In the 100 days leading up to signing day 2015, RecruitingNation will be looking back at our ESPN recruiting rankings from 2006 to the present and count down the best player of the past 10 years at each ranking position, No. 100 to No. 1.
Tim Tebow, No. 15 in 2006 class
Tebow made official visits coming out of Nease High in Ponte Vedra, Florida, but was considered a near-lock for the Florida Gators -- who won out
Tebow earned the backup job as a true freshman in 2006 playing behind senior Chris Leak on the Gators' BCS national championship team, finishing second on the team in rushing yards. He accounted for two touchdowns in the title-game win over Ohio State.
As a sophomore, Tebow took over as the starting signal caller and quickly became one of the most dominant players in college football. He won the Heisman Trophy, AP Player of the Year and Davey O'Brien Award to go with All-SEC honors. He set SEC season records with 23 rushing touchdowns and 55 total touchdowns accounted for. In 13 games, Tebow threw for 3,286 yards and 32 touchdowns while rushing for 895 yards.
In 2008, Tebow's numbers would dip but he led the Gators to a second national championship in three seasons, throwing for 2,747 yards and 30 TDs. He also rushed for 673 yards and 12 scores. He was selected first-team All-American, was the SEC Offensive Player of the Year, won a second straight Maxwell Award, took home the Manning Award and finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting following the season.
Tebow capped one of the best careers in college football history in 2009 throwing for 2,895 yards and 21 scores and rushing for 910 yards and 14 TD's in 14 games. Following the season, Tebow was awarded first-team All-SEC designation for a third consecutive year and was a Heisman Trophy finalst for a third straight year.
Tebow closed out his Florida career with a 35-6 record as the starting quarterback, including 2-0 in BCS bowl games. He threw for 9,286 yards and 88 TDs to go with 2,947 rushing yards and 57 scores in four seasons. He was inducted into the University of Florida Hall of Fame in April 2009.
Tebow was selected No. 25 overall in the 2010 NFL draft by the Denver Broncos, where he started 14 games in two seasons before being traded to the New York Jets.
Honorable mention: A number of prospects ranked No. 15 have gone on to terrific college and/or NFL careers. Carlos Dunlap, No. 15 in 2007 class, played at Florida and was drafted in the second round (No. 54 overall) in 2010. Greg Reid, No. 15 in 2009 class, was a standout at Florida State before off-the-field issues cut short his time in Tallahassee. That also hurt his NFL draft stock. Ahmad Dixon, No. 15 in 2010, was a seventh round draft selection in the 2014 draft after a standout career at Baylor. Aaron Lynch, No. 15 in 2011 class, played at Notre Dame and South Florida before being selected in the fifth round of the 2014 draft by the San Francisco 49ers where he is projected to start in 2015. Christian Hackenberg, No. 15 in 2013 class, is a projected NFL draft selection in 2016 or 2017.