Florida picked up its eighth verbal commitment for the 2015 recruiting class as defensive tackle Andrew Ivie announced that he was verbally committed to UF on Thursday afternoon. Ivie is the first defensive lineman to commit to the 2015 class.
Ivie’s last name may sound familiar to Florida fans, as Andrew’s older brother — Joey Ivie — is a rising sophomore defensive lineman. While his last name may lead some to believe that Andrew’s decision was heavily influenced by his older brother, Andrew was clear that he made the decision entirely on his own.
“It was kind of my own thing,” Ivie said. “He didn’t really bother me much with recruiting or talk to me much and tell me to come to Florida or anything. It was more on my own devices.”
Ivie committed to UF despite having offers from Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Wisconsin and several other top tier programs. For him, the decision came easy — he couldn’t imagine going anywhere else.
“It’s always been my dream just to be part of Gator Nation,” Ivie said. “I got the most excited from that offer than any (other) offer that I’d had.”
Ivie, who attended his older brother’s high school alma mater — Pasco High School — says that besides UF being his dream school, the fact that his hometown of Dade City is only an hour and a half away from Gainesville went into his decision.
“It’s close to home and everything — my parents can come and both watch us play,” Ivie said. “I’ve been to Gainesville and I just like the feeling down there.”
Ivie also said UF’s strong academic record was taken into consideration. He plans to major in applied physiology and kinesiology and is even considering going to medical school after he graduates.
Head coach Will Muschamp has produced dominant defenses in each of his four seasons in Gainesville — much of the credit goes to the defensive coaching staff that has a multitude of both college and NFL coaching experience.
“They seem pretty solid and (that they) can get the job done,” Ivie said. “Joey has said he likes it, and that they’ll be tough on you…but I feel like it’ll be like that anywhere.”
The last great defensive tackle to leave Florida was first round draft pick Dominique Easley — who was taken No. 29 overall by the New England Patriots in this year’s NFL Draft. Ivie said seeing Easley’s success while at Florida was encouraging.
“My brother is always talking about him,” Ivie said. “He was a heck of a player. Him tearing his ACL and still going in the first round — that’s amazing.”
Andrew’s older brother saw action as a true freshman in three of Florida’s last five games of the 2013 season. Getting playing time as a true freshman is a rarity in today’s world of college football. Andrew says watching his brother play last year made him train even harder, and he hopes to see the field early in his career just as his brother did.
“It was very exciting,” he said. “It opened up my eyes and motivated me a lot to work harder. And now that I’m committed, I’m definitely going to work even harder than before.”
When I asked Andrew who his idols are when it comes defensive tackles, I was expecting to hear a name like Ndamukong Suh, Geno Atkins or Haloti Ngata—all Pro Bowlers in the NFL.
But Andrew models his game after neither a collegiate or NFL star. Not an NFL Hall of Famer that he’s seen highlights of blowing past offensive linemen. Andrew chooses to follow in the footsteps of the player he knows best.
“My older brother,” he said. “Not really anybody else. I’ve always looked up to him a lot.”
Having an older sibling to show Andrew the ropes is another pro of attending UF — especially when he’s expected to play football at such a high level — all the while balancing the natural changes that come with college.
“He’ll probably help me out and explain a lot to me,” Ivie said. “I just have to let him do that because me and him are a little hard headed sometimes.”
Andrew said having the opportunity to play on the collegiate level together with his older brother makes the decision to play at UF that much sweeter.
“It’s going to be awesome,” he said. “We didn’t play much together in high school because I tore my ACL my sophomore year, so that’s going to make it even more exciting. I don’t think we’ve played a full game together.”
Follow Morgan Moriarty on Twitter @Morgan_Moriarty
Will Muschamp speaks at a press conference in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Jan. 13. UF hosted Friday Night Lights on Friday for its top prospects.
