Cam Newton vs. Tim Tebow: Who is Urban Meyer's greatest recruitment of all time?
Urban Meyer had great success in recruiting dual-threat quarterbacks to be his starters at the University of Florida.
Meyer heavily recruited Tim Tebow and eventually landed the star QB for the 2006 season. Tebow ended up being a significant contributor in his freshman season as he was a short-yardage quarterback and even stepped in to make some passes.
Although Tebow was going to be the Gators' starting quarterback for quite some time, Meyer also recruited Cam Newton, and he landed the dual-threat quarterback to start for the program in 2007.
However, after recruiting Tebow and Newton, both quarterbacks were on the roster for 2007 and 2008, but it was Tebow who won the starting quarterback job.
Although both Tim Tebow and Cam Newton were two of the top high school quarterbacks at their time, it seems like Tebow was Urban Meyer's greatest recruitment, helping lead the Gators to two national titles.
Tim Tebow's time with Urban Meyer and Florida
Tim Tebow was a massive land for Urban Meyer as schools like Alabama wanted the 6-foot-3 QB. However, Meyer did enough to land the dual-threat quarterback.
It was a massive sign of relief, as shown in the latest Netflix documentary "Untold: Swamp Kings." Many thought that had Meyer not gotten Tebow, he likely would have been fired.
Tebow had tremendous success with the Gators in four seasons, as he threw for 9285 yards, 88 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. He also ran for 2947 yards and 57 touchdowns, showing how dangerous he was as a dual-threat quarterback.
Tim Tebow also won the Heisman in 2007, finished third in 2008 and fifth in 2009. The quarterback was the starter in 2008 and helped lead the Gators to a 13-1 record and beat Oklahoma 24-14 to win the title.
Urban Meyer also loved Tebow so much that he signed him as a tight end in 2021 with the Jacksonville Jaguars after six years out of football. Unfortunately, Tebow was cut during training camp.
Cam Newton transferred out of Florida
Cam Newton was the 28th overall high school player and committed to the University of Florida for the 2007 season.
As a freshman, Newton beat out John Brantley to become the backup quarterback to Tim Tebow. Although he was the backup, Newton did get some play time as he played in five games, passing for 40 yards on 5-of-10 and rushing 16 times for 103 yards and three touchdowns.
In 2008, Cam Newton was arrested on felony charges of burglary, larceny and obstruction of justice as he was accused of stealing a laptop from another University of Florida student. He was then suspended from the team, and just three days before the Gators won the national championship, he announced he would be transferring.
Newton ended up at Blinn College and won the 2009 NJCAA national football championship. After one season there, he committed to Auburn. His single season for the Tigers saw Newton throw for 2854 yards, 30 touchdowns and seven interceptions while rushing for 1473 yards and 20 touchdowns. He won the Heisman in 2010 and was drafted first overall.
Even though his time in Florida never panned out, he still was one of Urban Meyer's best recruits, but it's clear that Tebow was a better transfer.