason candidate (2015) and a semifinalist (2017). Blake Lynch twice was a preseason candidate (2019 and 2020).
For now, Rodriguez merely wanted to make a positive impression upon Klieman, Kaczor and his new teammates on the first day of training camp on July 23. After Rodriguez's first practice, Kaczor knew he had his guy. More than one coach shook his head in disbelief. More than one player shook his head in disbelief.
"That first practice was a little nerve-wracking, coming into a new environment and with how they warm up and prepare even before practice," Rodriguez said. "It was a little nerve-wracking kicking in front of Coach Klieman. To excel on that first day was a good step forward for me to build my foundation for what I'm trying to build here.
"I went a perfect 8-for-8 on field goals and went back to 47 yards, just a nice, light day to get myself into the groove. I performed at a pretty good standard — one that Coach Kaczor knew I could perform at. It was a good first step for my journey."
The tales of training camp crawled out of the indoor practice facility, as Rodriguez turned kicking time into his personal stage.
"Coach Kaczor is a professional, and I love the professional scene," Rodriguez said. "I know I can trust everything he said to me with his NFL knowledge and career. I enjoy talking with him, and I gather all the information so when I get to a certain level in the professional scene, I can say, 'Coach Kaczor taught me this.' He says, 'Day by day.' He says that the next day is a new day. Get 1% better than what you were. If you have a bad day, review the film and correct it the next day. You just perform the best you can on that day. Each day, try to be better."
As Rodriguez and K-State prepare for the season opener on Saturday, Rodriguez's mind drifts to his initial conversation with Kaczor.
"Coach Kaczor said, 'Do you know where we're playing Game 1?'" Rodriguez said. "I said, 'No.' He said, 'We'll search it together.' The schedule read, 'Ireland.' I said, 'Ireland — Ireland?' He said, 'Ireland — Ireland.' I said, 'Wow, that's amazing.' We had a 20-minute phone call. He said, 'You're going to be kicking in that stadium in Ireland.' I said, 'That's amazing.'"
Now Rodriguez is days away from playing his first Division I game at Aviva Stadium.
"Preparation wise, it won't take me long to adjust," Rodriguez said. "I just want to get a sense for what the stadium feels like, like the grass and how the ball moves in the air with the wind or if there isn't any wind at all. I want to see how the weather feels on my body and adjust into things. Getting there a few days early helps a lot because I get to adapt to the environment and see how I feel from breathing to kicking the ball and seeing how the ball moves in the air."
Rodriguez will get his first chance to put his kicking on display at home against North Dakota on August 30 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. He will visit many opposing Big 12 stadiums this season as well — at Arizona, at Baylor, at Kansas, at Oklahoma State and at Utah.
"I'm going to play Big 12 football," Rodriguez said. "It's something very exciting. My cousins said, 'You've made it. You're at the next point.' When they told me that, it finally hit me: This is another level."
And Rodriguez doesn't flinch and doesn't hedge on revealing his exact goals for this season.
"I have set in stone to hit above 90% of my field goals," he said. "It's something I can do and the standard that Coach Kaczor has for me. I can get to that point. I want to be named an All-Big 12 kicker. I want to get that accolade because it shows that K-State gave me this opportunity, and I've excelled in this opportunity and have helped the team win games. One of the big things here is: Do your job."
Rodriguez will punch the clock on Saturday as the member of a Big 12 team eager to begin its path toward the College Football Playoff and at a stadium and in a country that he could never have envisioned that day in June when he sat in that waiting room at the Glendale Galleria and fate — or Mike Tuiasosopo — came calling.
Now Rodriguez's life might never be the same again.
And he's forever grateful.
"This is what I dreamed of when I first went to juco," Rodriguez said. "I thought, 'I want to shoot for a big school.' Now I'm living in it. It's everything I've dreamed of. I'm extremely blessed. Coach Tui called me over here. It's an extreme blessing. K-State could've picked any other kicker. They chose me. It's a blessing every day. I'm living in the blessing."
Some in the K-State football program call him the blessing.
Players Mentioned
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