Why Steve Spurrier thinks Florida football icon Tim Tebow would make a great coach

Steve Spurrier went from winning the Heisman as quarterback for the Florida Gators to a Hall of Fame coaching career.

That included Spurrier coaching Florida football to seven SEC titles and its first national title in program history,

Spurrier thinks another former Florida Heisman winner would enjoy similar success if he chose the coaching route.

"When the coaching job came up here, I mentioned to somebody, if they hired Tim Tebow, I think he would be a great coach," Spurrier said at the Florida Legends Card Show in Gainesville on August 23. "I mentioned it to him one day and he said he enjoys what he's doing now, but he said 'If they offered me the job, I'd have to pray on it.' So, he didn't say no.

"But he's a natural coach, his leadership, his 'C'mon, let's go.' The great coaches have that leadership ability. And Coach (Jon) Sumrall's a lot like that, too. Coach Sumrall I think is going to really do a fantastic job here."

Spurrier had an extensive 12-year coaching resume before arriving in a Florida in 1990 that included stints as a head coach with the Tampa Bay Bandits in the USFL from 1983-85 and at Duke from 1987-89.

Tebow, who turned 39 earlier this month, has never coached at any level and currently works as a college football analyst for ESPN and the SEC Network. He's never expressed a desire to coach and is involved heavily with his non-profit Tim Tebow Foundation, a global faith-based organization. Of late, Tebow has tackled the issue of human trafficking, lobbying congress to allocate more resources toward combating child exploitation.

Another former Florida football Heisman winner, Danny Wuerffel, said it's an example of Tebow transferring the toughness he showed on the field as a player into an issue of global importance.

"That's also to me what's led to all his advocacy on some pretty tough issues, where he's fighting for vulnerable kids and the traffic stuff that they do," Wuerffel said. "He's continued that warrior mentality into making some things better in the world."

Spurrier, Wuerrfel and Tebow were in Gainesville on Sunday, August 23 for the inaugural Florida Legends Card Show, a weekend event for collectors, traders, and enthusiasts for sports and trading card games. Proceeds from the event benefitted the Isaiah 117 House, which aids Alachua County foster children awaiting placement. Tebow interacted with fans for an hour at the event but declined requests to speak to reporters following his appearance.

Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Why Steve Spurrier thinks Florida football icon Tim Tebow would make a great coach