This time, Tebow keeps his number secret

Tim Tebow’s cell phone has been pretty quiet, especially compared to what it was doing this time last year.

Tebow’s phone started blowing up a week before Florida played LSU last October. He received hundreds of threatening voice and text messages.

Tebow said they increased as the game got closer. He eventually turned the phone off, but had to listen to each voice message and read each text message before deleting them.

He got a new number two days after the 28-24 loss in Baton Rouge and has been more cautious with handing out his digits since.

“I don’t think they’re going to get this number,” the Heisman Trophy winner said as the 11th-ranked Gators prepared to host No. 4 LSU on Saturday night. “I hope not. Not right now.”

Tebow assumed the messages were from LSU fans, especially given the nature of them. There also were reports out of Baton Rouge that students were walking around campus the day of the game wearing T-shirts with Tebow’s cell phone printed on them.

The distraction didn’t affect Tebow on the field. He ran 16 times for 67 yards and a touchdown and completed 12 of 26 passes for 158 yards and two scores.

But it clearly was on his mind. After his first TD pass, Tebow pretended as if he had a cell phone in his left hand and dialed numbers with his right. He then put it up to his ear and stared into the stands at Tiger Stadium