ESPN’s latest all-time jersey-number ranking put Florida Gators icon Tim Tebow where plenty of college football fans would expect him: at the top for No. 15.
The network’s new column set out to name the best player in history for each jersey number, and Tebow was the clear choice for 15. He finished ahead of several notable names, including Purdue’s Drew Brees, Nebraska’s Tommie Frazier and Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza.
For Tebow, the honor is another reminder of how towering his college legacy remains. He starred at Florida from the 2006 season through 2009, helped deliver two national championships, and left behind a standard the program hasn’t matched since.
ESPN made the case directly in its writeup: "There's a case to be made for Tebow as the single greatest college football player ever. There are the numbers: 145 career touchdowns, more than 13,000 career yards, an SEC-record 57 rushing touchdowns," ESPN wrote.
The praise didn’t stop there. "There are the awards: He was a Heisman finalist three times and was the first sophomore ever to win it in 2007.
There are the wins: Tebow was a critical part of Florida's 2006 title as Chris Leak's backup, then he won one of his own in 2008. But what truly sets Tebow apart is the mythology.
From his "promise" speech after the 2008 loss to Ole Miss, which is now immortalized on a statue, to the legendary jump pass against LSU to the raw determination with which he led -- he might not be the best to ever strap on a helmet, but there's definitely no one else like him."
Tebow’s NFL career never matched the heights he reached in Gainesville. He flashed starting ability with the Denver Broncos, but the team moved on, and he never found much traction after that.
Still, his Florida résumé is impossible to ignore. In 55 games with the Gators, Tebow completed 66.4 percent of his passes for 9,285 yards, 88 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. On the ground, he added 2,947 rushing yards and 57 more scores.
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