Robert Griffin III Suggests Tim Tebow as Next Florida Gators Head Coach
Robert Griffin III believes that former Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow should become the program's next head football coach.
There is a current vacancy for the permanent head coaching position with the Gators football program. That, of course, will bring plenty of speculation from observers of who the head coach might be.
In some cases, such as the one proposed by Griffin, a former NFL QB, yesterday, the suggestions can get a bit out of hand. It's one thing to suggest a coach with little experience at the gig, it's another to suggest someone who's had zero experience nor have they expressed interest publically about it, but here we are.
"I think the Gators should hire Tim Tebow," Griffin said on the Paul Finebaum show on Friday.
"I think they have to think outside the box for the next head coaching hire. And the word out there was a Dan Mullen wasn't in love with recruiting. He wasn't in love with the process of those things. But who's gonna really out recruit Nick Saban, Kirby Smart and Jimbo Fisher, right?"
Sure, the Gators could think outside the box, and one of the speculated suitors for the gig, Louisianna coach Billy Napier, sort of is given the level of football he is coming from and where he'd be going. A young, up-and-coming coach with not much experience in the big leagues, but enough to get people excited.
That's much more of an outside-the-box hire than that of Tebow, which would simply be ludicrous and borderline malpractice given how important these jobs are for the program, the players themselves and many more who have vested interest or monetary interest in UF.
Now, considering Griffin's next idea, bringing in Tebow to help with recruiting, able to out-recruit the likes of Saban, Smart and Fisher, three of the best recruiters in the game of college football, it's an even worse reason. Tebow hasn't ever recruited prospects before.
Next, Griffin suggests that Tebow bring along three to four former head coaches with him. Set aside the idea that three or four would come to Florida to work for Tebow, the dynamics of that wouldn't make sense, to begin with. Even still, why not make one of those head coaches your current head coach if he will need much handholding?
"It's going to have players be intrigued excited about going into Gainesville and recreating that culture that they had oh so long ago," said Griffin.
"And we've seen that structure with a guy like Deion Sanders before, and I know Tebow has no coaching experience, but coaches don't have to be X's and O's guys. They have to be motivators. Right?"
Griffin's example of Sanders becoming a head coach at Jackson State is correct. Though, the NFL Hall of Fame cornerback has done plenty of coaching on the side prior to getting an in at an HBCU. Hiring someone like Tebow would be another example of a former player that brings excitement being allowed to lead men.
Tebow's shown plenty of ability to be a motivator, of course, and no one could in any way dispute that. However, being a cheerleader or motivational speaker is not the only responsibility of a head coach. They do have to know some of the Xs and Os, and they'd have to be able to essentially become the CEO of the program itself.
Tebow would be completely out of his depth, and it's even more out of his depth that attempting to make it in the NFL as a tight end after several years away and never having played the position before.
"He motivates guys," Griffin pointed out. "He leads and he can be a figurehead for the Florida Gators moving forward to say that's our guy. Not only is he going to recruit, but he's going to inspire you to be better."
Now, just because it's silly to suggest Tebow become the head coach at Florida doesn't mean he should never be on the staff in some capacity. As Griffin stated, Tebow inspires people, he has given plenty of fiery speeches and can probably crush recruiting pitches if he works hard at it.
So, should Tebow one day become part of the staff at Florida? Maybe as a recruiter? Potentially, but otherwise the suggestion to say at any other higher level, well, it just doesn't make sense.
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