Bleacher Report names Tim Tebow greatest college player this century

Bleacher Report named the 25 greatest college football players since 2000 on Saturday and iconic Florida Gators QB Tim Tebow came in at No. 1 on the list. Here is what Bleacher Report wrote about him:

Three-time AP All-American, winner of 2007 Heisman Trophy, 2007 and 2008 Maxwell Award, 2007 O’Brien Award and AP College Football Player of the Year and 2008 Manning Award Not only did Tim Tebow produce one of the best individual seasons in college football history, his impact at Florida lasted four years.

The bulldozing QB’s longevity is what separated him from everyone else. As a true freshman in 2006, Tebow held a short-yardage role for the national champions. He rushed for 469 yards and accounted for 13 touchdowns.

The southpaw reached his peak as a sophomore, making FBS history as the first to have 20 passing and rushing scores in a season. He ended with 32 and 23, respectively, in that Heisman-winning campaign. As if that wasn’t enough, Tebow guided the Gators to a national title in 2008 with top-five Heisman finishes in both 2008 and 2009.

Another one-time Gators QB was No. 2 on the list: Cam Newton. Newton was Tebow’s backup at UF in 2007 and 2008, then transferred to Blinn College for a season. He later landed at Auburn and won the Heisman Trophy while leading the Tigers to the 2010 national title.

The complete top 10 looked like this:

1. Tim Tebow, QB, Florida
2. Cam Newton, QB, Auburn
3. Reggie Bush, RB, USC
4. Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska
5. Vince Young, QB, Texas
6. Ed Reed, S, Miami
7. Joe Burrow, QB, LSU
8. Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Pitt
9. Baker Mayfield, QB, Texas Tech and Oklahoma
10. Bryant McKinnie, LT, Miami

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Just last week, Tebow made the Associated Press All-Time All-America first team.

The iconic Tebow, who played at Florida from 2006-09, is an all-time Gators legend and some might argue he tops the list of UF greats. He helped Florida win two national titles and two SEC titles. Tebow had three top-five Heisman finishes. At Florida, he completed 67.1 percent of his passes for 9,286 yards, 88 touchdowns and only 16 interceptions. Meanwhile, he added 2,947 rushing yards and 57 rushing touchdowns. Tebow is fourth all time in UF passing yards for a career — and sixth in rushing.