HOOVER, Ala. — This was not the easiest of assignments: Dig up the dirt on Tim Tebow, Florida’s all-everything, Mr. All American quarterback and genuine super guy.

My gosh, not a hair is out of place on Tebow’s head. Advertisers could use his smile in toothpaste commercials. Women swoon over his good looks and chiseled physique.
Tebow is an Academic All-American. He volunteers his spare moments to visit children at Shands Hospital in Gainesville, Fla. He travels to the Philippines every summer on mission trips.
While leading Florida to its second national championship in three years in January, Tebow used eye black to convey Bible verses to the television audience. He bragged Thursday at SEC Media Days of 94 million Google hits on those two verses in the days following Florida’s win over Oklahoma.
A few minutes later, this 21-year-old did not blink during a radio interview session when the questioner asked Tebow if his deep religious beliefs meant he was saving his virginity for marriage.
“Yes, I am,” Tebow said. Then, when the silence around the room signaled an awkward situation that even Tim Tebow could not escape, he called a quick audible and had the room laughing.
“I’m OK with the question,” Tebow said. “You’re the ones who look stunned.”
Then there are his exploits on the football field. We all know he won the Heisman Trophy following the 2007 season. We also know he wears two national championship rings. His jersey No. 15 will be retired when he leaves Florida following this season, one in which he is a good bet to both win another Heisman Trophy and national title.
We just might be looking at the greatest player in the history of college football.
But no one is perfect, right?
“Far from it,” Tebow said. “I screw up every day. I’m working every day trying to get better and deepen my faith.”
Dan Mullen worked directly with Tebow over the previous three seasons as Florida’s offensive coordinator. Mullen now is Mississippi State’s head coach. He said he spent more time with Tebow while at Florida than he did with his own wife.
Mullen knows Tebow as well as anyone. So, Mullen should know all the dirt on Tebow.
“Dirt off the field?” Mullen asked. “I’ll say this about Tim Tebow. If you get the opportunity to meet him, spend time with him, he’s one of the most unique people in the world. I probably have more respect for him than anybody I’ve ever met. Just an amazing kid.
“He taught me a very valuable lesson in life: If you can make an impact on someone’s life, it’s your obligation to do that. He is one of the most amazing young people out there.”
In case you missed that, Tebow was the one teaching his coach a lesson about life.
So, maybe Florida coach Urban Meyer knows something of Tebow’s bad habits or annoying nuances. Tebow said Meyer has become like a second father to the quarterback. Their friendship carries off the field where the two often visit area hospitals and prisons together.
“Annoying habits Tim Tebow has?” Meyer asked. “You know, I’m sure I could think of some. You kind of caught me off guard here. There are some I can’t share with you right now because I’m not sure what they are.”
Maybe we should go to the source himself.
“I crack my knuckles all the time, I do,” said Tebow, fully unaware that knuckle cracking could possibly cause early onset of arthritis.
Tebow also admitted to “sometimes” tooling around the Florida campus on his motor scooter . . . without a helmet!
A healthier eater you might never meet, yet Tebow sheepishly admitted a passion for vanilla/chocolate swirl ice cream. Don’t tell anyone, but Tebow also has an addiction to sugar-coated cereals, particularly Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
That is it. All the dirt to be found on Tebow, unless you count the couple of times Thursday when he stood up following an interview session and walked away before detaching the microphone from his shirt.
In Tebow’s world, that is called screwing up.