Florida Football: Tim Tebow is the standard Gators are still chasing
There is no getting around in Gainesville that the legacy of Tim Tebow looms large over Florida football. Anything you can think of that you want the Gators to achieve, Tebow achieved during his four years at UF.
It has been over a decade since Tebow last suited up as a Florida Gator and his new induction into the college football hall of fame is a reminder of the standard that Florida used to have.
Florida Football: Hall of fame
Watching Georgia run over TCU last night as if the Horned Frogs were Frogger was the culmination of what happens when a program accepts nothing but perfection. After years of coming up short under Mark Richt, the Bulldogs opted for Nick Saban protegee Kirby Smart and the results speak for themselves.
Florida football used to have that sense of ruthless perfection. To some extent, the expectations are still there, but ever since Tebow graduated the Gators have had misstep after misstep in its pursuit of staying at the standard that Tebow created.
Hard to put into words right now. Just incredibly honored and grateful for the opportunity and all who helped make it possible!! All glory to God 🙌🏼 https://t.co/NU1oynKFjc
— Tim Tebow (@TimTebow) January 10, 2023
There is a difference in college football between being good and being elite. TCU, despite the beatdown, is a good team. Oklahoma for years was a good team. Good teams make the playoffs and are mostly satisfied making it that far.
Elite teams go in for the kill.
Florida football over the past decade has been good. According to ESPN, it’s been the second-best program yet to make the college football playoff. But good goes 11-2 in 2012, thinks everything is fine, and then wonders why it goes 4-8 in 2013. Good hires a coach from Colorado State, makes the SEC title game two years in a row, gets outclassed both times, and wonders why it goes 4-7 in 2017. Good shrugs off a thrown shoe with playoff hopes hanging in the balance and wonders why it goes 6-7 in 2021.
Tebow didn’t accept good. When Florida lost to Ole Miss, he didn’t go “Yeah man, we just got really unlucky. We outgained Ole Miss by over 120 yards and had 14 more first downs. Just some fumbles did us in.”
No, he made a promise because losing to Ole Miss wasn’t good enough.
The standard Georgia has now is a standard Florida football used to have. Tebow to the hall of fame is a reminder of that standard.
On the surface, Billy Napier seems to want to have that standard too. Whether or not he gets there remains to be seen.
If he doesn’t, we shouldn’t settle for less.