Florida junior quarterback Tim Tebow and junior kick return specialist Brandon James had quite a Wednesday and didn’t have to step on the football field.
Earlier in the day, Tebow and James were honored by coaches of the Southeastern Conference. Tebow was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Year, while James was named the Special Teams Player of the Year. Additionally, Tebow picked up the league’s scholar-athlete of the year in football with his 3.70 grade-point average.
In the late afternoon, Tebow, the reigning holder of the Heisman Trophy, was named one of the finalists for this year’s award, which will be presented Saturday night in New York City. Tebow will be trying to become the second player in the history of the award to win it in consecutive seasons, joining running back Archie Griffin of Ohio State, who won the award in 1974 and 1975.
Tebow led the Gators to a 12-1 record and a berth in the BCS National Championship Game on Jan. 8 against Oklahoma.
James returned two punts for touchdowns this season, giving him four for his career, tying him with Jacquez Green (1995-97) for the school record. In last Saturday’s 31-20 victory over Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, James set a record for kickoff returns with five for 121 yards.
The 12 coaches chose Tennessee strong Eric Berry as the Defensive Player of the Year. Berry led the league with seven interceptions.
A.J. Green, a wide receiver for Georgia, won Freshman of the Year honors. He caught 55 passes for 951 yards and eight touchdowns.
The Jacobs Blocking Trophy was awarded to offensive tackle Michael Oher of Mississippi, which is among the top four in four SEC statistical categories – total offense, scoring offense, rushing and passing.
Three coaches – Houston Nutt of Mississippi, Bobby Johnson of Vanderbilt and Nick Saban of Alabama – shared Coach of the Year honors.