Goodnight Gainesville: Tim Tebow Bids Adieu As Florida Begins Anew

Urban Meyer’s smile said it all.

As Tim Tebow jogged back to the Florida sideline after a four-yard touchdown run, his coach had nothing to say. Meyer simply stopped in front of Tebow, gave him two fist bumps, and smiled.

He smiled because his Florida Gators were pummeling the Cincinnati Bearcats about as hard as any team could.

He smiled because his guy, Tebow, was in the midst of his greatest college performance in his final game as a Gator. The Sugar Bowl trophy had long been packed up and sent home as Tebow’s touchdown pushed the scoreboard to 44-10, advantage Florida. 

When Tebow left the game with about three minutes left in the fourth quarter, Meyer remained speechless as he greeted Tebow with a hug. Blue and orange applause cascaded down from the Superdome rafters, and Tebow took a moment to bask in the sweet sound of success.

Meyer let the fans do the talking because, really, what was there to say?

What’s there to say about a 51-24 throttling of an undefeated Cincinnati team, a performance so impressive that we were reminded why Meyer has been able to maintain national prominence in Gainesville?

What’s there to say about an epic performance by Tebow that included 484 passing yards, three passing TDs, a rushing TD, and a BCS-record 533 total yards?

And what’s there to say about the perfect exit for a kid that meant not only everything to the Florida Gators football program, but an awful lot to college football, and an unquantifiable amount to kids everywhere?

You can consider it ironic that despite Tebow’s greatest on-field performance of his acclaimed career, his lasting image will not be the four Sugar Bowl touchdowns, but rather his wide-eyed smile as he left the field as college football’s greatest ambassador.

Or you can consider it proper. That’s probably how Tebow prefers it.

It’s impossible not to respect what Tebow stands for, but the extreme hype and national attention rub some the wrong way. Haters will pick on the Bible verses that adorn Tebow’s eye strips, or the in-your-face leadership style, but this was a night for all to enjoy.

Sometimes personal agendas need to be traded in for perspective. Not everyone is a fan of Tebow, or Florida, but everyone associated with college football is a fan of its rich history.

At the very least, a big slice of history is what we got Friday evening.

Tebow may be headed for the NFL and a plethora of missionary and community service ventures, but Florida will live on, as it faces a transition that will define the next decade for Gator football.

The aughts treated Gainesville particularly well. Since joining the University of Florida for the 2005 season, Meyer brought two national championships and three BCS bowl victories to The Swamp.

If the recent week is any indication, nobody knows what the future holds for Meyer. Now that the ’09 season is over, Meyer will take an indefinite leave of absence from the program to focus on rumored health issues. By all accounts, the stress of the coaching lifestyle broke Meyer down.

This break is most likely a short breather for Meyer, but what happens if he doesn’t return to coach the Gators next fall?

Assistant coach Steve Addazio is set to be the interim head coach, but Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley has no answer for how long the “interim” period will last.

Of course, the head coach is essential to the program and its recruiting efforts. The Gators’ dominance of Cincinnati was vintage Meyer.

What’s the secret to Meyer’s success? Just look at the athletes he’s accumulated over the last four seasons.

Addazio is surely adept in Florida football tradition and customs, but can a guy whose only head coaching experience was at the high school level compete for recruits on a national level and keep the program leaping over the high expectations it has set? Can any other coach that lacks Meyer's cachet sustain the same success at Florida?

My guess is Meyer will be back for at least another season, but the decision needs to be made as soon as Meyer is able in order for the Gators to proceed full speed ahead.

The juggernaut will be holding its breath until then.

Meyer or no Meyer, the Florida roster is going to experience a new level of overhaul. Adios, Tim Tebow; how do you do, John Brantley?

Running backs Emmanuel Moody and Chris Rainey will be back, but wide receiver Riley Cooper will graduate, and tight end Aaron Hernandez can declare for the NFL Draft.

Two of Florida’s best players on defense, linebacker Brandon Spikes and defensive back Joe Haden, won’t be back next fall. Spikes is a senior, while Haden, a junior, is practically a lock to enter the draft. Carlos Dunlap, the biggest beast on Florida's defensive line, will likely turn pro and be a high first-round pick.

Whether Florida can replace all of this talent remains to be seen, but stacked recruiting classes have become customary in Gainesville, and next year’s edition should be no different.

Florida’s recruiting page on Rivals.com is loaded with four-star prospects, including a lion’s share of the best kids from Florida. Joshua Shaw, Jordan Haden, and Mack Brown are a few of the prep names that give the Gators the No. 3 recruiting class in the nation.

But, again, it all comes back to Meyer. Will he be at Florida for the future or won’t he? Kids want to know. Amidst the Meyer confusion, Florida has already seen five-star safety Matt Elam switch his commitment to Florida State.

With Meyer, the Gators will simply reload. With anyone else, there may be a little rebuilding involved.

But those questions can be left for Monday morning.

For now, for the first day of 2010, what Tebow delivered should be plenty to enjoy for the blue-and-orange clad football junkies.

I’m looking forward to Tebow’s ascent to the NFL. Some team ought to give him the opportunity to at least prove he can’t play quarterback at the highest level.

Brian Billick did a wonderful job breaking down some NFL concerns about Tebow’s game during the broadcast, pointing to Tebow’s long arm swing and slow release as the two biggest checks against him.

But there was Tebow, showing more arm strength and accuracy than I’ve ever seen from him, relentlessly moving the ball down the field and doing the two things that seem to come naturally to him on the field: scoring and winning.

We don’t need to bring up the heart, toughness and attitude pages of his player profile. Those have been read aloud before.

As the crowd chanted, “Thank you, Tebow,” the quarterback saluted those who have backed him for four years.

Tebow’s legacy at Florida has been long etched in stone.

But when you have two national titles and a Heisman, and the college football world still remembers you for the impact you had off the field rather than on it, you can bet it’s been four years well spent.

You can reach Teddy Mitrosilis at [e-mail].