New Orleans Saints placekicker Blake Grupe‘s not in the spotlight very often, but he’s been quietly doing his job. He was good enough in his rookie year to replace veteran kicker Wil Lutz, who was traded to the Denver Broncos. Grpe came in as an undrafted free agent, but has made his place in the Saints squad. It’s a reliable job, and he’s a reliable man. He has only missed one extra point attempt this season, and not a single field goal attempt, getting a lot of field time during their opening game against the Carolina Panthers, who they crushed 47-10, with his 4 field goals contributing to the final score.

But what’s he doing when he’s not kicking the pigskin around? Well, he seems to enjoy spending time with his girlfriend, Kennedy Grizzaffi. Kennedy is a Louisiana native, who appears to have been born and raised in Morgan City, Louisiana. She attended Central Catholic High School, a private school there, and played on the girls’ volleyball team, the Lady Eagles. She did well enough to qualify for the second All-District team for St. Mary’s Parish there.

That’s the same school her dad, Frank “Boo” Grizzaffi, graduated from in the 1980s. Frank went on to become mayor of Morgan City in 2013, stepping down in 2020 to spend time with his daughter Kennedy and her sister, Addison, also a volleyball athlete. Kennedy went on to attend Nicholls State University, where she graduated with an associate’s degree in general studies. While at Nicholls State, she made it onto the Dean’s List, and was a proficient student.

Grizzaffi’s now attending Louisiana State University, specifically the School of Dentistry in the Health Services Center. She started in 2023, and is in the second year of her course. Furthermore, she is often seen traveling exotic locations with her boyfriend Blake Grupe.

What’s coming next for Grupe?

Blake Grupe’s pretty well locked in with the Saints, with a 3-year $2.7 million salary. That’s not as outrageous as a lot of the other players on his team, of course. Why, Derek Carr’s got a 4-year $150,000,000 contract. But Grupe’s making nearly $900,000 a year as a 25-year old with a young and motivated girlfriend, he’s clearly living the high life.

And his performances haven’t been disappointing. He’s made fewer mistakes than last year, and at this rate, he’ll either establish himself as a franchise standard or negotiate his way to a killer contract with another franchise that can see his value. Hopefully, things go well for him and Grizzaffi.