Latest news with #TimTebow
USA Today
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Florida football QB DJ Lagway, Tim Tebow appear on EA Sports College Football 26 cover
Florida football QB DJ Lagway, Tim Tebow appear on EA Sports College Football 26 cover EA Sports revealed the Deluxe Edition cover for its upcoming College Football 26 video game on Tuesday, and two Florida Gators are front and center. Current Florida football quarterback DJ Lagway and legendary Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow appear side by side in the latest edition of the popular franchise's deluxe sleeve. The cover photo, packed with prominent past and present college football figures, highlights both the future and history of Florida football. Lagway, heading into his sophomore season, is expected to play a pivotal role for the Gators this fall. As a freshman, Lagway played in 12 games and started seven of them, garnering a 6-1 record. He passed for 1,915 yards with a 59.9 percent completion rate, logged 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Tebow, widely considered one of the greatest college football players of all time, led the Gators to two national championships during his career and won the Heisman Trophy in 2007. Other notable names on the Deluxe Edition cover of College Football 26 Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Ryan Williams and Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith are the two names on the front of the Deluxe Edition cover. Other current players include Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik and Penn State running back Nick Singleton. Coaches like the Georgia Bulldogs' Kirby Smart, Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman, Ole Miss Rebels' Lane Kiffin and Ohio State's Ryan Day are included. Former EA cover stars are also featured, including former USC Trojans running back Reggie Bush and Michigan Wolverines running back Denard Robinson. College Football 26 release date information The game is scheduled for release on July 10, with pre-orders readily available. It marks the second installment since the series returned following a decade-long hiatus and the implementation of NIL rules allowing player likenesses. Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
Forbes
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
EA College Football 26 Release Date, Cover Athletes, First Details
EA College Football 26 The highly anticipated official announcement for EA College Football 26 happened on Tuesday, and it came with a confirmation of the July 10 release date, cover athlete reveals, and a date for a full reveal of key features. That happens on May 29, but let's dig a little deeper into what was revealed in the first official news drop. Sophomore WRs and preliminary Heisman Trophy candidates, Ryan Williams of Alabama and Jeremiah Smith of Ohio State, are the Standard Edition cover stars. Over 13 games during his freshman season, Williams recorded 48 receptions for 865 yards and eight touchdowns, averaging 18.0 yards per catch. He was an overall threat anytime he had the ball in his hands, as he also contributed two rushing touchdowns. Smith was even more dominant as a freshman. In 16 games, he amassed 76 receptions for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns, averaging 17.3 yards per catch. He played a huge role in Ohio State's national championship run. 'As a lifelong fan of EA Sports games, being on the cover… is a dream come true.' – Ryan Williams 'I'm proud to represent Ohio State… celebrating the passion of our fans.' – Jeremiah Smith Both Williams and Smith figure to be two of the most high-profile players during the 2025 season, thus their selections as cover stars is fitting. The cover for the Deluxe Edition is more all-inclusive to the entire college football experience. The cover features college legends like Reggie Bush, Denard Robinson, Tim Tebow, mascots, and more current college football stars like Clemson's Cade Klubnik, Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love, and Penn State's Nick Singleton. There's even real-life coaches like Kirby Smart, Marcus Freeman, and Ryan Day. The inclusion of coaches seems to signal some level of in-game inclusion for coaches in this year's game. We learned that there will be 136 FBS schools. This number is up two from last year's total of 134. The initial press release promises more authenticity across all athletes, stadiums, coaches, and fans, which is exciting considering last year's game went heavy on those concepts. The official announcement officially kicked off the pre-order period for the Standard, Deluxe, and MVP Bundle, which also includes Madden 26, which will launch in August, plus in-game bonuses. This year's game will be available for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, exclusively. This means there won't be a PC version or last-gen option for fans. Be on the lookout for more info on the full reveal on Thursday, May 29, when the world learns more about the details of this year's release.
New York Times
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Ranking every 5-star QB of the modern recruiting era: Vince Young or Tim Tebow at No. 1?
The 2026 cycle represents the 25th of the modern recruiting era. And with The Athletic looking back at the best of the 21st century — best players, best games, best coaches — we thought we might as well put a recruiting spin on it. And no sort of prospect generates more attention than a five-star quarterback. If one hits, he can change a program's fortunes. Advertisement So we've ranked every five-star quarterback of the modern recruiting era. This list only includes players who have completed their college careers. It's too early to judge Arch Manning, Dylan Raiola or any of their ilk who is still active. There are some exceptions, but for the most part this ranking values career accomplishments over one great season. And, lastly, a reminder for the comment section: This is focused only on quarterbacks who were five-star recruits. Joe Burrow, Baker Mayfield and many other high-profile QBs were not five-stars coming out of high school. Note: The modern recruiting era starts in 2002, the first year Rivals published a ranking. Rankings for this story are from the 247Sports Composite. Tebow was a key contributor during the Gators' national title run as a true freshman in 2006, won the Heisman in 2007, led Florida to a national championship in 2008 and finished in the top five of Heisman voting while leading the Gators to a 13-1 record and top-five finish in 2009. He accounted for 145 total touchdowns, passed for 9,285 yards and rushed for 2,947. That's the sort of career any fan base dreams of for a five-star quarterback. Texas is a huge college football brand, but it's reached the mountaintop of the sport just once since 1969. Young led the Longhorns to the national championship in 2005 with arguably the greatest individual performance we've ever seen in what many regard as the greatest game ever — throwing for 267 yards, rushing for 200 and three touchdowns in the Rose Bowl against USC. His Rose Bowl performance the year before against Michigan (180 passing yards, 192 rushing yards, five total TDs) is often overshadowed because of what he did the following season. Young accounted for 81 touchdowns during his career, finished second in Heisman voting in 2005, went 30-2 as the starter and finished his career with a 20-game winning streak. Texas was a consistent 10-, 11-win program in the 2000s. Young elevated the Longhorns beyond that. The 2010s were defined by super teams with elite rosters that won national championships, such as Alabama, Florida State, Ohio State and LSU. Auburn was an exception thanks to Newton, who blended skill, size, power and athleticism to post an all-time season in which he accounted for 51 touchdowns, won the Heisman and led the Tigers to a national title. Advertisement One player can't carry a team to a national championship, but Newton came about as close as possible. He didn't have a single skill player drafted. Only tackles Brandon Mosley (fourth round) and Lee Ziemba (seventh round) were picked on the O-line. The entire starting defense had only two players drafted. Newton's 2010 campaign is the most impressive individual season from any player on this list. Winston won the Heisman Trophy and the national championship as a redshirt freshman in 2013. That season cemented his place in the history books, and he then led Florida State to the inaugural College Football Playoff in 2014. Winston regressed as a redshirt sophomore, throwing 15 fewer touchdown passes (40 to 25) and eight more interceptions (10 to 18). He was also involved in off-field headlines for all the wrong reasons that year. But a Heisman, a national championship, a Playoff trip, two conference championships and strong individual numbers earned him a spot in the top five. Lawrence was the top prospect in the 2018 recruiting cycle, and he immediately delivered on the hype. He supplanted Clemson's established starter, Kelly Bryant, after four games and led the Tigers to a national championship with a great performance (347 yards, three touchdowns) against Alabama in the title game. Lawrence guided Clemson to a 14-1 record and national championship appearance in 2019 and a Playoff trip in 2020. He was the Heisman runner-up in 2020, as well. He threw 90 touchdown passes to just 17 interceptions and rushed for 18 scores. Like Newton, Murray transferred and started only one season in college. But what a magical season it was. Murray was the perfect triggerman for Lincoln Riley's offense at Oklahoma. In 2018, he passed for 4,361 yards and 42 touchdowns (with just seven interceptions) and rushed for 1,001 yards and 12 scores, and he led the Sooners to a Big 12 title and the College Football Playoff on his way to winning the Heisman Trophy. Advertisement Tagovailoa came off the bench in the national championship game against Georgia and delivered one of the most unforgettable moments in the sport's recent history when he connected with DeVonta Smith on second-and-26 in overtime to win it all. He became the full-time starter in 2018 and passed for 6,806 yards and 76 touchdowns in his two seasons as the Crimson Tide's primary QB. He led Alabama to the national championship game in 2018 and finished second in the Heisman voting. Tagovailoa ushered in an era of prolific Alabama quarterback play that wasn't the norm in prior years of Nick Saban's tenure. It was hard to decide who to rank higher, Young or Tagovailoa. Neither won the national championship as the full-time starter. Young played with a considerably weaker supporting cast and won a Heisman. But Alabama does not win the 2017 national title without Tagovailoa. That certainly doesn't take away from Young's career. He has a Heisman Trophy and quarterbacked the Crimson Tide to a national championship game appearance during the 2021 season. He threw for 79 touchdowns and 8,200 yards and went 24-4 in two seasons as the starter. The pandemic-shortened 2020 season limited how much we saw of Fields at his peak. Over 22 starts at Ohio State, he threw for 5,373 yards and 63 touchdowns with just nine interceptions, rushed for 867 yards and 15 scores and finished in the top seven of Heisman voting both seasons. The Buckeyes reached the College Football Playoff in both 2019 and 2020 and appeared in the national title game in 2020. Fields is the lone quarterback in the top 10 without a national championship or a Heisman Trophy, but he won (20-2 record at Ohio State) and produced at an elite level. The Bears essentially chose Williams over Fields just last year, but this is strictly about college careers. Williams' 2022 season at USC was special, but he didn't win a conference title or reach the Playoff, which Fields and every other quarterback ranked above him did. Advertisement Still, it's impossible to deny what an exceptional talent Williams was in college. Over his three years — one at Oklahoma and two at USC — he passed for 10,082 yards, rushed for 966 and accounted for 120 touchdowns. Nix was viewed as a disappointment after three up-and-down seasons at Auburn, but his two seasons at Oregon (8,101 passing yards, 74 touchdowns and 10 interceptions) altered the way his college career was viewed. He finished third in the Heisman voting in 2023 and led the Ducks to a 12-2 record and New Year's Six bowl win. Some will argue McCarthy should be ranked higher because he won a national championship, but he was never asked to drive the bus for a full season like some of the quarterbacks ahead of him. Still, McCarthy played his role perfectly, thrived in big-time rivalry games against Ohio State and went 27-1 as the starter. There's a lot to like about that. Leak was the No. 2 quarterback in his class and was a major recruiting win for Florida in 2003. Even though Tebow is remembered more, Leak was the primary quarterback on a team that won the national championship. Pryor played for Jim Tressel, so he rarely got the opportunity to display his full skill set like he would have if he played under the more offensive-minded Urban Meyer. But in three seasons, he won two Big Ten titles, went 31-4 as a starter and amassed 74 total touchdowns, 6,177 passing yards and 2,164 rushing yards. Lawrence and Deshaun Watson are the Tigers' most celebrated quarterbacks, but Boyd led Clemson to the ACC title in 2011 — its first in 20 years — and threw for 11,904 yards and 107 touchdowns in his career. His 32-8 record as the starter between 2011 and 2013 set the stage for what was to come for the Tigers. Advertisement Miller was Meyer's first quarterback at Ohio State, and his dual-threat ability (2,039 passing yards, 1,271 rushing yards) spearheaded the Buckeyes' 12-0 season in 2012 (when they served a postseason ban). It was more of the same in 2013 when Miller led Ohio State to a 12-2 record, a Big Ten title game appearance and a trip to the Orange Bowl. Miller finished in the top 10 of Heisman Trophy voting in both seasons before shoulder injuries forced him to move to receiver. Henne never beat Ohio State or won a Rose Bowl, but he started for four years, threw for 9,715 yards and 87 touchdowns and won a Big Ten title in 2004. That's not a bad career. Taylor didn't have eye-popping career stats (only 44 touchdown passes in four years), but he was a dual-threat playmaker who helped the Hokies win three ACC titles from 2007 to 2010. Virginia Tech appeared in the Orange Bowl three times during his career and won it after the 2008 season. The Hokies haven't won a conference title since Taylor left. Deciding between Murray and Matthew Stafford was tough. Murray started four seasons and passed for 13,166 yards with 121 touchdowns and 41 interceptions. He led the Bulldogs to back-to-back SEC title games in 2011 and 2012, coming just a few yards away from beating eventual national champion Alabama in the 2012 game. Georgia might have had better teams, but that felt like the closest it came to a national championship before Kirby Smart's tenure took off. Stafford started for three years, threw for 7,731 yards with 51 touchdowns and 33 interceptions. The Bulldogs went 21-5 over his final two seasons, and an argument can be made that the 2007 team, which won the Sugar Bowl, was the best in the country at season's end. One theme with this group is quarterbacks who achieved most of their success with programs they didn't sign with out of high school. Ewers was the unanimous No. 1 player in his recruiting class and reclassified to the 2021 cycle to kick-start his name, images and likeness earnings at Ohio State. He transferred to Texas after one season in Columbus and led the Longhorns to a Big 12 title, an SEC championship game appearance and back-to-back CFP semifinals in 2023 and 2024. Mallett transferred to Arkansas during Michigan's transition to Rich Rodriguez and performed really well (7,493 passing yards, 62 touchdown passes, 19 interceptions in two seasons). He led the Razorbacks to 10 wins and a Sugar Bowl appearance during the 2010 season. Rattler (South Carolina), Patterson (Michigan), McCord (Syracuse) and Kiel (Cincinnati) all produced better at their second stops, as well. Advertisement Daniels was the No. 3 quarterback in the 2018 cycle, behind only Lawrence and Fields, and started at USC as a true freshman in 2018. But injuries and inconsistency turned his career into a long, winding journey that included a national championship season at Georgia in 2021 (as the starter for a month, then a backup) and stops at West Virginia and Rice. Clausen, Barkley and Rosen were all uber-hyped prospects from Southern California. Team success eluded all three. Barkley passed for 116 touchdowns during his career but had the best skill-position players of the three. On the other hand, he quarterbacked USC during its years under NCAA sanctions, and other parts of the roster — mainly the offensive and defensive lines — lacked talent and depth. Clausen and Rosen produced solid numbers, but their teams never lost fewer than five games. Sanchez and Manuel waited behind veteran quarterbacks, led their programs to conference championships and won BCS bowls as the starter. A change of scenery might have been the best for Hackenberg, who displayed real promise as a true freshman at Penn State in 2013. Coach Bill O'Brien left for the Houston Texans following that season, and Hackenberg regressed under James Franklin the next two years before leaving for the NFL. Each of these players started at least one season but posted average or below-average numbers. Wright was the No. 1 signal caller in the 2003 class. He showed some promise in 2005 as a first-time starter (2,403 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions) but struggled with injuries and coordinator changes over the next two seasons and regressed after his debut campaign. Uiagalelei's career just wrapped up. He was next in line after Watson and Lawrence at Clemson but never performed up to his recruiting ranking. He transferred to Oregon State in 2023 and was at his best there with coach Jonathan Smith. But Smith took the Michigan State job, and Uiagalelei transferred to Florida State, which was a bad fit for both parties, in 2024. Gilbert had the biggest on-field moment of this group when he was thrown into the fire for an injured Colt McCoy in the 2009 BCS Championship Game against Alabama. Texas staged a late rally, but the game went as you'd expect for a true freshman backup on that stage: He completed just 15 of 40 passes for 186 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions in the loss. Gilbert was Texas' starter in 2010 but threw more interceptions (17) than touchdowns (10). He transferred to SMU and posted decent numbers there over the 2012 and 2013 seasons (6,460 passing yards, 36 touchdowns, 22 interceptions, 613 rushing yards and 14 rushing scores). Reid had a good season as Oklahoma State's starter in 2006 but struggled in 2007, and criticism of him sparked Mike Gundy's infamous, 'I'm a man, I'm 40,' rant. Vick started the entire 2005 season at Virginia Tech but was dismissed after the Gator Bowl for what the university described as the 'cumulative effect of legal infractions and unsportsmanlike play.' A camera caught Vick stomping on Louisville defensive end Elvis Dumervil's leg during the bowl game. Advertisement Barnett opened the 2016 season as the starter at Alabama but quickly gave way to Jalen Hurts a few series into the first game. Barnett transferred to a junior college for the remainder of the season, spent 2017 at Arizona State and finished his career at South Florida. Bomar, Browne and Allen were the top-ranked quarterbacks in their classes. Bomar lost a competition to Paul Thompson for the starting role in 2005 but was named the starter after Oklahoma's season-opening loss to TCU. He started the final 11 games of the season, threw 10 TD passes and 10 interceptions, and the Sooners went 8-4 and won the Holiday Bowl. But he was dismissed a month before the 2006 season because he accepted payments from a local car dealership that exceeded the amount of time he actually worked. Bomar transferred to Sam Houston, an FCS program at the time, and posted some good numbers there. Allen took over the starting job from Kenny Hill at Texas A&M in 2015 but was benched for Murray in 2015. He transferred to Houston and started three games in 2017 but once again lost the job. Allen went undrafted but has been in the NFL since leaving Houston. Browne waited three years for his shot to start at USC, and he won the job in 2016 but was supplanted by Sam Darnold after a few games. He transferred to Pitt in 2017 but did not last the full season as the starter. Perrilloux is the biggest what-if story among this cluster of quarterbacks. He was supremely talented — ranked the No. 1 dual-threat QB in the 2005 class — but he started only one game of significance at LSU, the 2007 SEC title game in place of a banged-up Matt Flynn. He completed 20 of 30 passes for 243 yards, one touchdown and one interception in a 21-14 win over Tennessee. That was a critical win for the Tigers, who went on to win the national title. It set Perriloux up to start for LSU in 2008, but he was dismissed from the team for reportedly failing a drug test. He transferred to Jacksonville State, which was an FCS program at the time, and was productive with the Gamecocks. Corp lost a competition to Barkley for the starting role at USC in 2009. He started one game that season and transferred to Richmond and started one season for the FCS program. Mustain was the No. 2 QB in his class behind Stafford and was a significant signing for Arkansas, which hired his high school coach, Gus Malzahn, as offensive coordinator. Mustain transferred to USC after one season and sat behind Sanchez, Barkley and Corp during that time. He started one game for an injured Barkley in 2010. Zwick opened the 2004 season as Ohio State's starter but eventually gave way to Troy Smith. Advertisement These players didn't spend much time at quarterback or, in Tuiasosopo's case, didn't play college football at all. Shepard was the No. 3 recruit in the 2009 cycle and the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback. He lined up as a wildcat quarterback, running back and receiver during his freshman year at LSU before finally settling in at wideout. Banks never attempted a pass at Tennessee. He also moved to receiver and caught 42 passes for 621 yards and six scores for the Volunteers in 2004, but he was dismissed from the program following that season after a string of incidents. Lane attempted 79 passes in his first two years at Ole Miss but moved to tight end and caught 47 passes for 517 yards and one touchdown during his time in Oxford. Tuiasosopo signed with Washington in 2004 but was picked by the Seattle Mariners in the third round of the MLB Draft that summer. He never enrolled at Washington and made his major-league debut in September 2008. (Photos of Vince Young, Tim Tebow: Jamie Schwaberow, Samuel Lewis / Getty Images)
USA Today
24-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Tim Tebow is the greatest Gator of the 2000s. But where does he rank among peers?
Tim Tebow is the greatest Gator of the 2000s. But where does he rank among peers? The Florida Gators football program has a storied history of producing some incredible talent on the collegiate gridiron, but the greatest ever — and certainly, the most popular ever — was quarterback Tim Tebow, who was part of two of UF's three national championship rosters. Recently, The Athletic published a series of articles ranking players, coaches and teams since the turn of the millennium, including Bruce Feldman's top 25 players of the 2000s. Among those named on his list was Tebow, who was the only member of the Orange and Blue to be mentioned. Well, not exactly. It is worth noting that the top player in these rankings was also a Gator at one point — quarterback Cam Newton. However, he was kicked out of school due to an incident involving a stolen laptop and did not become the big-time player he matured into until after leaving Gainesville. So, where does Florida's Heisman Trophy-winning gunslinger rank among his peers over the past 25 years? Feldman puts him in the top 10 at No. 8, between ninth-ranked multi-talented Travis Hunter of the Colorado Buffaloes and seventh-ranked Vince Young of the Texas Longhorns. Here is what The Athletic had to offer on Tebow. No. 8: Tim Tebow Career: 9,285 yards, 66.4%, 88 TDs, 16 INTs, 170.8 rating; 692 rushes, 2,947 yards, 57 TDs Best season: 2007; 3,286 yards, 66.9%, 32 TDs, 6 INTs, 172.5 rating; 210 rushes, 895 yards, 23 TDs "The H-back-sized quarterback was a force, bulldozing his way upfield as a runner while also spreading the field to take advantage of the Gators' speed and weapons. Tebow helped Florida win the 2006 national title as a change-up runner behind Chris Leak. The next year, it was his show. UF went 9-4, but he won the Heisman by accounting for 55 total touchdowns," Feldman notes. "In 2008, he led Florida to another national title, throwing 16 touchdowns and no picks over the final six games. He was the face and leader of a talented but volatile locker room. It made for an interesting mix, but they won a ton of games and he put up eye-popping stats. The 6-3, 235-pound lefty had one of the most prolific careers in college football history, going to New York as a Heisman finalist three times." Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Donald Trump takes swipe at the New York Jets during Tim Tebow's White House visit
President Donald Trump took a vicious swipe at the New York Jets during the Florida Gators' White House visit, with legendary college football star Tim Tebow in attendance. The Gators were in town to celebrate their men's basketball national championship from last month, with Tebow being arguably the most notable Florida athletics alumnus. Tebow was one of the most decorated college football players in history during his tenure with the Gators before a brief NFL career. Tebow only spent three years in the NFL and one with the Jets, but that did not stop Trump from going out of his way to make fun of the Jets. First, the president called Tebow 'the best (college football player) ever' before a well-timed jab. 'And you did damn well in the pros too, despite being on the Jets, you did damn well,' Trump continued. 'Come on up here, Tim. You gotta come up here.' President Trump takes a little shot at the Jets while introducing Tim Tebow 😂. — uSTADIUM (@uSTADIUM) May 23, 2025 Trump took a vicious swipe at the New York Jets during the Florida Gators' White House visit Tebow, 37, has not played an NFL snap since the 2012 season and attempted a comeback in 2021 with the Jacksonville Jaguars. His head coach from his days in Gainesville, Urban Meyer, tried to see if Tebow would be effective as a tight end. It did not go well. Since retiring from football, Tebow has been a constant contributor on the SEC Network and ESPN, talking about college football. Trump himself has had a contentious relationship with the NFL for years, dating back to him never being approved to own one of the league's teams, and recently with his criticism of Colin Kaepernick. Trump's comment can also be seen as a dig at New York despite him living there for decades, as he lost the state all three times he ran for president in the general election.
