50 greatest SEC football players this century, ranked

Best SEC football players this century – 1. Tim Tebow, Florida, Quarterback (2006-2009)

Tim Tebow might be the best college player in history. Sure, his name might bring groans now for whatever reason, but at the time we were watching one of the most talented players put together a special career. Tebow started as a gadget player in the Florida offense that won the national championship with the combination of Tebow and Chris Leak. Head coach Urban Meyer knew he had to get Tebow on the field but chose to keep Leak as the starter.

Tebow took over as the starter in his sophomore season and he helped the Gators recover from a lot of losses from the championship team. It helped that he was setting records in the 2007 season. He rushed for 166 yards against Ole Miss, breaking the school record for a QB. He rushed for 20 touchdowns that season, an SEC record for a quarterback. He combined for 55 touchdowns passing and rushing.

Speaking of records, Tebow held a ton by the time he left college. He held five all-time NCAA records, 14 SEC records and 28 UF records when he graduated in 2009. Some included the best pass-to-interception ratio and best completion percentage. He won the 2007 Heisman Trophy and he was a finalist two other times.

He was also a big performer in big games. After a loss to Ole Miss that almost dashed Florida’s chances at a national title, Tebow made “The Promise” that is engraved on a plaque outside of the Florida football complex. He won the game MVP for his win against the Oklahoma Sooners in the BCS National Championship Game. He threw for 231 yards and two touchdowns to go along with 109 yards rushing. He decided to forgo the NFL Draft and return for his senior season. He finished his career with 9,285 yards passing and 2,947 yards rushing. He accounted for 145 total touchdowns. His career is untouched and he’s the best player of this era.

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