GAINESVILLE, Fla. —
Marco Ortiz is a proficient student and model citizen. He makes good grades, shows up to practice on time and supports his teammates.
And if all goes well for No. 45 on Saturday when the Gators play No. 1-ranked Georgia in Jacksonville, most fans won't even know whether he played.
"You can't mess up or else that's when people will notice you," Ortiz said. "And you don't want people to notice you."
That's the life of a long snapper, one Ortiz designed for himself after three seasons of spot duty as a tight end and defensive end at Benedictine College Prep in Richmond, Va. However, something unexpected happened earlier this season that turned the spotlight on Ortiz.
No, it wasn't a bad snap.
At the Gators' team meeting the Monday morning after their win over Tennessee, head coach
Dan Mullen went through his normal routine, acknowledging players who graded out highest with recognition awards. When Mullen honored the specialists, Ortiz was miffed that Mullen didn't mention him. He had another good game and "snapped dimes" as long snappers like to say.
But Mullen wasn't finished. Before the meeting concluded, he not only discussed Ortiz but awarded the fourth-year junior a scholarship. In one of those celebratory videos that never get old for college football fans, the room erupted as teammates rushed to congratulate a startled Ortiz.
"It was definitely unexpected," Ortiz said. "It was just a typical Monday team meeting. That was awesome. I've been working so hard for that. To have it finally come, it was just an amazing experience."
Gators long snapper Marco Ortiz works on his craft prior to Homecoming win over Vanderbilt. (Photo: Isabella Marley/UAA Communications)
In his first three seasons at UF, Ortiz redshirted as a freshman and appeared in one game in each of the next two seasons. His time finally arrived this season when he won the starting job in preseason camp. His journey toward the job didn't really take flight until after his junior year of high school.
An identical twin,
Ortiz and his brother Antonio both had visions of playing college football like their father, Fred Ortiz, a high school tight end who got on the field at the University of Texas at Arlington in the late 1980s as a long snapper. Fred told Marco and Antonio that if they were serious about long snapping, he would show them some of the tricks.
Soon, they were spending countless hours practicing, watching videos and researching ways to play college football as long snappers. They eventually landed at Rubio Long Snapping, an academy that specializes in developing long snappers and helping them get college scholarships.
Antonio Ortiz
By their senior season, the Ortiz brothers were sharing the long-snapping duties for the Cadets and climbing the national rankings at the position. When it was time for college, both were ranked among the best in the country at the position. Antonio signed with Texas Christian and immediately became a starter. Marco joined the Gators as a walk-on in the summer of 2018 and worked his way up the depth chart.
They have undeniably taken the road less traveled.
"It's been awesome having a twin,'' Marco said. "I don't know how I would go through life without a twin. It's just a built-in best friend. When it came to snapping, I always had someone to snap to. I didn't have to snap to a net or a wall.
"We are both living our dreams and snapping footballs at the D1 level."
The Ortiz boys have an older brother and sister. Their brother is a Black Hawk pilot in the Army. Their sister is a social worker in Richmond. Growing up, the family could tell the twins apart, but that was not always the case for everyone else.
"It's definitely kind of unheard of, to have twin long snappers,'' Marco said.
Marco Ortiz
Confirmed.
Still, Marco said the twins rarely tried to fool anyone about who was who, and as students at a private military school growing up, they played it straight. But sometimes the urge takes over.
On a visit to catch up with Antonio at TCU, Marco tested a group of his brother's friends to see how well they really knew him.
"I pretended to be him and walked into the room," he said. "They didn't notice."
So, what's the main difference in their appearance?
"Some people would say he is a little chubbier and I'm a little thinner face,'' Marco said.
Maybe that's the extra 12 pounds Antonio (6-4, 245) carries compared to Marco (6-4, 233) according to their teams' media guides. Regardless, when they put on their uniforms Saturday – TCU plays at Kansas State at the same time the Gators kick off against Georgia – their plan is to go unnoticed and catch up after the game.
Their bond runs deep. They are best friends. They are long snappers. They are brothers.
They are two versions of the same flavor.
"We just always had that twin connection,'' Marco said. "Now we're here at Florida and TCU. It's just been an awesome experience.
"The goal is definitely to get to the NFL for both of us. Hopefully that works out. Even if it doesn't, we're still just very happy that we got to play in college and we hope one day to continue to work with long snappers in the future."
Why not. They've come this far.
