Robert Sciarrino/The Star-LedgerTim Tebow delivered passionate pre-game speeches as a college quarterback.Tim Tebow sat in front of his locker on game day, reading a passage in the Bible. All of a sudden, University of Florida teammate Will Hill heard Tebow slam the book shut excitedly and roar, “Let’s go!”
“I was like, ‘I need to read that verse he read,’ ” Hill recalled Friday at TEST Sports Clubs in Martinsville, where he was participating in a Pro Day event also sponsored by Parisi.
The two were Gators teammates for two seasons, 2008-09, during which Florida won 26 of its 28 games and a national championship with Tebow as the starting quarterback. Hill, a safety on those teams, called Tebow a “motivator,” driven by his faith, his belief in his teammates and his fierce competitiveness.
“Knowing him, being with the Jets, I know he wants to be that starting guy,” Hill said with a smile. “I know that he’s going to pull others to him. It’s going to be a big change for the Jets.”
The Jets’ trade for Tebow less than two weeks ago has raised many questions. The former Broncos starter has been announced as the back-up to Mark Sanchez, and he will also be given a package of direct-snap plays that take advantage of his unique skill set.
But the public, and some of his new Jets teammates, are wondering: How will Tebow fit into the offense of new coordinator Tony Sparano? How will he fit into the locker room? How will a successful starter handle entering the team as second on the depth chart?
“That’s going to push him,” Hill predicted. “He’ll definitely push the starter, because if the starter’s not pushed, Timmy’s going to be there.”
Hill -- the former St. Peter’s Prep star who is still trying to find a landing spot in professional football after declaring for the draft early in 2011 -- recalls a teammate so competitive that he would pop over to do defensive back drills at Florida practice.
“He was trying to be better than us,” Hill said. “He’s a great competitor, that’s what drives him on and off the field. He wants to be the best at anything.”
In Gainesville, Fla., Tebow was the leader who organized team dinners and paintball or bowling outings. He was goofy, too: Hill recounts going over to Tebow’s apartment to find him and roommate Riley Cooper, now a receiver for the Eagles, having a noisy and clumsy pillow fight.
Tebow sought personal inspiration from his Christian faith, Hill recalled, but his passionate pre-game speeches at Florida drew more on his belief in each of his teammates.
“Even though he’s not how a typical athlete is with all the loud rap music and everything, he has other things that motivate him,” Hill said. “He reads his verses and then he goes and gets in each player’s face. Not just one (player), he goes in everybody’s (face) to motivate everybody, because if one person is not motivated, there’s the potential we will lose. He makes it known.”
His message was always positive. Hill said Tebow would often remind his teammates to keep going, keep pushing and never give up, even if they made a mistake. You never know when momentum will change, he would say.
“I had arguments with people, tons of arguments, about how well Timmy was supposed to do in the league,” said Hill, who went undrafted and is hoping for a chance in the NFL or CFL. “They criticized his throwing. Alright, what do you want? A winner, or do you want just a pretty quarterback? You’ve got pretty quarterbacks that can throw the ball and never win, like the guy that was there before Tim (in Denver). But Tim know how to win, and that’s what the league needs: A person that knows how to win, and he knows how to win.”
Hill believes the kind of leader Tebow was at Florida can translate to any locker room at any level.
“In the locker room, you just get that vibe,” Hill said. “Timmy’s your leader, and you know how crazy he is. He’s crazy when it comes to the field.”
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