Tebow Captures Davey O'Brien and Maxwell Awards, Named Walter Camp All-American
Friday, December 7, 2007 | Football
“It means a lot to me,” Tebow said. “When I was young, I looked up to Danny Wuerffel and it's a great honor for me to accept these awards. It's an honor to be here with all these great athletes and I want to thank my family and my teammates and the seniors that led the team this year. I'm blessed to be coached by the best quarterback coach in the country, Coach (Dan) Mullen.”
The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards featured the live presentation of nine awards, along with recipients of Disney's Wide World of Sports Spirit Award, The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award, the NCFAA Contribution to College Football Award and selections to the Walter Camp All-America team. Tebow opened and closed the ceremony by receiving an award.
Most recently named the AP SEC Offensive Player of Year, Tebow enjoyed a record-breaking season that included tying the NCAA single-season rushing touchdown record by a quarterback with 22. An All-SEC first-team selection by both the league's coaches and the AP, 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.
