Leading up to spring practices, Inside the Gators will take an in-depth look at how last season went for Florida's 2015 signees who redshirted with our Redshirt Report series. Today, we focus on how last season went for defensive tackle Andrew Ivie.
Ivie originally committed to Florida back in May 2014 when Will Muschamp’s coaching staff was still in town. But even through a coaching change, the former three-star recruit stuck with his Florida commitment and decided to join his older brother, Joey Ivie, in Gainesville.
With Florida already very deep along the defensive line during Ivie’s first year as a Gator, the decision to redshirt him was welcomed by all parties.
“I think it was the right move for him to redshirt because with the rotation they had last year. It kind of would have been a wasted year for him,” said Ivie’s father, Alfred Ivie. “It was good for him to focus in on the weightlifting side of the program, focus in on some film study, some one-on-ones. Just kind of crafting his game from high school to college to that next level. But he’s made a lot of strides, especially in the weight room.
“He just plugged himself right in. He’s a good student, so that was not difficult for him. Smart kid, made mostly A’s and B’s in high school. He loves the game of football. For him, it was like a dream come true.”
During his redshirt season, the younger Ivie spent a lot of his effort in the weight room and made progress there. Arriving at UF at 6-foot-1, 302 pounds after playing on both the football and wrestling teams while at Dade City (Fla.) Pasco High School, Ivie currently weighs at 275, according to his father.
“Believe it or not, it seems like he’s getting even stronger than what he was in high school," Ivie's father said. "He was a pretty strong kid in high school. He’s going through that transition of shedding body fat and replacing that weight with good muscle.”
It certainly helped Ivie to have his older brother - known by many on the team as an intense, dedicated presence in the weight room - looking over him throughout the year.
“They’ve helped each other in some ways, but you know, they’re brothers. They’re more competitive than anything else," Alfred Ivie said. “Sometimes in football, you’ve got your coaches who want to be uber positive and kind of encourage you. Then you’ve got coaches who want to basically rip you to shreds so they can kind of build you back up again. That’s kind of the way Joey was coached in high school, so that’s the only way he knows how to coach. Whenever he tries to help his brother, he’s more of not a very nice guy. He gives him the jazz, but they’re brothers. They love each other, but they also butt heads.
“At the end of the day, that’s really what they try to do to each other, is try to push each other to be the best that they can be.”
Leading into fall camp, there were some rumblings about Ivie, who played on both sides of the ball in high school but was recruited by Florida to play defense, moving to the offensive line before fall camp. However, it was a possibility that was short-lived.
“Here’s the real inside baseball - I guess the offensive line coach just looked at this crop of freshmen and said, ‘You come with me, you come with me, you come with me,’” Alfred Ivie said. “Andrew is kind of quiet and mild mannered, a ‘yes sir’ kind of guy. He just went to a couple of the offensive meetings. Then, he went to Coach Rumph and said, ‘You know, this coach has got me going to these offensive meetings,’ and Coach Rumph said, ‘Man, you need to stop going. You’re helping the defense from now on.’ It was almost kind of like trying to do some sneaky stealing, because Andrew played center when he was in high school.
“Obviously, Andrew knows that he was recruited at defense. The truth is, he really has his love and desire in being a defensive player. You’re always going to excel at the place that you love the most. Although he could play center and would do a good job, I think he’ll definitely do better on the D-line.”
While he redshirted in 2015, Ivie spent most of time in practice on scout team duty. He missed some time during the end of the year with a sprained ankle, as the team advised him to wear a boot.
Now looking ahead to spring ball, Ivie has plenty of competition to face at defensive tackle if he wants to see the field next year. Although Florida did not sign a tackle in its latest recruiting class after missing out on Shavar Manuel, Caleb Brantley, Joey Ivie, Taven Bryan, Khairi Clark, Thomas Holley and Luke Ancrum all return for the 2016 season.
“He’s got a motor on him for a big kid,” Alfred Ivie said. “He’s going to surprise a lot of people as far as what he’s able to do on the interior. Only time will tell whether he’s going to be a take-on-two hole-plugger or if he’s going to transition into that tackle spot where he’s kind of free to get after it and make his block. You shed him if the guy’s there and make the tackle. Depending on what the coaches want and how much bigger he can get as far as mass – this kid will do whatever he’s got to do - I think he could plug in at nose or at tackle, either one.”
“Obviously as a defensive lineman, you want to continue to work on shedding your blockers. That’s always something you’re trying to hone in on your skills. He’ll just keep plugging away and improve his football IQ just like every other kid on that team. But when it comes to sheer strength and what he’s able to do to just kind of bully guys around, I think he’s going to surprise a lot of people.”
