In anticipation of April’s NFL draft, Tebow has hired a personal tutor. According to the CanWest News Service, he didn’t look to the NFL or even the NCAA for that help. Tebow instead opted to turn to the Canadian Football League and Montreal Alouettes head coach Marc Trestman.
CanWest also reports that the Alouettes have put Tebow on their confidential negotiation list, a designation that should he ever want to call the CFL home, Montreal will have the first chance to sign him.
Trestman was a quarterbacks coach in the NFL for nine seasons before heading north of the border. He also was previously the offensive co-coordinator and quarterbacks coach at North Carolina State and attempted to recruit Tebow in 2005. Trestman has also worked with Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen this offseason.
It’s highly unlikely Tebow would play in Canada right away — if ever — as he looks near certain to be drafted in the first few rounds of the NFL draft. Tebow is one of the more divisive prospects the draft has seen since it became so heavily covered. He is an unquestioned leader and would be a huge asset as a scrambler in the new age of the Wildcat offense, but he lacks great accuracy, has a throwing motion that many scouts deem to be too long and took almost every snap from the shotgun while in college.
Tebow probably didn't help his stock with his performance Saturday in the Senior Bowl. He threw for just 50 yards while completing just eight of 12 passes. The former Gator only accounted for four yards on four rushes and fumbled twice taking the ball from under center.
The Alouettes right now have Anthony Calvillo, the three-time CFL Most Outstanding Player (including 2008 and 2009), who also has an unorthodox, long motion and windup. In Canada, Calvillo has amassed 63,332 passing yards, good for fourth all-time in professional football (NFL/CFL/USFL).
Tebow wouldn’t be the first former Heisman winner to play in Canada if he decides to head to Montreal. Doug Flutie, who won the Heisman in 1984 while at Boston College, played eight seasons in the CFL in between NFL stints. Flutie had a similar aura around him in his time at BC as Tebow did at Florida, becoming revered, larger-than-life figures on their respective campuses. In the CFL, Flutie continued to find fame, even becoming the first non-Canadian inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.
There may be success in the NFL for Tebow, but if there isn't, he can be assured a soft landing on the real frozen tundra, just a little bit north of Lambeau Field.
