Tim Tebow

One of the most decorated quarterbacks in the history of college football, the first sophomore to capture the Heisman Trophy had a glorious career at Florida. Whether he garners the same success at the professional level, on and off the field, Tebow was a true ambassador of the college game. His enthusiasm, character and competitiveness drew comparisons to former Navy and Dallas Cowboys great Roger Staubach. The first sophomore in Florida history to earn All-American honors, Tebow was also the first Gators quarterback to receive those national honors since Rex Grossman in 2001. He is just the second player to repeat as the Maxwell Award recipient (2007 and '08) and in 2007, he became the first player in NCAA annals to rush for 20 touchdowns (23) and throw for 20 scores (32) in the same season. Known for his ability to run with the ball, Tebow closed out his career ranked 11th in Southeastern Conference history with 9,285 yards passing, tying for third in those record books with 88 touchdown passes, as his pass efficiency rating of 170.79 set the all-time SEC record. He also holds the conference career-record for total offense with 12,232 yards and in touchdowns responsible for (145). Those 145 touchdowns rank second on the NCAA Football Bowl Division record charts, as his pass efficiency rating is also a major college football all-time mark. Tebow's ability to roll out of the pocket saw him generate 2,947 yards on the ground. His 57 touchdowns rushing set an SEC record and placed him second in the NCAA record books for quarterbacks. His 57 scoring runs also tied Marshall Faulk of San Diego State (1991-93) for eighth in college football history. His accuracy with the short-to-intermediate passing attack allowed him to rank third on the league record chart with a 67.83 pass completion percentage as a senior, finishing his career by connecting on 66.43 percent of his pass attempts. During his sensational sophomore season, Tebow captured virtually every national award, including the Heisman Trophy. He scored 138 points that year, as he was responsible for an SEC annual record 58 touchdowns. Even though his 560 plays participated in ranked eighth on the conference season-record list, his 4,181 yards in total offense established a new SEC season-record that year. Tebow was born in Makati City in the Philippines, to Bob and Pam Tebow, who were serving as Christian missionaries at the time. While pregnant, Pam suffered a life-threatening infection with a pathogenic amoeba. Because of the drugs used to rouse her from a coma and to treat her dysentery, the fetus experienced a severe placental abruption. Doctors expected a stillbirth and recommended an abortion to protect her life, but the mother wisely refused. All of the Tebow children were homeschooled by their mother. In 1996, legislation was passed in Florida allowing homeschooled students to compete in local high school sporting events. The law specifies that homeschooled students may participate on the team of the local school in the school district in which they live. The Tebows moved in Jacksonville, Fla., and Tim played linebacker and tight end at the local Trinity Christian Academy for one season. Tebow's preferred position was quarterback, but the team's offense did not rely on passing the football, so he began to explore options to play for a new high school. He decided to attend Nease High School, which under head coach Craig Howard was known for having a passing offense. With the rest of his family living on a farm in Duval County, Tim and his mother moved into an apartment in nearby St. Johns County, making him eligible to play for the football team at Nease. His performance soon turned heads and led to a minor controversy of him being a home-schooled student having his choice of school to play for. Tebow was a three-sport standout at Nease, where he also competed in basketball and baseball. He was selected to the 2007 Florida High School Athletic Association's All-Century High School Football Team and earned 2006 Parade All-American honors. He participated in the U.S. Army All-American Game and Cali-Florida All-Star Game after his senior campaign. He received back-to-back first-team Class 3A (2004) and 4A (2005) All-State honors, leading the team to a 13-2 record and the school's first-ever Class 4A state title as the senior captain. As a junior, Tebow's stock rose as he became a major college football quarterback prospect and was named the state of Florida's Player of the Year. He would then repeat as Player of the Year in his senior season. One of his highlights as a high school athlete was finishing a game on a broken leg. During his three seasons on the gridiron, he threw for 9,940 yards and 95 touchdowns, as he also rushed for 3,169 yards and 63 scores. He set the Florida state record with 4,286 yards passing his junior year. In the 2006 Class 4A state championship game, Tebow was involved in a game-record 54 offensive plays (27 passing, 27 rushing) and was engineered in six touchdowns in the contest, also a state title game-record. He was considered one of the nation's top recruits and was the subject of an ESPN "Faces in Sports" documentary. The segment was titled "Tim Tebow: The Chosen One", and focused on Tim's home-school controversy and missionary work in the Philippines, as well as his exploits on the field of play and the college recruiting process. Tebow was also featured in Sports Illustrated on the "Faces in the Crowd" page. To this date, he still owns the Florida state prep football records for total offense (12,960), career passing yards (9,940), touchdowns (159) and completed passes (631). He also owns single season state records in total offense (5,552), passing yards (4,286), touchdown passes (46) and total touchdowns (70). Rivals.com listed him as the state of Florida's third-best overall prospect and he placed 22nd on Rivals' national Top 100 list. Despite having family ties to the University of Florida, where his parents first met as students, Tebow remained open-minded during the recruiting process and became very close to Alabama coach Mike Shula. After careful consideration, he decided to play for Urban Meyer. One of the reasons he chose Florida was because of Meyer's spread option offense, an offense for which Tebow was deemed an archetype quarterback. Tebow started his career at Florida backing up Chris Leak. He was listed by Sports Illustrated as college football's future top mobile quarterback. He made his college debut coming off the bench behind Leak in a goal-line situation vs. Southern Miss. He rushed for a touchdown on a designed quarterback scramble on his first play as a Gator. His best performance came vs. LSU, when he accounted for all three of the Gators' touchdowns, passing for two and rushing for another. Tebow had a one-yard run on the goal line for his first score, a one-yard "jump pass" to tight end Tate Casey, in which he jumped in the air and double-pumped his arm before releasing the ball, and a 35-yard play-action pass to wide receiver Louis Murphy. Tebow finished second on the team in rushing that season, totaling 469 yards with eight touchdowns on 89 carries (5.27 yards per carry). He threw only 33 passes, completing 22 (66.67%) for 358 yards, five touchdowns and just one interception. On just 122 plays from scrimmage, he totaled thirteen scores, averaging 6.78 yards every time he touched the ball. Even before the 2007 season began, Tebow was named as one of the "Breakout Players of 2007" for college football by The Sporting News. Entrenched as the Gators's starting quarterback, any questions about how he would perform as a full time passer were soon erased. In his starting debut vs. Western Kentucky, he completed 13-of-17 for 300 yards and three touchdowns. Tebow completed 66.86 percent of his pass attempts, the sixth-best pass completion percentage in Southeastern Conference annals. His 32 touchdown passes rank eighth on the SEC season-record list, as he led the team with 138 points scored. He placed second in the nation with a 172.46 pass efficiency rating and ranked 10th nationally while leading the league with an average of 321.62 yards per game in total offense. He led the team in rushing with 895 yards and 23 scores, the most scoring runs ever by a Division I quarter-back in a season, as his 55 touchdowns responsible for were more than 87 entire teams could manage at the FBS level in 2007. In a game vs. South Carolina, Tebow broke the school record for rushing touchdowns in a season and set a career-high with five rushing touchdowns. The Gators would lose to Michigan in the Capital One Bowl, as their quarterback played that contest wearing a soft cast on the hand that he broke in the regular season finale vs. Florida State. After the season, Tebow he was the clear-cut winner of the Heisman Trophy, given to the most outstanding college football player of the year. He also received the Davey O'Brien Award, annually given to the best quarterback in the nation. In the Heisman balloting, he garnered 462 first place votes and 1957 points, 254 points ahead of runner-up Arkansas running back Darren McFadden. Tebow played most of the 2008 season dealing with injury issues. In the season opener vs. Hawaii, he injured his non-throwing shoulder and needed pain-killing injections before each game the rest of the season. He had surgery in January to remove a bone spur and reduce chronic inflammation. Later in the season, his mobility was limited for several games after he suffered a hyper-extended knee vs. Kentucky. The junior still put together a very good season, as his 30 touchdown passes ranked tied for 11th on the SEC season-record chart. He completed 192-of-298 throws (64.43 percent) for 2,746 yards and ranked second in the conference with an average of 244.21 yards per game in total offense. He also scored 12 times while leading the team for the second-straight season on 176 carries for 673 yards. His pass efficiency rating of 172.37 was the fourth-best in the NCAA for the season, as he was responsible for 42 touchdowns. He would finish third in the voting for the Heisman Trophy, despite receiving more first place votes than the winner, Sam Bradford, and the runner up, Colt McCoy. Some expected Tebow to declare for the 2009 NFL Draft, but looking to capture one more national title, he returned to the university for his final campaign. He was bothered early in the year by a respiratory condition and in late September, a hush went over the stadium as Tebow was lying still on the ground after taking a vicious hit vs. Kentucky. His head hit the ground violently, as he suffered a concussion that required an overnight stay in the hospital. A bye week in the schedule after that game allowed Tebow to heal enough to lead the team to a 13-3 victory over LSU in the Gators' next game. Their quarterback would finish the year by connecting on 213-of-314 passes, and his 67.83 completion percentage was the third-best in a season for an SEC quarterback. He threw for 21 touchdowns and just five interceptions. He became the only quarterback and the seventh player overall to lead the Gators in rushing three consecutive seasons, tallying a career-high 910 yards with fourteen touchdowns on 217 chances (4.19 yards per carry). The QB would finish fifth in the balloting for the '09 Heisman Trophy, but before he would close the curtain on his Florida career, he gave Gators fans one lasting impression. The Sugar Bowl was a media frenzy prior to the game, as Florida head coach Urban Meyer was diagnosed with a heart condition that saw him first step down as the team leader and then announce he would take a leave of absence after the bowl game. Tebow would send his coach a "very special" get-well card, with bowl records of 482 yards passing and 533 yards in total offense en route to a 51-24 triumph.

setup/release

Some real concerns in this area. Takes snaps in the shotgun, meaning he'll need significant refinement in his drop-back at the next level. Quick, active feet necessary to eventually excel in this area. Drops the ball to his hip before winding up to release the pass. Struggled with pass rushers knocking the ball out of his hands, as well as tipping off defensive backs who can read where he's going with the long wind-up.

reading defenses

Only asked to make a few reads in this offense before having the green light to run. Seems to be a cerebral player who understands defenses and will scan the field to locate the open receiver.

arm strength

Prototypical arm strength. Can make every NFL throw. Can zip short and intermediate passes and flashes touch and trajectory on deeper throws. Only occasionally asked to throw true deep balls in this offense, but has the arm strength to do so.

intangibles

Perfectly suited to Urban Meyer's system, but there are some questions as to how Tebow's skills translate to the NFL. Good size and strength for the position. Rare toughness. Natural and charismatic leader.

on the move

At his best as a runner and has rare vision with the ball in his hands from the quarterback position. Can anticipate holes in the defense and shows the burst to get past the initial wave of defenders to gain yards in chunks.

accuracy

A bit inconsistent on intermediate throws that require zip. Throws some beautiful passes in tight windows, but also has a tendency for "wobbly" throws, making his passes a tougher catch than pure spirals. Typically leads his receivers, but still too often forces them to alter their routes.

2009: Missed several mid-August practices while nursing a sore back... Was bothered early in the season with a flu-like respiratory condition and was listed as questionable for the Kentucky game (9/26). He did start that contest, but suffered a concussion when he was tackled and his head hit the ground. 2008: Tebow revealed that he injured his non-throwing (right) shoulder in the season opener vs. Hawaii (8/30) and needed painkilling injections before each game the rest of the way. He had surgery in January to remove a bone spur and reduce chronic inflammation. "That's just stuff you have to deal with," Tebow said. "That's football...I will never pull myself out of the game. I just love playing too much. Some people say it's probably being hardheaded out there, too."...Suffered a hyper-extended knee in the Kentucky contest (10/25) that limited his mobility for several weeks, but he did not miss any game action. 2007: Tebow suffered a bruised right, non-throwing shoulder, an injury sustained in the second half of Florida's 45-37 win at Kentucky (10/20)...Suffered a right hand non-displaced bone fracture vs. Florida State (11/24). The Heisman Trophy winner sustained the injury during his 5-yard touchdown run on the opening drive of the third quarter, team spokesman Steve McClain. Team doctors looked at his hand and did some tests on the sideline, but Tebow said he was okay to play and stayed in the game. X-rays following the victory revealed the severity of injury and he wore a soft cast for two weeks to protect the injury. 2006: Tebow played in several games during his high school senior season with a slight bone fracture in his leg.

Campus: 4.68 in the 40-yard dash

1.59 10-yard dash

2.65 20-yard dash

4.16 20-yard shuttle

7.22 three-cone drill

32-inch vertical jump

9'4" broad jump

Bench pressed 225 pounds 38 times

30 3/4-inch arm length

10-inch hands (throws left-handed).

Attended Nease (Jacksonville, Fla.) High School, playing football for head coach Craig Howard

Played linebacker and tight end at the local Trinity Christian Academy his freshman season before transferring to Nease High

Preferred to play quarterback, but the Trinity football team's offense did not rely on passing the football, so he began to explore his options to play for a new high school

Three-sport standout at Nease, where he also competed in basketball and baseball

Selected to the 2007 Florida High School Athletic Association's All-Century High School Football Team and earned 2006 Parade All-American honors

Participated in the U.S. Army All-American Game and Cali-Florida All-Star Game after his senior campaign

Received back-to-back first-team Class 3A (2004) and 4A (2005) All-State honors, leading the team to a 13-2 record and the school's first-ever Class 4A state title as the senior captain

That year, he completed 216-of-340 passes (63.53%) for 3,302 yards, 31 touchdowns and four interceptions, adding 21 more scores and 1,163 yards on 183 carries

Tebow's stock rose as he became a major college football quarterback prospect and was named the state of Florida's Player of the Year

Repeated as Player of the Year in his senior season

One of his highlights as a high school athlete was finishing a game on a broken leg

During his three seasons on the gridiron, he threw for 9,940 yards and 95 touchdowns, as he also rushed for 3,169 yards and 63 scores

Set the Florida state record with 4,286 yards passing his junior year

In the 2006 Class 4A state championship game, Tebow was involved in a game-record 54 offensive plays (27 passing, 27 rushing) and was engineered in six touchdowns in the contest, also a state title game-record

Was considered one of the nation's top recruits and was the subject of an ESPN "Faces in Sports" documentary. The segment was titled "Tim Tebow: The Chosen One", and focused on Tim's home-school controversy and missionary work in the Philippines, as well as his exploits on the field of play and the college recruiting process

Also featured in Sports Illustrated on the "Faces in the Crowd" page

To this date, he still owns the Florida state prep football records for total offense (12,960), career passing yards (9,940), touchdowns (159) and completed passes (631)

Also owns single season state records in total offense (5,552), passing yards (4,286), touchdown passes (46) and total touchdowns (70)

Rivals.com listed him as the state of Florida's third-best overall prospect and he placed 22nd on Rivals national Top 100 list.

Family, Youth and Community Sciences major, garnering numerous school, Southeastern Conference, District and national academic recognition

Active member of the Goodwill Gators who volunteered his time at the Children's Miracle Network at Shands and on a UF Psychiatry visit

Youngest of five children of Pam and Bob Tebow

Traveled to the Philippines three-straight summers with his father on mission trips

Born 8/14/87 in Manila, Phillipines

Resides in Jacksonville, Florida.