Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Tebow made the right choice

Can you imagine what the world be like if Tebow had signed with Alabama instead of Florida? In case you don't remember, Tebow's top two choices for schools were Florida and Alabama.

After weighing the pros and cons, Tebow went with his heart. Here's a few of things Tebow considered.


Florida-Pros
  • Hot Poon Tang(Even though I can't touch any...)
  • Beautiful campus.
  • Top Flight football program.
  • Up and coming HOF Coach.
  • Chance to win multiple titles and Heismans.
  • Extreme Awesomeness
Alabama-Pros
  • Plenty of toilets
  • Several Jeff Foxworthy stand up shows
  • I'll be the smartest man to ever grace the halls at Tuscaloosa.
  • It's not Auburn.

Florida-Cons
  • May be a little too awesome.
  • I don't know if I can stay true to my beliefs with all the flesh lettuce flopping around.
  • Handing out ass-whoopings on a consistent basis may also go against my Christian faith.
Alabama-Cons
  • Boring.
  • Unstable coaching situation.
  • Getting my ass whipped by Auburn on a yearly basis.
  • It's not Florida
I think we can see Tebow made the right choice.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Just for fun, I thought it would be interesting to look back at some of the recruiting hype surrounding Mr. Tebow back in 2005.

Mobile Register, December 18, 2005

"When (Ponte Vedra Beach Nease quarterback Tim) Tebow showed up at Alabama several times this fall on unofficial visits - including the spectacular win over Florida - and was greeted by a multitude of signs begging for him to sign, the spectacle intensified.

"There has also been a feeling among Alabama insiders that he is heading to Tuscaloosa, which has fueled Internet boards in ways not seen since the first allegations were published that Phil Fulmer had ratted out the Tide in the Albert Means fiasco.

"This drumbeat reached a fever pitch last week when Rodney Orr, who runs Tiderinsider.com, stated: "If he weren't going to Alabama, I think we would have seen some signs by now, but we haven't. ... I think it's Tebow to Alabama.' "

Not so much.....

Scout.com, December 8, 2005


Quarterback Tim Tebow from Nease High School in Jacksonville, Fla., is getting ready with his team-mates for Saturday's 4A state championship game in Miami against Cessna Armwood--two-time defending champs. Tebow's 24 year old brother, Robby, offered some thoughts about what Scout.com's No. 3 quarterback might decide.

"Timmy visited USC last weekend for the UCLA game with my dad, Bob," Robby said. "He really enjoyed it. He said he had a good time and loved coaches (Pete) Carroll, (Lane) Kiffin and (Steve) Sarkisian. He likes their offense and their schemes. He watched film of the team with the coaches and broke down the offense.

"He thinks Carroll is a really cool guy. He was in our house yesterday (Dec. 7) with Kiffin and Sarkisian. Carroll is real down-to-earth and personable and is obviously a great coach.

"USC is definitely still in the mix. He likes their coaching, the offense and the all-around good talent they have.

"I know he's got it narrowed down to USC, Alabama , Florida and LSU ," explained Robby.

"He likes Alabama because of coach (Mike) Shula and his staff. He'd have the ability to go in there and play early. Shula is a really good person as well as a good coach. Shula was also a left-handed QB, like Tim, so they have that in common too.

"The thing about Florida is that it's closer--only about an hour away. They also run the spread offense which has its advantages because that's what Timmy is running right now in high school. He also likes the Gator staff a lot.

"Our parents went to Florida but that's not a factor at all. He's got to find where he fits in best and that doesn't have anything to do with our parents went to school. My parents have left it wide open and are not trying to influence him. They haven't said to him that he should go to any school.

"LSU's offensive coordinator is Jimbo Fisher . Timmy thinks he's really a great guy and really a good coach. Timmy has a really strong relationship with him. That's what has kept LSU in the mix," Robby said.

"I'll be the biggest fan of wherever he goes but I don't have a preference, except I'd like to see him be able to have a big impact. Timmy's a competitor. He'll try to compete for the starting job right away. He doesn't like standing on the sidelines.

"He's taken all his trips and this coming Tuesday (Dec. 13) he might make his decision, but he hasn't decided yet," Robby explained. "If he had decided, I'd be the person who would know because he would have told me. He's got a lot on his plate right now though.

"I'd say his top three schools are Alabama, USC and Florida. I'm not sure about a top two or anything like that. He's ready to make a decision so he can relax and do some recruiting for wherever he goes.

"If he decides, he will probably announce it on Tuesday at Nease High School. It'll be at 5:15 in the evening, I think, and it should be televised live on ESPN News."


Six days later....

"I will play for the University of Florida," announced Tebow. "It's a very exciting time at the University of Florida."

The Mr. Football Award winner has been at the center of an intense recruiting battle between Florida , Alabama, Southern Cal, LSU, and Michigan. Alabama coach Mike Shula significantly closed the gap when Tebow visited Tuscaloosa during the season.

"It was a hard decision," he said. "I really got to meet a lot of great people and coaches and it was hard to pick one school, but Florida was just the most comfortable fit for me"

Tebow etched his name alongside Emmitt Smith , Wilbur Wilbur Marshall, John L. Williams, and Willie McClendon as high profile high school players who were the focus of intense recruiting battles. All of whom eventually signed with the Gators. Interestingly, Tebow’s recruitment was also aligned with that of perhaps his fondest football hero, Danny Wuerffel, who also came down to a Florida/Alabama decision.

The southpaw led the Panthers (13-2) to their first ever state title last Saturday in Dolphins Stadium. The Panthers dropped a season opening 50-29 contest to USA Today 4th ranked Hoover (Alabama) on the road and a 20-14 heartbreaker to arch-rival St. Augustine. Both Hoover and St. Augustine won state titles in their respective classifications.

In his senior year, Tebow completed 223 of 355 passes (62.8) for 3,442 yards. He threw 34 touchdown passes. He ran for 1.045 yards and 21 touchdowns.

He rewrote the Florida High School career record books for total offense (12,960), career passing yards (9,940), touchdowns (159), and completions (631). He also shattered single season records in total offense (5,552), passing yards (4,286), touchdown passes (46), and total touchdowns (70).

Tebow is an incredibly strong athlete with the ability to break tackles and make things happen if the receiver can’t break free from the coverage. He also has good speed for a powerful runner. There is no question that the spread offense will allow Florida to put more pressure on the defense. Obviously, he has a big league arm as well.

"I have a special relationship with the coaching staff there and really loved both schools, but I'm happy to be a Gator," affirmed Tebow.

With his commitment to the Florida Gators, Tebow headlines the Class of 2006 which is already evolving into an outstanding unit and will be bolstered even further with Tebow serving as the Pied Piper to lure more highly touted recruits in.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A little video to get you all kinds of hopped up.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I agree with the pros and cons of UF v Bama. Did you see this article that showed 10 things that would be different if Tebow went to Bama? Kind of an odd list.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/orl-sportssecgators04120408dec04,0,7558645.story