07/24 at 01:26 AM

HOOVER — The economic future of the SEC appears recession-proof, so in all likelihood, the grand poobah that is SEC Media Days will continue into the foreseeable future.

That is if the SEC can survive without Tim Tebow.

If the first two days of this year’s festivities are any indication, where five minutes don’t go by without a mention of the two-time National Champion and Heisman-winning Florida Gators quarterback, the SEC may be forced to shorten the event and prepare for plenty of awkward silence.

Just like last year’s event, it’s been all Tebow, all the time.

And he’s relished every second of it — even if it can grow a bit tiresome.

“I kind of look at it from a little bit different perspective,” Tebow said. “Going and speaking, working in the hospitals or prisons or whatnot, it can get tiring physically, emotionally. But at the same time it’s so worth it for me.

“I don’t look at it as madness.”

As if he needed it, the hype machine has gone to 11 in his final appearance because of a controversy that will likely be viewed, in retrospect, as frivolous.

Despite his all-everything accolades and a down year for quarterbacks in the SEC, Tebow did not receive a unanimous vote to the preseason coaches All-SEC first team. Every coach that’s stepped to the podium so far has been asked to disclose if he put Tebow on the first team — a witch hunt of sorts. Some coaches, such as Georgia’s Mark Richt on Thursday, have fielded the question before answering anything regarding their own team.

When Tebow touched on the subject Thursday five questions into his personal press conference — he is the only player to hold court in front of the entire print media — he treated the kerfuffle the same way he’s treated all the other probing questions that come with his iconic status.

With a smile and a chuckle.

“I really don’t think this will be something that I will think about too much,” Tebow said. “I’m a pretty self-motivated person. I’m not going to run sprints thinking about the coach that didn’t vote for me.”

Even with the apparent snub from one of the conference’s coaches, Tebow has repeatedly had his name thrown in the same sentence as the four words veteran coaches don’t often toss around lightly.
Greatest of all time.

“I know there’s some people that they pick holes in everybody,” said Kentucky coach Rich Brooks, who added that he certainly voted Tebow to the first team. “But this guy is maybe one of the best or ‘the’ best college football player that’s ever played the game.”

With his personal accomplishments already fulfilled, Tebow said he’s spent the offseason focused on preventing the complacency that can sprout after winning a national championship.

Coming back for his senior season, he said, has already been worth it — even with the first game still more than a month away.

“Every day you step in that weight room, every day you step on that practice field, you’re worried about getting better and not getting by,” Tebow said. “We talk about that all the time as a football team is when we’re out on that field, don’t worry about when it’s going to be over; worry about how much better you can get right now.”

Right now, it’s tough to find anyone who thinks any team will be better than the Tebow-led Gators.

Florida returns all 11 starters on defense and is missing just a few cogs from last year’s offensive unit, which torched opponents for more than 43 points per game.

The situation appears all too perfect for Florida coach Urban Meyer, who tried to quell the thought of repeating as national champions when he said Thursday that his team’s goal was to simply win the conference and then see what happens.

That’s easy to say when your quarterback plays the part nothing short of perfect.

Midway through his 40-minute session with reporters, Meyer was asked if Tebow had any annoying habits. He said he’d try to think of some by the end of the press conference because he couldn’t think of any at that moment.

Twenty minutes later, when all hands in the room were down, Meyer was reminded of the promise he made.

He smiled and stepped down from the podium.

“Thanks guys.”

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