Tim Tebow‘s transition to television analyst has been far smoother than his attempt to play quarterback in the NFL. The former Heisman Trophy winner currently serves as an analyst for ESPN’s SEC Network. His opinion on the league matters, particularly when two of the nation’s Top 3 teams reside in the SEC.
The Ole Miss Rebels are currently ranked third overall after an impressive 35-20 victory over the then 14th-ranked Texas A&M Aggies. The win came on the heels of a 23-17 win over Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide.
According to Tebow, the Rebels’ intangibles are the difference this season after finishing 7-5 last year.
“It’s the heart that they play with, offensively and defensively,” Tebow told The Clarion-Ledger‘s Hugh Kellenberger. “Everybody talks about the landshark defense and the way they fly around, it’s guys like Jaylen Walton fighting through tackles. It’s just heart. They play together. They play as a family. After spending the day yesterday with coach (Hugh) Freeze and the team you could really see that.”
Quarterback Bo Wallace is also a large factor in the team’s success. Wallace’s completion percentage is nearly four points higher this season. He has already thrown for 15 touchdowns through six games after passing for 18 all of last season. Most importantly, Wallace has limited his poor decisions.
“I think he’s improved a lot,” Tebow said. “In SEC play he doesn’t have a turnover and he’s making big plays. But he’s also not making big errors in the biggest of games. That’s huge, especially when you have a big-time defense.
“But what I like most about Bo is the courage and leadership and a little bit of ‘it’ factor he has. Like on that third-and-nine last week against Texas A&M, he knows where the sticks are, fights through the line of scrimmage and dives over a defender to get the first down that ultimately led to a touchdown. … He has a little bit of that that you can’t necessarily teach.”
Unfortunately, Tebow wasn’t asked about the nation’s current No. 1 team, the Mississippi State Bulldogs. As well as Wallace has played this season, he’s not the quarterback in the state of Mississippi currently being compared to Tebow (that’s Dak Prescott). We’ll all eagerly anticipate Tebow’s comments regarding the Bulldogs.
