Tag: Marco Ortiz

Gators longsnapper named to Patrick Mannelly Award Watch List

Florida football’s redshirt junior long snapper Rocco Underwood was named to the 2024 Patrick Mannelly Award Watch List on Monday.

Florida football’s redshirt junior long snapper [autotag]Rocco Underwood[/autotag] was named to the 2024 Patrick Mannelly Award Watch List on Monday. The honor is bestowed upon the player determined as the best FBS long snapper each fall.

The fourth-year lineman from Lake Mary, Florida, has served as the starting long snapper for the Gators each of the previous two seasons, recording 78 total snaps in 2023 with only one missed connection with punter/holder [autotag]Jeremy Crawshaw[/autotag] on the season.

Created in 2019, The Patrick Mannelly Award benefits Bernie’s Book Bank, a non-profit organization located in Lake Bluff, Illinois. The award is named for Patrick Mannelly, a 16-year NFL long snapper for the Chicago Bears.

Florida has had one previous athlete be named to a Mannelly Award watch list — [autotag]Marco Ortiz[/autotag] who was selected prior to the 2022 campaign. He suffered an injury after the first game of the season, opening the door for the redshirt freshman Underwood to ultimately take his place.

The 10 semi-finalists will be announced on Nov. 11, with the list narrowed to three finalists who will be announced on Nov. 25. The winner will be selected at the live award ceremony in Lake Bluff on Dec. 14.

The complete list of nominees can be seen below.

Name School
Austin Brinkman West Virginia
Austin Riggs Rutgers
Beau Gardner Georgia
Ben Anderson Oklahoma
Brent Matiscik TCU
Byron Floyd Buffalo
Cayson Pfeiffer Wisconsin
Christian Johnstone Appalachian State
Colby Cox Memphis
Dylan Black Oregon State
Eli Stein Arkansas
Ethan Hudak Tulane
Hank Pepper USC
Hunter Rogers South Carolina
Jacob Garcia Utah State
JT Greep Utah
Julian Ashby Vanderbilt
Kneeland Hibbett Alabama
Luke Elkin Iowa
Luke Hosford Kansas
Nicholas Marino Florida Atlantic
Philip Florenzo Clemson
Rocco Underwood Florida
Ryan Wintermeyer San Diego State
Slade Roy LSU
Travis Drosos UCLA
Tucker Dunn Ball State
Tyler Duzansky Penn State
Will Halkyard Northwestern
William Wagner Michigan

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Husker named finalist for postseason award

A Nebraska long snapper has been named a finalist for a postseason award.

A Nebraska long snapper has been named a finalist for a postseason award. Marco Ortiz was one of ten long snappers named to the Patrick Mannelly Award watch list.

Ortiz is spending his first season at Nebraska after having previously transferred from Florida. The three finalists include Ortiz, Peter Bowden of Wisconsin and Joe Shimko and N.C. State.

The three finalists will be invited to Chicago for the awards presentation on December 9. The award is named for NFL long snapper Patrick Mannelly. Mannelly played for the Chicago Bears for 16 seasons before entering a career in the Chicago media.

The honor is only in its fifth year of existence and benefits Bernie’s Book Bank. That organization provides books to underserved communities in the Chicago area.

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Husker named semifinalist for postseason award

A Nebraska long snapper has been named a semifinalist for a postseason award.

A Nebraska long snapper has been named a semifinalist for a postseason award. Marco Ortiz was one of ten long snappers named to the Patrick Mannelly Award watch list.

Ortiz is spending his first season at Nebraska after having previously transferred from Florida. The ten semifinalists will be narrowed to a list of three finalists on November 27, with the three finalists being invited to Chicago for the awards presentation on December 9.

The award is named for NFL long snapper Patrick Mannelly. Mannelly played for the Chicago Bears for 16 seasons before entering a career in the Chicago media.

The honor is only in its fifth year of existence and benefits Bernie’s Book Bank. That organization provides books to underserved communities in the Chicago area.

Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.

Nebraska long snapper named to preseason award watchlist

A Nebraska long snapper has been named to a preseason awards watchlist.

A Nebraska long snapper has been named to a preseason awards watchlist. Marco Ortiz was named to the preseason watchlist for The Patrick Mannelly Award, given to the top college Long Snapper in the country.

Ortiz comes to Nebraska after spending the last five years playing for the Florida Gators. He appeared in 16 games, including all 13 games in 2021.

The Richmond, Virginia native was rated as the No. 6 long snapper coming out of high school. Patrick Mannelly played for the Chicago Bears from 1998-2003 and was named one of the 100 greatest Bears of all time during the team’s centennial anniversary in 2019.

Mannelly placed 100th on the list behind safety, Doug Plank.

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Florida football players set SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll record

The University of Florida is a top educational institution in many ways these days.

The SEC announced their 2022 Fall Academic Honor Roll on Thursday, with the Florida Gators football team setting a conference record. Of the Orange and Blue’s 113 student-athletes that received Academic Honor Roll distinctions, 62 were football players, breaking the previous conference record of 55 players set back in 2020.

The 2022 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll is based on grades from the 2022 spring, summer, and fall terms. Of the 62, 27 student-athletes earned a grade point average of 3.4 or higher, with [autotag]Noah Keeter[/autotag] and [autotag]Marco Ortiz[/autotag] recording a 4.0. Thirty-three of the players named received the honor for at least the second time.

Here are the criteria needed to be named to the SEC Academic Honor Role:

(1) A student-athlete must have a grade point average of 3.00 or above for either the preceding academic year (two semesters or three quarters) or have a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or above at the nominating institution.

(2) If a student-athlete attends summer school, his/her grade point average during the summer academic term must be included in the calculation used to determine eligibility for the Academic Honor Roll.

(3) Student-athletes eligible for the Honor Roll include those receiving an athletics scholarship, recipients of an athletics award (i.e., letter winner), and non-scholarship student-athletes who have been on a varsity team for two seasons.

(4) Prior to being nominated, a student-athlete must have successfully completed 24 semester or 36 quarter hours of non-remedial academic credit toward a baccalaureate degree at the nominating institution.

(5) The student-athlete must have been a member of a varsity team for the sport’s entire NCAA Championship segment.

Popular players to be named to the list includes [autotag]O’Cryus Torrence[/autotag], [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag], and [autotag]Jason Marshall Jr[/autotag]., among others. The record is in line with the university’s recent marketing of being a top ten public institution in the country, along with having a top ten athletic program in the country.

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Third Gator headed to Nebraska via transfer portal

The Florida to Nebraska pipeline is at full strength. A third Gator is headed to the midwest to play under Matt Rhule.

A third Gator is headed to the Midwest to join the Nebraska Cornhuskers via the transfer portal. Linebacker [autotag]Chief Borders[/autotag] announced his commitment to the Huskers on Tuesday and will reunite with defensive back [autotag]Corey Collier Jr.[/autotag] and long snapper [autotag]Marco Ortiz[/autotag].

Borders made his decision after taking a visit to Lincoln. He entered the portal on Dec. 7, so it took less than three weeks for him to find a new home. Borders has three years of eligibility left and should help revitalize the Huskers’ defense under new head coach Matt Rhule.

In two seasons with Florida, Borders recorded just three tackles despite playing in 16 games. He played in 12 games for Florida during the 2022 season but mostly in a special teams role.

Borders was a four-star recruit coming out of high school, according to 247Sports. He was ranked the No. 328 overall player on the 247Sports composite for the class of 2021 and was No. 37 among linebackers. Although he played high school ball in Georgia, Borders’ hometown is Chicago, Illinois, so he’s got some familiarity with life in the Midwest.

Florida’s lost a good amount of depth at both inside and outside linebacker (JACK), but the Gators brought in former Ohio State linebacker [autotag]Teradja Mitchell[/autotag] through the transfer portal and officially signed incoming freshman [autotag]Jaden Robinson[/autotag] on Wednesday.

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Florida kicker nominated for Burlsworth Trophy

Florida’s kicker, Adam Mihalek, is getting some national recognition as one of the best walk-ons in college football.

Florida’s placekicker, [autotag]Adam Mihalek[/autotag], is one of 81 nominees for the 2022 Burlsworth Trophy, according to a release from the award committee on Tuesday.

“The Burlsworth Trophy is given to the most outstanding football player in America who began his career as a walk-on and has shown outstanding performance on the field,” according to the award’s website, meaning “each nominee must have begun his first season of participation with FBS (D1) football program without financial aid of any kind from his university’s athletic department.”

Simply put, the award goes to the best player in college football that wasn’t a high-profile enough recruit out of high school to warrant a scholarship. Last year, long snapper [autotag]Marco Ortiz[/autotag] (who recently entered the transfer portal) represented Florida as a nominee, and now Mihalek has a shot to finish as a finalist.

“I always wanted to play at a big school,” Mihalek said to the University Athletic Association. “I wanted to play in the SEC. The SEC is pretty awesome. I really love the Gators.”

The committee will choose three finalists from the list of 81 nominees over the next month, and a ceremony will take place on Dec. 5 to honor all three and announce the winner.

The full list of nominees can be found here.

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Florida’s long snapper enters transfer portal

Long snapper Marco Ortiz is the most recent Florida Gator to enter the transfer portal, per reports.

There figured to be some turnover after the first year of the [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] era in Gainesville, but the dominos are beginning to fall a bit earlier than expected for the Florida Gators. On Wednesday, long snapper [autotag]Marco Ortiz[/autotag] became the second player to announce his midseason decision to enter the transfer portal, according to Gators Online.

Last week, offensive lineman [autotag]Josh Braun[/autotag] stepped away from the team with intentions to enter the portal on Dec.  5, when he’ll have earned his degree from UF. Ortiz’s situation is a bit different. As a fifth-year redshirt junior who was put on scholarship during the 2021 season, Ortiz already has his bachelor’s degree in health education. That means he can enter the portal immediately and search for a new home without delay.

Ortiz started the year off as Florida’s starting long snapper after winning the job a year ago, but the staff has included him on the weekly injury report since the season opener. A medical waiver could grant him another year of eligibility, but he has at least one more year in college unless he opts to go pro like his brother.

Redshirt freshman [autotag]Rocco Underwood[/autotag] will continue to serve as Florida’s long snapper with Ortiz’s season effectively finished. Underwood signed in 2020 as one of the nation’s top long snappers and made his debut against UCF in the Gasparilla Bowl last season.

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Billy Napier makes big changes to Florida’s depth chart ahead of Week 5

Trey Dean won’t play against Eastern Washington after popping up on the Gators’ injury report this week. Here’s who will start in his place.

The Florida Gators will be without safety [autotag]Trey Dean[/autotag] this week, according to the Week 5 depth chart put out by the team Wednesday evening.

Dean is listed on the injury report as “out” with a lower-body injury, and freshman [autotag]Kamari Wilson[/autotag] is in his place with [autotag]Donovan McMillon[/autotag] listed as the “OR” option. Both are expected to play against Eastern Washington, and that’s far from the only change on the depth chart.

[autotag]Justus Boone[/autotag] is listed ahead of [autotag]Princely Umanmielen[/autotag] at the defensive end spot alongside [autotag]Gervon Dexter Sr[/autotag]., and cornerback [autotag]Jaydon Hill[/autotag] is in the starting spot opposite of [autotag]Jason Marshall Jr[/autotag]. The defense will certainly look different on Sunday, and the shakeup couldn’t come at a better time.

Many fans were critical of Dean’s performance against Tennessee. He blew a few coverages that proved costly, but the truth is that the Volunteers carved up the defense in its entirety.

The front seven already has seen some movement with [autotag]Desmond Watson[/autotag] moving ahead of [autotag]Jalen Lee[/autotag] on the depth chart, and [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag] is now firmly back in the starting 11 after dealing with his own lower-body injury over the past few weeks.

[autotag]Jack Miller III[/autotag], [autotag]Marco Ortiz[/autotag] and [autotag]Michael Tarquin[/autotag] remain on the injury report, but Miller is now listed as “questionable,” which means he should return in the next few weeks. Offensive tackle [autotag]David Conner[/autotag] and tight end [autotag]Arlis Boardingham[/autotag] are no longer on listed on the injury report, but they aren’t on the two-deep either.

Keep in mind that Florida’s opponent this week is an FCS school. If there’s a week to rest some guys, this is it. Expect Napier to try to get some game action out of his reserves if the Gators can run the score up early.

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Florida updates depth chart ahead of Week 2 matchup with Kentucky

Florida’s week two depth chart looks pretty similar to what Billy Napier submitted ahead of the Utah game, but there are a few key changes that could make a difference on Saturday.

Florida football released its Week 2 depth chart on Wednesday, and [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] has made very few changes following an upset win over then No. 7 Utah.

Long snapper [autotag]Marco Ortiz[/autotag] joined the injury report this week and is one of five Gators out for Saturday’s contest against Kentucky. Replacing him is [autotag]Rocco Underwood[/autotag], and [autotag]Chase Whitfield[/autotag] is the backup. Other than that, Florida stayed relatively healthy through week one and returns all offensive and defensive starters for Week 2.

The one addition to the depth chart is running back [autotag]Lorenzo Lingard[/autotag] in the fourth-string spot behind [autotag]Nay’Quan Wright[/autotag], [autotag]Montrell Johnson Jr[/autotag]. and [autotag]Trevor Etienne[/autotag]. He didn’t receive a carry after being left off the Week 1 chart, but was back in the gym the night of the victory. This could be a sign that he’ll be in the mix this week against the Wildcats.

Another minor change worth noting is [autotag]Ricky Pearsall[/autotag] has lone possession of the starting slot receiver spot. [autotag]Trent Whittemore[/autotag] previously received an “OR” designation, but Pearsall was Richardson’s favorite target in Week 1 and is the clear No. 1 there.

Cornerback [autotag]Jaydon Hill[/autotag] could be coming off the injury report in the next few weeks. Napier said he returned to practice and is expected to be back soon.

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