Former TCU long snapper Antonio Ortiz was a Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award winner.
The TCU Horned Frogs are less than 50 days from kicking off the 2025 football season with a nonconference road matchup against the North Carolina Tar Heels and new head coach Bill Belichick. As we count down the days until kickoff, we’ll highlight a former (or current) Horned Frog whose jersey number represents the number of days left until the opener.
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49 – Antonio Ortiz (Long Snapper – 2018-21)
A rare specialist shoutout in our Countdown to Kickoff series, Ortiz played in 44 games over four seasons with the Horned Frogs, serving as the team’s starting long snapper during that stretch. A three-time First-Team Academic All-Big 12 honoree, Ortiz was named a Patrick Mannelly Award Semifinalist (the award is presented to the best long snapper in college football) in 2021 and received an invitation to the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl that same year.
The 6-foot-4, 245-pounder from Mechanicsville, Virginia signed with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2022. After being waived by the Bears, Ortiz joined the Arlington Renegades of the XFL and helped the team win an XFL championship in 2023. Ortiz played in all 10 games as the long snapper for the Renegades in 2024.