Gators LS Marco Ortiz Enters Transfer Portal

Florida Gators long snapper Marco Ortiz has entered the transfer portal as a graduate student.

Photo credit: UAA Communications

Florida Gators long snapper Marco Ortiz entered the transfer portal on Wednesday morning, All Gators can confirm. The news was first reported by Nick de la Torre of GatorsOnline.

Ortiz is eligible to enter the transfer portal at this time after graduating from Florida this past spring.

A redshirt junior from Richmond (Va.) Benedictine, 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. 

After earning the starting role to begin the 2021 season, Ortiz was placed on scholarship four games into the year following a nine-play, 100-percent graded performance against Tennessee in which former head coach Dan Mullen deemed he "busted his ass."

Ortiz held down the starting role at long snapper from that point on, up until Week 2 of the 2022 season due to an upper-body injury suffered against Utah the week prior.

Before that, Ortiz had continued to impress head coach Billy Napier and the Gators' new coaching staff, earning the team's Tim Tebow Leadership Award at halftime of UF's Orange and Blue spring scrimmage in April. 

Congratulations to TOP 12 Rubio Long Snapper Marco Ortiz on earning the Tim Tebow Leadership Award recipient, Marco Ortiz, with Coach Billy Napier. #RubioFamily | #TheFactoryJustKeepsOnProducing pic.twitter.com/6xsLIdZWCV

— Rubio Long Snapping® (@TheChrisRubio) April 16, 2022

Since Ortiz's injury, redshirt freshman and fellow scholarship long snapper Rocco Underwood has assumed starting duties at long snapper for Florida. 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. 

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