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NCAA Football

Martez Ivey Will Be Cornerstone of Jim McElwain Era at Florida

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martez ivey

Reinhold Matay – USA TODAY Sports

Heading into National Signing Day, the Florida Gators were looking pretty lean. After going through a coaching change this offseason, the Gators were struggling to rebuild their recruiting class and ranked outside of the top-100 classes heading into the final weekend of recruiting season, according to several recruiting sites. But Florida is still a premier destination for recruits and head coach Jim McElwain secured a major building-block to the team’s future success with offensive tackle Martez Ivey.

Ivey is a five-star prospect rated as the No. 1 offensive tackle in the 2015 class and No. 2 recruit in the state of Florida by ESPN. He grew up following Florida football and ultimately chose to stay in-state, though the decision was close between the Gators and the Auburn Tigers.

Ivey maintains a close relationship with former high school teammate and current Auburn fullback Chandler Cox and the former Florida coach who started recruiting Ivey, Will Muschamp, is now on staff at Auburn as their defensive coordinator which gave the Tigers a legitimate shot at signing the tackle. In the end, Florida was able to sell the young man on coming to Gainesville, securing a huge recruiting victory in the process.

As McElwain works to turn things around at Florida, one of the biggest areas of need is the offensive line and offensive tackle, in particular. Without adding talent up front, the Gator offense, which has been terrible in recent years, will continue to spin its wheels and go nowhere. The 6-foot-6, 271-pound Ivey has the frame to be truly elite, though he might need some time to add bulk to maximize his ability. Even as he develops, however, his talent should earn him a spot in the rotation for 2015 if he doesn’t challenge for a starting job immediately.

To win in college football, teams have to have the horses in the trenches to get things done. While Florida hasn’t had any issues recruiting studs for the defensive side of the ball, their offensive efforts have been less than impressive. With Martez Ivey in the mix, Jim McElwain has the cornerstone to rebuilding the Gator offense and competing in the SEC once again.

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