25 Cheers for 25 Years: Tim Tebow Wins the Heisman Trophy

Quarterback Tim Tebow of the University of Florida poses with the Heisman Trophy. Tebow was named the 73rd Heisman Trophy Winner on December 8, 2007 in New York City. (Photo by Kelly Kline/Getty Images)

By the end of 2007, Tim Tebow was more than Florida’s quarterback. He was a cult hero with an orange and blue cape

That fall, Tebow went from promising sophomore to a Gator legend.

He didn’t just run Urban Meyer’s spread offense — he was the offense. He was a dynamic thrower, punishing runner, and exceptional teammate.

Every week, defenders bounced off him, passes zipped through tight windows, and fans watched in disbelief as a 20-year-old redefined what a quarterback looked like.

Tebow’s 2007 stat line was out of a video game: 3,286 passing yards, 32 touchdowns through the air.

Add 895 rushing yards and 23 more scores on the ground, and he finished with 55 total touchdowns — a new SEC record.

He also became the first player in college history to run and throw for 20+ touchdowns in the same season while also running and throwing for a touchdown in every game.

Urban Meyer, not usually one to hand out extravagant praise, said it bluntly: “Tim Tebow can run whatever offense he needs to run.”

Tebow had his moments all year, but a few performances stand alone.

One was in Baton Rouge, against top-ranked LSU. Tebow walked into Death Valley, one of the loudest stadiums in America, and nearly pulled off the upset of a lifetime.

He threw for two touchdowns, ran for another, and made play after play in a hostile environment against the eventual national champs. Florida lost 28–24, but Tebow’s stock was beginning to skyrocket.

Then came South Carolina. No Percy Harvin. On the road. The Head Ball Coach Steve Spurrier on the other sideline. It was the setup for a trap loss.

All Tebow did was deliver one of the most dominant quarterback performances in SEC history: 424 total yards, seven total touchdowns. Five on the ground, two through the air. The Gamecocks had no answers.

The Heisman race was over at that point, and Tebow’s head coach knew it.

“That’s a Heisman performance,” Meyer said afterward, shaking his head. And he was right.

By December, it was signed, sealed, and delivered.

Tebow traveled to New York as the favorite and made history. No sophomore had ever won the award before. But on December 8, 2007, Tim Tebow became the youngest player to win the Heisman Trophy, giving a speech from the heart.

“I am fortunate,” he said. “God truly blessed me and this just adds on.”

Tebow beat out Arkansas’s marvelous running back Darren McFadden, took home 462 first-place votes, and became the third Gator to win the Heisman, joining Steve Spurrier and Danny Wuerffel. At just 20 years old, he was a Gator football giant.

What made it so unforgettable wasn’t just the records or the trophies, it was the way he carried himself.

Tebow led with emotion, toughness, and a competitive fire that teammates fed off. The jump passes, the goal-line collisions, the jersey covered in grass stains — it was all Tebow.

In 2007, he changed what was possible at the quarterback position, and when he hoisted that Heisman Trophy, little did Gator fans know that he was just getting started.