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2023 NFL Draft Prospect Interview: Marco Ortiz, LS, University of Florida

University of Florida longsnapper Marco Ortiz recently sat down with NFL Draft Diamonds owner Damond Talbot.
University of Florida longsnapper Marco Ortiz recently sat down with NFL Draft Diamonds owner Damond Talbot.
  • Name: Marco Ortiz
  • Position: Long Snapper
  • College: University of Florida
  • Height: 6’4”
  • Weight: 245
  • Twitter: @marcoiortiz_
  • Instagram: @marcoiortiz

What makes you a top prospect at your position in the 2023 NFL Draft? 

I’m an athletic long snapper with size and speed who snaps a clean, accurate, and consistent ball. Under our previous coaching staff, I was used in protection on certain punts so I have shown that I can snap and quickly get into blocking. I play in the SEC against some of the best teams in the country in front of huge crowds. I am also on the leadership committee for my team, so I have proven to my coaches the type of person and player that I am on and off the field. 

At what age were you first interested in the sport of football?

I’ve been interested in football for as long as I can remember, but I didn’t start taking it seriously until my freshman year of high school. 

What is one thing that NFL teams should know about you?

I’m a big program guy, meaning that I always work hard, do things the right way, and lead by example in everything I do. 

If you could donate to one cause in the world, what would it be? 

I would donate to the Cancer Research Institute because I’ve lost multiple people in my family due to cancer, and this cause funds research on immunotherapy treatment for all types of cancer. 

What is the best advice you have ever received? 

“What the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” My dad would always tell us this quote and it has stuck with me ever since. If I truly believe in myself and can see myself doing something, then I can achieve that goal if I put the work in. 

Who was your childhood hero? 

My childhood hero was my dad because I saw how he worked hard to get out of the projects of El Paso to now being a successful architect. He also played college football so I wanted to do the same thing. 

Who is the most underrated teammate in your locker room at your school? 

Our Australian punter, Jeremy Crawshaw, is very underrated. People need to keep an eye out for him because he’s very accurate and can punt some of the biggest balls I’ve ever seen. He’s also a great leader and has a strong work ethic. 

What is your biggest pet peeve? 

Entitlement

Overcoming adversity is what defines character, what was the hardest moment in your life to overcome? 

I joined the Florida Football team as a preferred walk-on and redshirted my freshman year. After performing very well in fall camp of my second season, I was planning to be the starter from that point on based on the snapping charts, but instead, I was the back up long snapper throughout my second and third seasons at Florida. This was very hard on me mentally because I felt like I deserved to be playing, but for whatever reason I was never the starter. I started to think I wasn’t good enough to the point that I wanted to quit football, however, I didn’t give up. I remembered my childhood dreams and love for football, which kept me going. Every year I wasn’t the starter, it pushed me to work even harder, which allowed me to become the long snapper I am today. I earned that starting spot in my fourth season and had such an amazing season to the point that I was given a scholarship, so I’m excited to continue being the starter and working hard to become the best that I can be. 

Tell me something about your school and why it is so special to you?

The University of Florida has one of the biggest and best fan bases in the country known as Gator Nation, and I have the privilege to play in the Swamp in front of over 90,000 of these fans. Florida fans are so into football that they know who I am even as a long snapper, which is such a cool feeling. The Swamp is a special stadium to play in and it always gives me chills when I run out of the tunnel in front of our fans. This place means so much to me because it was one of the only places that gave me an opportunity to follow my dreams. I also met my fiancé throughout my time at UF. 

What is your favorite snack food? 

Açaí bowl with granola, strawberries, blueberries, bananas, peanut butter, and honey. 

What is the best part of football? 

The best part of football is the brotherhood that you form with teammates of different cultures and backgrounds. I’ve made some great friends through football, especially while at Florida. 

If you could sell yourself in one sentence what would you say? 

I’m a compassionate person who you can always count on to work hard, do the right thing, and uplift those around me. 

If you could compare your play to one player in the NFL who would it be? 

I would compare my play to James Winchester because we are similar in size and he does a good job of snapping, blocking, and covering down field quickly. 

If you could have dinner with three people dead or alive, who would it be and why?

The first person would be my Uncle Rick, who passed away a couple years ago, because he was one of my biggest supporters but unfortunately never got to see me play as a Gator. I would love to tell him everything that’s happened since I became the starting long snapper. The second person would be Jordan Henderson, who is a midfielder for Liverpool, because Liverpool is my favorite soccer team and I really like the person Jordan is as well as what he stands for on and off the field. The last person would be Ricky Gervais because he’s hilarious and I think he has an interesting perspective on life that I would like to talk about with him. 

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