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Florida LS Marco Ortiz Announces Transfer

Long snapper Marco Ortiz is the second Florida player to find a new team through the transfer portal this postseason.

Zach Goodall

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Florida Gators fifth-year redshirt junior long snapper Marco Ortiz, who entered the NCAA transfer portal as a graduate student on October 26, announced his commitment to Nebraska on Sunday evening.

Ortiz is the second Florida player to find a new program via transfer since the NCAA's newly-instituted transfer portal window first opened on December 5, following offensive lineman Joshua Braun (Arkansas). 

A native of Richmond, Va., Ortiz joined the Gators as a walk-on member of Florida's 2018 recruiting class. He made two appearances across his first three seasons with the team prior to then-starting long snapper Brett DioGuardi's departure from the program following the 2020 campaign.

Ortiz went on to secure Dioguardi's role to begin the 2021 season and was awarded a scholarship four games into the year. He held down the starting role at long snapper until Week 2 of this season, after suffering a season-ending upper-body injury against Utah in Week 1.

Redshirt freshman and fellow scholarship long snapper Rocco Underwood assumed starting duties at long snapper in Ortiz's place and performed well throughout the year. The Lake Mary (Fla.) High product and cousin of former UF specialists Johnny and Tommy Townsend memorably recovered a muffed punt that led to a second-quarter touchdown against LSU in Week 7. 

Underwood is currently the lone scholarship long snapper on Florida's projected 2023 roster.

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Zach Goodall
ZACH GOODALL

Zach Goodall is the publisher of AllGators.com on FanNation-Sports Illustrated, serving as a beat reporter covering football, recruiting, and occasionally other sports since 2019.  Before moving to Gainesville, Zach spent four years covering the Jacksonville Jaguars for SB Nation (2015-18) and Locked On Podcast Network (2017-19), originally launching his sports journalism career as a junior in high school. He also covered the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for FanNation-Sports Illustrated (2020-22). In addition to writing and reporting, Zach is a sports photographer and videographer who primarily shoots football and basketball games, practices and related events. When time permits in the 24/7 media realm, Zach enjoys road trips, concerts, golf and microbreweries. 

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