Spurrier confesses he didn't vote Tebow All-SEC

By TIM TUCKER

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Hoover, Ala. -- Mystery solved: The Ol’ Ball Coach was the one who didn’t vote for Florida’s Tim Tebow as the first-team quarterback on the coaches’ All-SEC preseason team.

It was a mistake, South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said Friday.

“I’m embarrassed by what happened,” said Spurrier, a former Florida coach and quarterback. “I apologize to Tim and all the Gators that it happened.”

What happened, he said, was that South Carolina’s director of football operations filled out the ballot several weeks ago and brought it to Spurrier for approval.

Spurrier said he glanced at it — “I didn’t glance very thoroughly” — and signed off on it.

He said he didn’t realize that Ole Miss’ Jevan Snead — rather than Tebow — was listed as the quarterback until controversy erupted this week about which coach kept Tebow, a Heisman Trophy winner, from being a unanimous first-team choice.

“It’s my fault. I take full responsibility,” Spurrier said. “We screwed it up pretty badly. ... Tim Tebow is not only the best quarterback in this league, but I think the best in the country.”

"I admire and respect [Tebow] ... and he should have been on that ballot. I messed it up, and I take full blame. And I have tried to correct it the best I can. But I still feel very badly about what happened there.

"I didn't sleep worth a dang last night."

Tebow fell one short of being a unanimous pick as first-team quarterback on the coaches' preseason team.

Spurrier said he has asked the SEC to change his vote to Tebow. The league said it will do so.

Coaches often have aides fill out their various poll ballots, then review them with differing degrees of scrutiny. Spurrier said he has always had someone else fill out his ballot for the preseason all-conference team. He said he keeps a closer watch over his weekly Top 25 ballots during the season.

Media demotes Curran

Georgia placed just one player — receiver A.J. Green — on the media’s preseason All-SEC first team, announced Friday.

The Bulldogs had four players on the media’s second team: offensive linemen Clint Boling and Trint Sturdivant, linebacker Rennie Curran and defensive tackle Geno Atkins. Curran was a first-teamer in the earlier coaches’ vote.