Tim Tebow vs. Marcus Mariota: Who Transitions Better to the NFL?

Jan 1, 2015; Pasadena, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) warms up prior to the 2015 Rose Bowl college football game at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

3. Who did more with less?

Advantage: Marcus Mariota

Yes, Marcus Mariota does win in this situation. Oregon fans might even disagree on this one, because it elevates Mariota to a degree and diminishes the talent in their program. But it is not even close.

Mariota had nowhere near the talent around him his three years at Oregon that Tebow had at Florida.

Throughout his career at Florida, Tebow was surrounded by Top 10 and Top 5 elite recruiting classes loaded with NFL talent. In fact, all but three of the classes that would have ever played with Tebow from 2003 to 2009 were Top 5 classes and all but two were Top 10 classes.

Mariota, meanwhile, had one Top 10 class playing with him and often times classes outside of the Top 20.

But skip recruiting, let’s just look at coaching and NFL talent. Tebow was playing with elite offensive talent such as Percy Harvin, Andre Caldwell, and Maurkice and Mike Puncey on the offensive line while Dan Mullen was offensive coordinator. Oh, and for a little controversy, he also had Aaron Hernandez and Riley Cooper to throw to.

And we have not even gotten to the Charlie Strong-coached defense, which was just as elite as Tebow during this time. We are talking superstars like Carlos Dunlap, Joe Haden, and Brandon Spikes. Yes, Tebow’s national championship was memorable, but Florida’s defense from 2006 to 2009 was elite and won two national titles, one without Tebow. In both title games, they kept a Heisman Trophy quarterback from even leading his team to 20 points.

So yes, Tebow was great, but he was surrounded by a level of talent that Oregon does not even come close to matching.

Score: Tim Tebow leads 2-1

Next: #2: Statistics