2008 Heisman Watch: Tim Tebow

It’s the most prestigious individual award in all of sports, and Athlon's Heisman Watch spotlights the top 25 candidates to hoist the trophy. Florida quarterback and defending Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow rounds out the 2008 list.

Repeating as Heisman Trophy winner hasn’t been easy. Only one player has managed to accomplish that feat in the 72-year history of the award. After a huge sophomore season, there will be a world of pressure on Tim Tebow to repeat his success in 2008 and lead the Gators to an appearance in the national title game.

The list of records and accomplishments compiled by Tebow last season was rather lengthy. In addition to becoming the only sophomore to win the Heisman, he was also the winner of the Davey O’Brien and Maxwell awards and voted First Team All-America. He was voted SEC Offensive Player of the Year and earned SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors three times.

Tebow’s 23 rushing touchdowns were tops in the SEC, set a Florida record for most in a season and broke the NCAA record for most in a season by a quarterback. With impressive rushing totals, it’s easy to forget how successful he was as a passer. His 172.46 passer rating was second in the NCAA and he completed an impressive 66.9 percent of his passes.

Tebow shared time with Chris Leak in the Gators’ national championship season of 2006. As a true freshman, he was used as more of a situational player or change of pace option. In 14 contests, he rushed for 469 yards and eight touchdowns and passes for 358 yards and five touchdowns. In the national title victory against Ohio State, he rushed for 39 yards and a touchdown while completing his only pass for a touchdown.

Why he’ll be holding the hardware: As the defending Heisman winner, the rest of the field will be chasing Tebow this season. The Gators should also be one of the teams in contention for the national title bid and if Tebow pushes his team to their second national title appearance in three years, it will be hard to vote against him. Although his rushing and touchdown statistics may drop a bit with a ton of weapons in the Gator arsenal, expect another ridiculous stat line at the end of the year.

Why he’ll be left out: It’s hard to find reasons why Tebow won’t be among the top five at the end of the season. If he produces anything close to his stat line from last year, he should be one of the favorites. One area that could derail the campaign is an injury. Tebow suffered shoulder and hand injuries late last year and missing any extended action will be a blow to his campaign.

Final Analysis: The rest of the college football world will be chasing No. 15 in Gainesville this season. It’s difficult to repeat as a Heisman winner, but Tebow has an excellent chance to do just that. Expect Tebow to be among the top five candidates at the end of the year and have an excellent chance to claim back-to-back Heisman statues.

2007 STAT LINE

Other Links:

Athlon Sports' 2008 Heisman Watch
Read the Florida team preview
Watch the Florida preview video