Paul Rodriguez, an offensive lineman at Kentucky, has declared his medical retirement from football.
“I’ve regrettably had to retire medically from the game of football due to a lower back and spinal ailment. For the past three years, I would like to thank each and every one of my coaches and teammates.
I couldn’t be anywhere else,” Rodriguez stated on X.com. “It’s hard for me to walk away from the game I’ve been playing since I was a little kid but I believe everything happens for a reason.”
Rodriguez, a three-star prospect from Mason, Ohio, inked a contract with Kentucky as a member of its 2021 signing class.
Kentucky is opening fall camp without an offensive lineman. Paul Rodriguez announced he has medically retired from football.
MORE: https://t.co/1BuyFb9SWl pic.twitter.com/kwchsM3Uup
— Nick Roush (@RoushKSR) July 31, 2024
Based on 247sports’ composite rankings, he was rated as the 836th best overall prospect in the nation, the 76th best offensive tackle, and the 39th best player from Ohio.
The 6-foot-5, 324-pound offensive lineman saw action on special teams in nine games, including one against Miami (Ohio) and another at Ole Miss. He redshirted as a true freshman in 2021 and again as a redshirt freshman in 2022.
For the most of the 2023 season, Rodriguez was Kentucky’s second-team left guard, behind only Dylan Ray and Kenneth Horsey when the sixth-year senior was healthy.
In addition to playing on special teams in all 13 games, he started three games at left guard (against Akron, at Vanderbilt, and at Georgia), logging nine total snaps at the position with a 71.9 PFF rating.
Ben Christman, a junior transfer from Ohio State who was injured for his whole freshman season at Kentucky in 2023, is most likely to replace Rodriguez on the depth chart now that he has retired.
