Gainesville, Fla. – Florida sophomore quarterback Tim Tebow (Jacksonville, Fla.) added to his list of postseason accomplishments as he was named Wednesday as one of four finalists for the prestigious Heisman Trophy. The winner will be announced at the Nokia Theatre in New York’s Times Square, Saturday, Dec. 8. The Gators’ signal-caller is also a finalist for the Maxwell and Davey O’Brien Awards presented by Home Depot that will be awarded Thursday on ESPN. Other finalists for the Heisman included Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan, Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel and Arkansas running back Darren McFadden.
“It’s a great honor for Tim to be invited to the Heisman Trophy presentation in New York City,” head coach Urban Meyer said. “After an evaluation of the entire season, I find it hard to believe that Tim’s performance week-in and week-out would not put him in a position to win the Heisman Trophy. He has done things that no one else in college football has been able to do and I hope people realize the magnitude of his accomplishments.”
Most recently named an All-SEC first-team selection by the league’s coaches, Tebow enjoyed a record-breaking season that included tying the NCAA single-season rushing touchdown record by a quarterback with 22. Tebow also became the first quarterback in college football history to pass for 20 and rush for 20 touchdowns. He also set a new standard in single-season touchdown accountability in the SEC, totaling 51 touchdowns (29 passing, 22 rushing).
Tebow garnered SEC Offensive Player of the Week accolades three times this year and was named the National Offensive Player of the Week by the Walter Camp Foundation twice. In addition, he is also a finalist for the Manning Award presented by the Allstate Sugar Bowl.
Off the field, his performance has been just as sterling, earning a spot on ESPN The Magazine’s Academic All-American First-Team squad. He became just the fourth sophomore student-athlete in UF history to receive such a distinction.
Tebow wrapped up the regular season in his first full year as a starter by guiding Florida to a 9-3 record and a berth in the Capital One Bowl Jan. 1 against Michigan in Orlando. He paced the SEC in passing efficiency (177.9), total offense (330.8) and total scoring, averaging
11 points per game.
He trails Emmitt Smith (36) by only six touchdowns to tie the career rushing touchdown record at UF and has posted a NCAA-record 13-game streak with at least one rushing and one passing touchdown. Tebow was at the helm of the top offense in the SEC, leading Florida to 43.7 points per game. The Gators averaged 462 yards of offense, also tops in the league.
Against Ole Miss, he set the school record in rushing attempts by a quarterback (27) and yards (166). In the tilt against South Carolina, he accounted for seven touchdowns, tying a school mark, and rushed for five scores, setting another UF record. He threw for a career-high 338 yards against Florida Atlantic and tossed for a personal-best four scores against Kentucky. In half of Florida’s 12 games this year, he has thrown three or more touchdowns and led Florida to 500 yards or more of total offense in seven contests.