#10 Martin Gramatica — Look, I’m not saying incoming JUCO kicker Luis Rodriguez is the second coming of legendary kicker Martin Gramatica (10), but there *are* some definite similarities in their backgrounds.

In which BracketCat counts down the 25th day until the 2025 kickoff with a profile of Kansas State kicker Luis Rodriguez.

#43 Luis Rodriguez

True Sophomore | 6-1 | 200 lbs. | Sylmar, California

Position: Kicker
Previous College: College of the Canyons
Projection: Second-String
Status: Walk-On?

Luis Rodriguez (b. Aug. 3, 2006) is a JUCO linebacker who transferred in from California’s College of the Canyons this summer as a late addition — just in the nick of time, apparently.

He has four years to play three seasons and is majoring in kinesiology.

Rodriguez prepped under head coach Sean Jackson at Verdugo Hills (Calif.) High School, where he was a first-team all-conference performer who was named the league’s kicker/punter of the year.

He was true on 20 of 27 field goals and 26 of 27 extra points during his high school career, in addition to booting 61 touchbacks on 69 kickoffs (88.4%) and averaging 37.9 yards on 47 career punts, with 23 landing inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.

Rodriguez was named to the All-California Team by SBLive/Sports Illustrated as a senior in 2023 after connecting on 15 of 20 field goals — including a long of 49 — and 20 of 21 extra points for the Dons. He also totaled 51 touchbacks on 56 kickoffs (91.1%) as a senior.

McMahan then played one year for the Canyons Cougars under head coach Ted Iacenda.

He was rated the third-best community college kicker in the Class of 2025 by Chris Sailer Kicking and named to the California Community College Football Coaches Association (CCCFCA) All-America Team, in addition to earning first-team All-Southern California Football Association (SCFA) National Division, Northern League and Region III All-California Community College Football honors.

The top kicker in the California Community College Athletic Association (3C2A) during the 2024 season, Rodriguez went 21 of 25 on field-goal attempts with a long of 54 yards while also converting on 31 of 34 extra-point attempts.

He ranked first in the state in both field goals made and attempted, while his 54-yard conversion against Bakersfield was the longest in the state.

Rodriguez also ranked second in the state among kickers with 94 total points. He recorded six games with two or more field goals, including a perfect 5-for-5 performance at Fullerton en route to SCFA Special Teams Player of the Week honors.

Rodriguez then came back with a 4-for-4 effort at Palomar and a 3-for-3 performance against Santa Barbara.

He had two field goals each against El Camino, Moorpark, and Bakersfield, and was a perfect 6 for 6 on extra-point attempts at Antelope Valley, while he made three extra points on five occasions.

Rodriguez also handled kickoff duties, averaging 53 yards on 58 kickoffs with 31 touchbacks, and he punted against Moorpark, averaging 33.3 yards on three punts with a long of 46. He committed to K-State in June over a scholarship offer from UT Martin.

Rodriguez’s cousin, Jen, is a softball player at Long Island University.