Tim Tebow sends message to Nick Saban following retirement

As one of Nick Saban’s early adversaries during his Alabama tenure, Tim Tebow directly opposed the Crimson Tide’s championship efforts as quarterback of the Florida Gators.

Over a decade later, Tebow has nothing but respect for someone many consider to be the greatest of all time. After his shocking retirement on Wednesday, Tebow went ahead and sent a message to the now-former Alabama headman.

“Through the battles against each other and through the years watching you, you’ve adapted, grown and won so consistently, leading young men through the highs and lows, wins and losses,” Tebow tweeted.

Most notably, Tebow led a 12-0 Florida team into the 2008 SEC Championship game against Saban’s equally undefeated Crimson Tide. Ranked No. 1 and 2 in the AP Polls, respectively, the winner would make the national championship game a couple of weeks later.

Florida, led by Urban Meyer, would beat Alabama 31-20 to win the SEC title. Tebow would win the Heisman Trophy and his Gators would go on to secure the national championship in the coming weeks.

Based on what came after for the Crimson Tide, there are probably no hard feelings for either party. Tebow got his rings and Saban filled his trophy room over the next decade and then some.

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2009 once again saw the undefeated top-ranked Florida Gators defend their SEC, and essentially their national championship, against the Crimson Tide in a rematch of the 2008 conference championship game.

It was Florida’s chance to win three BCS national championships in four years — and what happened over the next 60 minutes is something that Tebow has since called his biggest regret during his college football career.

Alabama would go on an unseat Tebow’s Gators 32-13 behind the backfield of Greg McElroy and Mark Ingram. Tebow was left in a pile of his own emotions in the aftermath.

“We were so close to do it,” Tebow recalled during an interview during Netflix’s ‘Untold: Swamp Kings.’ “But we were still trying to match the past versus press on for the future.”

Perhaps Saban took Tebow’s advice in that sense. There was nothing else for Saban to accomplish. He has one right for nearly every finger, his trophy room is as extensive (and expensive) as they come — what else could he have done? To Saban, it was time to press on. And of course, the Tide will continue to roll.