HOOVER, Ala. - Just as he did last year at Southeastern Conference Media Days, UF quarterback Tim Tebow answered questions from the podium, a spot usually reserved for coaches.
Only Tebow used it more like a pulpit.
For 20 minutes, the UF signal caller discussed topics ranging from his decision to return to the Gators for his senior year to his religious beliefs.
But before anyone could fire off a question, Tebow addressed the biggest mystery floating around the conference: Which coach left Tebow off his preseason All-SEC First-Team ballot?
"I'm glad to be here. No, I do not know who did not vote for me. I've gotten that question a lot," he said.
Many questions in Hoover last week have focused on Tebow, as nearly every player and coach has been asked about him.
UF coach Urban Meyer and Mississippi State's Dan Mullen were asked to divulge Tebow's annoying habits, and players were asked whether he's the toughest opponent they have ever faced.
Needless to say, the attention just intensified when Tebow arrived, with seemingly no topic off limits.
During a radio interview Thursday, Tebow was asked whether he's waiting until marriage to have sex, to which he responded, "Yes, I am."
When another reporter couldn't find the right words for a follow-up, Tebow interjected, "I think you're stunned right now. You can't even ask a question. … I was ready for that question, but I don't think y'all were."
Since his days at Nease High, Tebow has become a very comfortable public speaker. His speech after the loss to Mississippi last season quickly became legend (another hot topic at Media Days), and he looked at ease on Thursday.
At times, the interview session bordered on a sermon, with Tebow seeming to dispatch advice to those in the room about how to avoid complacency.
"So many times in every aspect of life, people are worried about getting by," Tebow said. "You're worried about, 'I can't wait to get done with this so I have my free time. I can't wait to get this interview done with Tim Tebow so I can get it over with, instead of worrying about how it can be the best it can be.' In so many different ways, that's people's mindset."
Tebow also discussed the positives and negatives of his fame, including the never-ending media and fan attention that he says makes it difficult to do simple things like eat at a restaurant in peace.
"But also you think about it, because of that, because of the articles that y'all have written and because of the articles that people continue to write, it's not only backlash from it, but there's also a lot of positive," he said.
"There have been a lot of people that have been encouraged not to have an abortion because they heard the story of my mom, or they have been encouraged because they have heard me give my faith on TV or in a report or something. You know what, although there has been a backlash, oh, well. I'll deal with it if I have to."
And just as he ended his now-famous postgame speech, Tebow left the podium in Hoover with a "God bless."
