The Florida Gators got more than their man when quarterback Tim Tebow picked them over basically every other school in the country.

The Gators got someone who will do whatever it takes to win.

They got someone who is ideal for coach Urban Meyer's spread offense.

They got a quarterback who will not freeze up like a deer in the limelight. They got someone who won't cry when he doesn't get enough playing time his freshman season.

Tebow, Florida's all-time leading passer from St. Augustine-Nease High School, is the perfect fit to bring Florida football back to prominence.

He showed last week in leading Nease to the Class 4A championship that he's got all the tools and then some.

Tebow showed off his arm, throwing for four touchdowns and 237 yards on 18 of 27 passing.

He carried the ball 27 times for 153 yards and another two TDs.

But that wasn't the most impressive story to come out of the championship game played at Dolphins Stadium.

Tebow even prevented Seffner Armwood from scoring. He got down in the trenches with the game on the line. On Seffner's final drive, with Nease holding on to a slim seven-point lead, Tebow played nose tackle.

At 6-foot-3, 217 pounds, he's got a body to play linebacker. That's the position he played three seasons ago at Jacksonville Trinity Christian.

"Pound-for-pound he could be the best athlete in the country," said Jeremy Patterson of Rivals.com, which had Tebow ranked as the 12th-best prospect in the country. "Has an extremely strong arm, is very tough to get on the ground and is a true dual-threat quarterback."

He's the Steve Young of high school football. Lefty. Quick on his feet. He's no Michael Vick, but Alex Smith, who quarterbacked Meyer's undefeated Utah team two years ago, comes to mind.

One thing that can't be measured is Tebow's heart. He admitted being torn between Florida and Alabama. Crimson Tide coach Mike Shula put on a full-out blitz, spending 12 hours with the senior and his family.

"Sweet kid," Nease coach Craig Howard told the Miami Herald.

"Sweet smile. Incredible work ethic. His sophomore year, I went into a staff meeting for 2 1/2 hours after practice. When I came out, he was still out there working on (his drop-back passing) technique."

With Florida's backup quarterback, Josh Portis, a freshman this season, bailing out and Chris Leak, the ineffective starter, one year from graduation, Tebow's timing couldn't be better. Who knows? He could even beat out Leak for the starting job.

Florida fans don't have to worry about this top prospect being trouble. Tebow comes from a strong Christian family.

He was raised on a farm outside of Jacksonville and home-schooled for most of his life with his five brothers and sisters.

The last three summers, Tebow, the baby of the family, traveled to the Phillipines with his father to work as a missionary. And he reads the Bible first thing every morning.

Tebow believes in the power of prayer. And he's answered more than a few too, with his commitment to the Gators.