I remember the first time I saw Tim Tebow. It was 2005. His Nease High School team came to Birmingham, Alabama to play the vaunted Hoover High School in a cross-state battle between top schools.
Nease lost, but Tebow looked like a freak of nature running and throwing all over the place. I made a mental note to keep up with him that year. It wasn't hard to do. There was plenty of coverage about the home-schooled Tebow who, by way of a Florida law, was allowed to compete in local high school sports though he didn't attend at the school. It didn't seem to matter to Nease's fans, coaches, or other players. They rode Tebow to a state championship that year. Tebow was named to All-State honors, the state of Florida's Mr. Football, and was a Parade All-American.
His recruiting was one of the first circuses I followed. Tebow was the hot prospect of the football recruiting season. It came down to two teams - Florida and Alabama. We all know Tebow became a Gator; Alabama "settled" for a guy named Greg McElroy.
Tebow's freshman year at Florida saw him play a limited, yet successful, role while Chris Leak ran the offense. Tebow had three plays: QB run (dive, counter, draw), QB play-action (fake dive, counter, draw and throw quick out), and the jump pass - all of these in short yardage or goalline situations. In all, Tebow threw 5 TDs in 2006 and ran for another 8. He scored when Florida dismantled Ohio State for the national championship. Florida fans believed more hardware was on the way soon.
Tebow followed that up with a stellar sophomore season where he threw 32 TDs, ran for 23, led the Gators to nine wins, and picked up a Heisman trophy along with a multitude of other awards. It was nothing short of a coronation. I can't remember how many "Tebow may be the greatest player ever" articles and discussion I saw after that year. Truthfully, it was the beginning of the end for the Tebow legacy.
Article comments
1 - FCEtier
I know several loyal Gator fans that have heard Tebow is being looked at as a tight end in the NFL.
Did anyone really think he would make it as a QB in the NFL?
2 - J. Newcastle
A lot of people did and still do. However, no one who knows what they are talking about thinks he is a QB. At tight end, he's a maybe.
At best, he's a fifth to seventh rounder.