College football changed forever when the NCAA eased up on its restrictions for players when it came to making money off their name, image and likeness, and it’s hard not to look back and wonder who in Gators history may have missed out on some serious cash.
Andy Staples of The Athletic tackled that question in a broader sense, but at the top of the list is the name most in Gator Nation thought it would be: [autotag]Tim Tebow[/autotag].
Of course, it’s Tebow. Baker Mayfield and Johnny Manziel had their time, but Tebow was the media darling every brand dreams of. Staples doesn’t even give putting Tebow at the top a second thought.
No college athlete this century would have made more NIL money than Tebow, who could have been selling branded merchandise by the gross from the second he set foot on campus in Gainesville.
Tebow also would have commanded national ad campaigns, and he also would have hit the keynote speaker circuit even earlier in life.
Staples also questioned the monetary fallout after Tebow’s famous “I promise” speech, not to mention the Heisman Trophy and two BCS National Championships. Let’s face it, if NIL was around when No. 15 was wearing the Orange and Blue, even Gators fans might’ve begun to get sick of seeing him during every commercial break.
Fortunately, Tebow’s gone on to do quite well for himself since leaving the Swamp. The extra cash early on wouldn’t have hurt, but we’ll never know how much he truly missed out on during his four years as a Gator.
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