Despite What Hog Fans May Think, Tebow Didn't Insult Jefferson

Fans may be upset about Arkansas quarterback being left off list, but he didn't belong, sort of

Author:
Kent Smith
Publish date:
Sep 4, 2023 10:16 AM EDT

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – This past Saturday former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow was given his own segment as part of the morning college football hype on SEC Network and he used it to convince the audience that despite the big name departures at quarterback in the SEC, there is still major star power at the position in 2023.

"Everybody wants to talk about oh, they're missing Stetson, and A.R., and Will and Hendon and all these quarterbacks and Bryce that left, but we've still got a lot of good quarterbacks coming back," Tebow said. "What's fascinating to me, all the storylines around college football and the SEC with quarterbacks."

As the graphic flipped through, Tebow drew attention to all three Alabama quarterbacks, Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers, Kentucky quarterback Devin Leary, LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels, and Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton. Once it aired, there were Razorback fans who were upset Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson wasn't on the list. While that's slightly misguided, the way the segment was framed provides a strong basis for feeling like once again the Hogs were once again being disrespected.

So, before Tebow walks himself into a hornets' nest in Magnolia when he goes to speak before a room that will include a large number of Razorback fans at Southern Arkansas University in a few weeks, let's diffuse the anger a bit. This isn't about Jefferson being slighted. It's about Tebow getting a tad crossed up in which angle he wanted to promote with his segment.

Essentially, he wrote a paper with a bad thesis, then got wobbly just over halfway through proving it. There are two main points functioning at once because of a clunky lead-in that didn't fully align with what Tebow was trying to claim. Then things got worse when he added supporting evidence that didn't fit with his other four pieces of evidence. Even media members have to get back into rhythm when the season starts, so things like this are going to happen.

Let's make sense of all this confusion. Where things break down is how Tebow prefaced the series of graphics he was about to present. He started off by pointing out how people have talked about the star power at quarterback being absent in the SEC because so many high profile players left for the NFL, therefore creating a presumed vacuum of talent in their wake.

This initial set-up preps the viewers' minds for a list of quarterback superstars ready to step in and fill the role of bringing respect to the SEC in lieu of guys like Bryce Young and Stetson Bennett. Even the person who wrote the teaser for the video that would be later posted on the SEC Network got sucked in. As people in that position often do, the opening statement was viewed to get an idea as to what the segment was about and the video description was written. "SEC Nation's Tim Tebow looks to debunk the theory that the SEC doesn't have star quarterbacks with these five storylines."

But the segment turned out to not be about who is going to step in and prove the SEC has stars at quarterback. It was simply about the five biggest storylines in the conference as it pertains to the position. That is, except for one person on the list, which created even more confusion.

The piece is either the five biggest quarterback stars in the SEC or it's the five biggest storylines involving potential star quarterbacks in the SEC. It can't be both. Tebow appears to have been going for the latter.

The three quarterbacks at Alabama definitely fits the bill. Everyone wants to know who is going to come out of that car crash with the burden of trying to lead the Tide back to glory as division and perhaps conference champions. Next up was Rogers. He's the only player who could have fit on both lists as he's proven to have star quality as an established SEC quarterback, but he's also a big storyline as he adjusts to the fallout of former Mississippi State coach Mike Leach's death. There's a new offense to figure out, plus he's now has to try to read defenses after going under center for the first time in nearly a decade as a player.

Then Tebow turned to Leary. This, again, fits the storyline narrative. Here's a quarterback who has had success outside the conference looking to find his place at Kentucky while adjusting to the rigors of facing SEC defenses. But after him the record scratches.

At what the audience perceives as No. 2 because of order is where things get a bit haywire. Tebow throws in Daniels. The narrative was built around storyline, but, out of nowhere, Tebow appears to have mentally linked back to his lead-in by throwing in Daniels as a point to make on star power and not storyline.

Daniels isn't a storyline candidate. If we're looking storyline, the quarterbacks at Ole Miss fit the bill. Whether South Carolina quarterback Spence Rattler can find the magic he had the final three games of last year over the course of an entire season does also. Even whether Connor Weigman can evolve into college football's version of the terminator under the guidance of Bobby Petrino at Texas A&M draws better alignment to the path Tebow has walked to this point.

Milton and whether he can keep a starting job for an entire season for the first time in his college career while also handling the pressure of being the guy at Tennessee brings things back to the storyline narrative to close it out, but the damage is done. By including Daniels, Tebow has brought a reminder to Arkansas fans that he did sort of intend to talk about quarterbacks who bring star power to the league.

It was a mistake and Razorback fans need to forgive and forget, although we all know that's not going to happen. It's just not how Arkansas fans are built. In their minds, Jefferson was deep in the bowels of War Memorial Stadium watching the program and absolutely shaking as he seethed in anger. Then he marched onto the field and went 12-for-12 with two touchdowns off sheer emotion just to show Tebow he really does have star power.

That wasn't the case, but Hog fans can have pretty active imaginations at times. In the end, it was a silly graphic segment that needed a good script editor to bring increased clarity to the focus. It's obvious the premise was built on storylines and not star power.

And in that case, Jefferson didn't belong. He's a 3-time captain. The first at Arkansas to do it since the 1800s just in case you missed it the other 12 times it's already been pointed out. He's thrown nearly the exact same number of yards each of the past two seasons and everyone knows he can run the ball well. What makes something a story is it's different and unique, so addressing Jefferson as a story is like reporting the mail doesn't run on Sunday or Christmas will be on Dec. 25 this year. He's as consistent as McDonald's having a broken ice cream machine.

There's a little bit of a story in that he will have a new offensive coordinator for the first time, but that story is about Dan Enos adapting his offense to Jefferson. You don't take a veteran like him with his precise elite skillset and make him bend to something totally new. There are a few wrinkles to better prepare him for the NFL, but that's it. No big story here.

Fans might argue Jefferson is also adapting to a new crew of receivers, but that's old hat. He did it last year. He made a whole new crop of go-to guys look amazing, and, as everyone saw Saturday, he's doing it again. That's a story about the players catching the balls, not the on throwing it.

Jefferson's not a story. He's a star. If the graphic truly was intended to match Tebow's introductory sentence, then he'd deserve to be on it, and if he wasn't, then all the pitchforks in Columbia County and the surrounding areas would be on hand at SAU this October with great cause.

But it wasn't about that, so Jefferson didn't belong. Now go put your pitchforks back before you accidentally hurt someone.