by Chris Humpherys

Created on: July 04, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

Last year, history was made in college football. And Gainesville, Florida couldn't be happier for it.

As the highly anticipated 2008 campaign approaches, much ado continues to surround Florida Gator sensation Tim Tebow. In 2007, Tebow became the only sophomore in college football history to win the Heisman Trophy. If his record-setting numbers on the field weren't enough to secure him the award, his off-the-field character made him the overwhelming favorite. Florida's golden boy has at least one, and likely two more years running Urban Meyer's high-powered offense. And if Tebow's performance to date isn't enough to make NFL general managers salivate, another season similar to his last could conceivably have teams out of contention throwing games for a chance to select him with their top pick. Sports talk shows in Jacksonville, Tampa and Miami consistently discuss the possibility of drafting Tebow. Easy, fellas, he's only a junior.

Most agree that Tebow's bruising style does not bode well for a lengthy or successful professional career. In the NFL, opposing defenses are bigger, quicker and stronger. Safeties lick their chops at the chance to flatten a quarterback heading in their direction. Even though the NFL goes out of its way to protect its quarterbacks, Tebow's game as it stands right now will at best lead to extended time on injured reserve and at worst, knock him out of the league. While the pros have featured their share of scrambling quarterbacks, Steve Young, Randall Cunningham and Donovan McNabb were never ones to run over defensive linemen.

Coming out of high school, many also questioned whether his game would succeed in the Southeastern Conference. Safe to say it has. His freshman campaign included several possessions where he scrambled to keep Florida drives alive, punishing would be tacklers along the way. Alongside Chris Leak, he played an integral role in their quest for a national championship. As a sophomore, Tebow's rushing stats were gaudy, penetrating the end zone twenty-two times. Tebow is cut from a different cloth. In only two years, he has become the poster child for college football while nearly single-handedly putting Florida back on the map as title contenders. His future holds an unforeseeable ceiling, as long as he can remain healthy.

Meyer has confessed to over-using Tebow last year. Gator fans nationwide cringed as Urban would call Tebow's number on short-yardage plays with leads late in the game. Last year, Tebow took a pounding,

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>