The Florida Gators signed an impressive offensive line class in 2019 but the coaching staff is focused on signing more guys in the 2020 class as they try and reload the position.
On Saturday, the Gators hosted offensive lineman Marlon Martinez (6-5, 305, Fort Lauderdale, FL. St. Thomas Aquinas) on campus for a visit to watch the spring game.
“I got to see everything, I got a vibe for the school,” Martinez said of his visit to Florida. “Stood out, probably the attention on academics for the players. The facilities for football are second to none here.”
While on campus, Martinez talked to several of the Gators coaches including head coach Dan Mullen who had a message for him.
“I talked to Coach [Billy] Gonzales and Coach [Dan] Mullen too,” Martinez said. “They wanted to tell me that Florida is probably the best place for both academics and athletics so they want me to be a part of everything they have going on here.”
Martinez says most schools believe he can play anywhere on the offensive line and he thinks the Gators are one of those teams.
“They didn’t really give me a spot, I think they know I can play whatever,” he said on where Florida wants him to play. “I think Coach [John] Hevesy is ready to put me wherever.”
Florida isn’t the only school recruiting Martinez hard as several other SEC and big name teams want the 2020 lineman.
“I have a few that I’m thinking about, I visited a couple of schools too,” Martinez said of schools recruiting him hard. “Auburn, LSU, Florida, Ohio State, Penn State, Florida State are recruiting me hard.”
Martinez knows exactly what he wants to see out of the Gators as he nears in an end in his recruitment.
“They just have to show me that I can play here,” he said on what Florida needs to do to be the school for him. “Or show me that I have the opportunity here to play at some point. As of right now I get that feeling, Coach Hevesy told me he’s interested in me.”
This spring, Martinez has visited several of his top schools and he has one more visit scheduled for this spring.
“I’ve been to UCF, Georgia Tech, here [Florida], Auburn,” Martinez said of schools he’s visited so far. “I have an official visit to LSU at the end of the month.”
After the LSU visit, Martinez thinks he could be ready to make a decision as he has a timeline for when he wants to make his commitment.
“I think I’m going to make a decision sometime before my spring season which the first day is the [April] 29th so it should be pretty soon,” he said of when he wants to make a decision. “The ones I mentioned are still in the mix.”