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Florida head coach search: Robert Griffin III pitches Tim Tebow to replace Billy Napier

IMG_0985by: Griffin McVeigh6 hours agogriffin_mcveigh
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Florida quarterback Tim Tebow celebrates after their final touchdown in the fourth quarter of their 31-20 victory over Alabama for the SEC Championship at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, Saturday, December 6, 2008. (Photo by Gary W. Green/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

In what felt like a long time coming, Florida finally pulled the plug on Billy Napier‘s tenure in Gainesville. Now, an incredibly important coaching search is in front of athletic director Scott Striklin. Multiple names are linked with the job, mainly Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin.

But Robert Griffin III has his own idea of who should replace Napier. He believes legendary player Tim Tebow could be a good leader for the program, citing some of the pull he has within the state. If the goal is to get the best players to Florida, Griffin argues nobody is better than Tebow.

“I think they should hire Tim Tebow,” Griffin said via the Dan Patrick Show. “If Tim Tebow goes into any home in Florida, those parents aren’t saying ‘Yep, sign me up. I’m coming.’ You got to put a great staff around him… I’m not saying Tebow would take the job. But if I’m Florida, I’m trying to do that because you need that level of exposure.”

Arguably nobody in modern times is associated with Florida more than Tebow. Between the two national championships he won and the Heisman Trophy, he remains a fan favorite to this day. Tebow saw himself inducted into the Florida Football Ring of Honor back in 2018.

Patrick then began to push back on the idea, saying Tebow is not somebody you can eventually fire due to his hold on the fanbase. Multiple college basketball examples were used, most recently Patrick Ewing at Georgetown.

And he also wondered if he would be interested in the game, considering there is no high-level coaching experience on the resume. Turns out, Griffin has asked Tebow about the possibility.

“His response is that he’s not chasing that,” Griffin said. “It’s not that he’s not interested in all. It’s just that he’s not chasing that. I understand it.”

Right now, Tebow remains involved in college football through the media. Every Saturday morning sees him co-host SEC Nation, traveling to different campuses across the conference. A recent stop in Gainesville brought him back when Florida faced off against Texas, a game the Gators won.

Griffin thinks Stricklin should seriously look at putting Tebow on the sidelines for the 2026 season opener vs. FAU. It’s an era where former players have gotten directly into head coach roles, mainly Deion Sanders at Jackson State/Colorado. If nothing else, imagining Tebow taking over at Florida provides an interesting scenario.