Tag: Chris Leak

The top high school QBs of all time: Southeast region

Iconic slingers from the Southeast.

USA TODAY High School Sports has kicked off its look at some of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, breaking them up into five different regions.

First up was the best of the best from the East region.

For this next batch of all-time high school QBs, we’re shifting our focus to the Southeast, which includes the following states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and South Carolina. Included are some of the most-decorated college football players in history and one of the greatest winners at the pro level of all time. Here are the top five all-time HS QBs from the Southeast.

Check out Tebow’s College Football Hall of Fame credentials ahead of induction

Take a look at Tim Tebow’s College Football Hall of Fame resume, according to @College_Wire.

One of the greatest football players to ever wear the beloved Orange and Blue is unquestionably the quarterback who won a Heisman Trophy and two national championships in Gainesville: [autotag]Tim Tebow[/autotag]. His tenure with the Gators was must-see TV as he put on a show unlike any seen before he came to the Swamp.

Florida football under [autotag]Urban Meyer[/autotag] along with the well-heralded signal caller brought the program to its high-water mark in the mid-aughts, but unfortunately, Meyer and Tebow fell short of their goal of winning a third title before he left. The southpaw quarterback found limited success in the NFL but will always be known for his collegiate greatness.

College Sports Wire’s Patrick Conn put together his breakdown of each of the 18 candidates in this cycle, including Tebow. Here is what he had to offer.

Position: Quarterback

Years: 2006-09

Florida felt the impact of Tim Tebow immediately. As a freshman, he was the backup to starting quarterback [autotag]Chris Leak[/autotag]. He would come in mostly in running situations but would throw the ball as well. That year they won the BCS national championship and would do it again with Tebow as the starter in 2008. He finished his career with 2,947 rushing yards and 57 rushing touchdowns, 23 came in 2007 when he won the Heisman Trophy. He also passed for 9,285 yards and 88 touchdowns.

Tebow’s Accolades:

  • Heisman Trophy Winner (2007)
  • First-team All-American (2007, 2008)
  • Heisman Trophy Finalist (2008, 2009)
  • National Champion (2006, 2008)

Tebow and the rest of the 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class will officially be inducted during the 65th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by the City of Las Vegas on Dec. 5, 2023, at the ARIA Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada.

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ESPN’s 50 greatest true freshman seasons of all-time includes this Gator

Reggie Green makes ESPN’s list of the 50 greatest true freshman seasons of all time, with other Florida Gators making their position lists.

ESPN’s Bill Connelly has released his list of the 50 greatest true freshman seasons of all time, with Reggie Green the lone Florida Gator to make the list.

Reggie Green’s 1992 freshman season comes in at No. 49 overall and No. 6 among offensive linemen on Connelly’s list. Green began his career at left tackle before injuries forced him to switch to right tackle later in his career. He was named to the All-SEC team in 1993, but those ailments slowed down his career. Connelly even includes an incredible quote from former NFL head coach Dick Vermeil, who was working for ABC as an analyst, where he says that Green was the “best freshman tackle I have ever seen in college football” on a 1992 broadcast.

As an accompaniment to the top 50 list, Connelly listed the top 10 true freshman seasons by position, including multiple Gators.

[autotag]Chris Leak[/autotag]’s 2003 season (No. 8 QB), [autotag]Vernon Hargreaves III[/autotag]’s 2013 season (No. 9 DB), and [autotag]Evan McPherson[/autotag]’s 2018 season (No. 9 K) all made the top 10 lists for their respective positions.

Thankfully, I’m old enough to vividly remember both Hargreaves’ 2023 and McPherson’s 2018 seasons. I was seven during Leak’s 2003 season (that one’s for you Editor Adam, please don’t fire me) so I can’t tell you how that season felt but it worked out well for Leak at UF; see UF’s 2006 season.

But Vernon at CB as a true freshman? Electric. His lateral movement was absurd and he was the true definition of “shut-down corner”, essentially removing the opponent’s best WR. He was drafted No. 11 overall by his hometown Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2016. Unfortunately, his NFL career did not pan out the way his collegiate one did, being flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct in the Super Bowl despite being inactive and on street clothes.

McPherson is still the best college kicker I’ve ever seen. “College Kickers” is a thing because you never know what’s going to happen when a college kicker steps up in a big moment.

Not with Evan.

He went 50/50 on extra points and 17/19 on field goals in 2018 for an 89.5% success rate — the best in the SEC that season. His 85% career success rate is No. 1 in SEC history (!) No. 13 in NCAA history (!!), according to CFB Reference.

Every time he stepped up for a big kick, I felt it was an automatic three points. Even the “NFL snobs” love McPherson, as he is currently en route to a Justin Tucker-esque career with the Cincinnati Bengals. Oh, and he can do this:

College kickers, am I right?

The Gators kick off the season on Saturday, September 3 at 7 p.m. EDT at home against the Utah Utes on ESPN.

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