Tim Tebow Zone

In a recent Rivals.com ranking, Florida Gator quarterback Tim Tebow was ranked #1 at his position for the 2008 college football season. The only question they ask is:

What can the Heisman Trophy winner do for an encore?

How does a National Championship sound? If Tim Tebow were to win 2 National Championships and a Heisman (or two), he could go down as the greatest college quarterback of all-time. There have been many other great ones, like Peyton Manning (never won the big game) and Vince Young, but they won’t have the hardware that Timmy has the potential to win.

Being ranked #1 heading into this season is a honor for Tim. I remember heading into 2007 all the media “experts” criticized Tim. Saying he wouldn’t be able to handle a full workload or he can’t throw the ball. Everyone was quick to bash him. But now, all the experts are giving him his due, saying he’s the best quarterback in football. It’s nice to finally have some respect

Apparently I missed the notice that said there is an official Rivalry between Georgia Quarterback Matt Stafford and Florida Quarterback Tim Tebow. Sure both are juniors this season and trying to lead their teams to SEC Titles and National Championships. I can’t imagine Tim Tebow ever publicly stating a rivalry between the two, in fact it’s been quite the opposite. Tebow refers to Stafford as “a great guy,” while Stafford explains, “I have always had a ton of respect for Tim and obviously he is one of the best out there. He’s a really good player on the field and a good guy off of it.”

Fox Sports wrote an article today about the rivalry (or creating the rivalry). The article is mostly Stafford heavy and points out that Stafford is ahead in career wins and head to head wins. Even though Tim Tebow led all quarterbacks in pretty much every statistical category, the author still maintains Stafford is the better choice ( Stafford has thrown 26 touchdowns and 23 interceptions in the last two years).

I’m going to be biased when I say this (I am a Gator alum and fan), but Tim Tebow is probably 10 times the quarterback Matt Stafford is right now. Fox has a poll up on their page asking people to vote who the better quarterback is. Click here to cast your vote.

Tim Tebow recently did a one-on-one interview with Dan Hicken of First Coast News in Ponte Vedra Beach after the Fellow Christian Athlete’s fundraiser that Tebow was part of.

Hicken talks to Tim about his faith, winning the Heisman, and what he thinks of the 2009 NFL Draft. The video starts off with an advertisement so don’t let it fool you. You can view it on the FCN website, or by clicking here.

University of Florida Quarterback Tim Tebow met with the Senate this morning. No it wasn’t about steroid allegations. They called Timmy in to award him the Medallion of Excellence for his achievements off the field. It’s the highest honor given by the chamber.

Sen. Jim Wise of Jacksonville said, “What a guy,” while wearing a blue baseball cap with a Superman shield with a “T” on it instead of an “S.” I’m not sure if Senator Wise is impressed with Tebow’s on the field production, his 3.7 GPA, or his missionary work. What’s not to love?

Tim was humble the entire time. “Wow, it’s an honor to be here…. To meet all of you, it’s a dream come true,” he said. And what’s great, is you know Tebow means every word of it. He knows where he came from and what his purpose is. “Football is a means to an end, and that ends for me is to be a role model.”

College football has been over for 2 months now, but the awards for Tim Tebow just keep rolling in. Tim Tebow is one of 11 finalists for the AAU James Sullivan Memorial Award, presented to the nation’s top amateur athlete.

Fans are supposed to be able to vote on sports.usatoday.com, however I’ve been on that page several times and can’t find the poll. Maybe I’m just missing it. If any of you can find it, please post a comment here and let us know. The fan votes count one-third toward the final tally. Voting ends March 10; the winner will be announced April 1.

Past football champions include Peyton Manning and Charlie Ward. But going back 70 years, there have not been many football players to win the Sullivan Award. So we need to be sure to rally the vote. Tell your friends and family to go vote for Tim Tebow.

Tim Tebow has been approached by several Presidential and local political candidates looking for an endorsement. I can’t recall how many candidates in the past have gone after college athletes for an endorsement. I’m wondering if this is the first time? But if you’re a Tim Tebow fan, then you know why they want his support. Tebow has a MASSIVE following, and his fans will listen to what he has to say.

After much guidance and consideration, Tim Tebow has decided he won’t endorse any specific candidates. “He’s focused on his priorities: God, family, academics and the Gators, and (he) just thought that people should do their research and make their decision with what’s in their heart,” said Zack Higbee, assistant director of UF sports information.

It’s in Tim’s best interest to stay quiet on this subject. You never want to alienate your fans by endorsing a candidate that maybe they don’t like. Tim has a big career ahead of him and is happy just being a college.

But with that said… I’ll take a guess that Tim votes Republican

The follow is an article from the Dallas Morning News about Tim Tebow and his trip to Fort Worth to pick up the Davey O’Brien Award. There’s even a quote from Spurrier in it.

Florida’s Tim Tebow will be receiving his first Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award in Fort Worth today.

It may not be his last.

Tebow dominated the major college awards last season, becoming the first sophomore Heisman Trophy winner and also winning the Maxwell and O’Brien awards.

A quarterback with a fullback’s mindset, Tebow answered any questions about his ability to throw, finishing second nationally in passing efficiency. He finished with 3,286 yards passing, added 895 yards rushing and accounted for 55 touchdowns in 13 games.

The banquet, which is sold out, begins at 7 p.m. today at the Fort Worth Club. A reception starts at 6 p.m.

Tebow will be joined at the banquet by South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier, the Legends Award winner.

“I’m looking forward to coming out there,” Spurrier, the 1966 Heisman Trophy winner at Florida, said in a voice mail message “I haven’t received anything from my playing days in a long while.”

Jack Squiers of Irving’s Cistercian Preparatory School will be honored as the high school scholarship recipient.

Some fans coming to this blog might not know that Tim Tebow was home-schooled and didn’t actually attend classes at Nease High School, he only played football there. In Florida, and probably most states, students who are home-schooled still have the option of playing sports at the school in their district.

The Washington Post had a very interesting article in their paper about if home-school students having the right to play sports at a public high school is fair or not. The article specifically targets Tim Tebow, probably because he’s one of the most famous home-schooled students in all of sports. You can read the entire article here. Below a little excerpt from the article.

Parents who choose to home-school do so for a variety of reasons: because their child is ahead or behind academically, religious beliefs, family considerations or dissatisfaction with local schools. Whatever the reason, they have chosen to bypass the extracurricular activities that the local public school offers, including sports.

Public high school uniforms don’t have the names of neighborhoods or school districts on them. They have the names of schools. Being an area resident doesn’t make you a representative of the school. Going to that school makes you a representative.

I don’t have any problem with home-schooled students getting to play sports at a public high school. The parents do pay taxes right? Those taxes go to supporting the schools. In my opinion, that’s the biggest reason why this should be a non-issue.

What do you think about it?

The Christian Post recently named Florida quarterback Tim Tebow as one of the Top 12 Evangelicals. Here’s an excerpt of what they said about him:

Last but not least is up-and-coming Tim Tebow who is not yet in the NFL, but is wowing Florida college fans not only with his athletic ability but also his faith. Tebow is the quarterback for the University of Florida’s Gators and was raised by missionary parents and homeschooled. Tebow is the first homeschooled athlete to win the coveted Heisman Trophy and was the first sophomore to win the Heisman.

You can read the entire article here.

There’s no doubt that Tebow is one of the top evangelicals in sports. He preaches about his faith whenever given a microphone. He’s not scared to hold anything back or worries about what some people might think of him.

For the first time in Tim Tebow’s career, his name Is being cast in a negative light. Newspapers, radio stations and websites on the internet are all talking about a possible recruiting scandal involving Coach Meyer and Tim Tebow.

Rumor has it that shortly after winning the Heisman Trohpy, Coach Meyer gave a cell phone to Timmy with recruit Carl Moore on the other line. Tebow allegedly said “I just won the Heisman. Now come on down to Florida and win a national championship with me.” Carl Moore is an outstanding junior college wide receiver from California. Every school in the nation wanted him.

Some of you may wonder what the problem is. Can’t Tim talk to someone on the phone? Well, surprising the answer is no. Players are not allowed to recruit other players, as stupid as that sounds. It gives and unfair advantage to schools that do have not superstars. Of course everything you’re reading is just allegations.  There is no proof that Tebow actually talked to Moore that night on the phone.

UF is currently conducting an internal investigation. But really if they find anything there likely won’t be any repercussions. Nothing would happen to Tebow at all.

I’ll be sure to keep everyone posted as the story develops.