SEC Network hires Tim Tebow as an analyst

Tim Tebow will be on your television screen soon, and fittingly it's on a channel owned by ESPN.

The former Florida quarterback and 2007 Heisman Trophy winner has been hired by the SEC Network as an analyst for its traveling Saturday morning show "SEC Nation" that will debut in August. However, he'll be making his first ESPN appearance on Monday, January 6 before the BCS Championship Game. He'll be on SportsCenter in the morning, College Football Live in the afternoon and College GameDay before the game between Auburn and Florida State.

The move to the SEC Network had been rumored for a while.

“I am so excited that ESPN has given me this incredible opportunity,” Tebow said in an ESPN release. “When I was six years old I fell in love with the game of football, and while I continue to pursue my dream of playing quarterback in the NFL, this is an amazing opportunity to be part of the unparalleled passion of college football and the SEC.”

ESPN also said that Tebow would be a part of its coverage of the College Football Playoff that begins next year in place of the BCS.

In his career at Florida, Tebow threw for over 9,000 yards and rushed for almost 3,000. He was selected in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos and became the full-time starter in the middle of 2011. The Broncos made the playoffs that year and won in the first round over the Pittsburgh Steelers when Tebow hit Demaryius Thomas for an 80-yard touchdown pass. However, Tebow struggled mightily in the second round against the New England Patriots and in March 2012, was traded to the New York Jets.

However, Tebow was used minimally in his time with the Jets and cut after the season. He latched on with thePatriots, but was cut in August. Since then, Tebow has not been on an NFL roster, though we should note that ESPN made sure to say in its release that Tebow would not be prevented from pursuing any playing opportunities because of his contract with the network. Will those opportunities happen? The guess here is no, and that Tebow is going to be an indefatigable part of ESPN's college football coverage from here on out.