Paul Finebaum points out how Tim Tebow helped bring Nick Saban to Alabama
Paul Finebaum spoke about an interesting ‘what if?’ while on set with Florida legend Tim Tebow on Friday afternoon.
Tebow said he nearly committed to Alabama out of high school and had a good relationship with former Tide coach Mike Shula throughout his recruitment.
According to Finebaum, Tebow’s “last-second decision” to attend Florida changed college football history forever.
“Not to make you larger than life, although you are, had you decided to come to the University of Alabama, Nick Saban wouldn’t be here,” Finebaum said. “Because Mike Shula would have done much better than he did. Saban would have eventually gone somewhere else.”
Here’s video of their conversation on SEC Network:
Is @TimTebow responsible for Nick Saban coming to Alabama? ? @finebaum thinks so. pic.twitter.com/tTVWaLpxkZ
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) September 8, 2023
Tebow was a member of the 2006 recruiting class. He would have been a true freshman in what turned out to be Shula’s final year in Tuscaloosa.
Alabama went 6-7 that season as starting quarterback John Parker Wilson struggled. He completed just 57% of his passes and threw for 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
It’s certainly possible that Tebow could have made a big impact on the Crimson Tide that season. As a true freshman at Florida, he was the backup behind Chris Leak but still completed 66.7% of his passes for 358 yards, 5 touchdowns and 1 interception. He also rushed for 469 yards and 8 more scores on the ground.
Instead, Saban was hired ahead of the 2007 season and the rest is history.