Fansided

Best Florida football players: Modern-era Mount Rushmore – From Emmitt Smith to Tim Tebow

By Cody Williams

GAINESVILLE, FL - OCTOBER 06: Tim Tebow is inducted into the Ring of Honor during the game between the Florida Gators and the LSU Tigersat Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on October 6, 2018 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
GAINESVILLE, FL - OCTOBER 06: Tim Tebow is inducted into the Ring of Honor during the game between the Florida Gators and the LSU Tigersat Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on October 6, 2018 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 5
Next
Best Florida football players
Florida Football (Photo by Charles Sonnenblick/Getty Images) /

As if anyone else but Tim Tebow could complete the Florida football Mount Rushmore? He’s arguably the greatest individual player of the modern era in college football, so he rightfully sits atop the throne in Gainesville as well.

While Tebow began his career sitting behind Chris Leak as a freshman in 2006, once he took the reins under then-head coach Urban Meyer, there was no looking back. Tebow hit the ground running as a sophomore as he won the Heisman Trophy on the heels of a season in which he threw for 3,286 yards and 32 touchdowns while also rushing for 895 yards and an additional 23 touchdowns as well.

Though he never quite replicated that level of individual success, he cemented himself as a legend both in Gators and college football lore. Whether it was his fiery on-field demeanor, his poised and perfectly polished off-field persona or whatever else, Tebow embodied every ideal of the college football superstar.

The numbers all backed it up for Tebow as well. When his career in Gainesville concluded, the quarterback ranked fourth in Florida career passing yards (9,285), tied for second in career passing touchdowns (88), sixth in career rushing yards (2,947) and first in career rushing touchdowns (57), the latter by 21 more than Smith. Tebow also held the single-season record for rushing touchdowns and single-game record for passing yards.

In the simplest terms, Tebow is the face of Florida football forevermore and there’s no escaping that fact.

Next. Best college football players of all time from every state. dark

For more NCAA football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.

Home/College Football