The expectations and the publicity surrounding Florida quarterback Tim Tebow may be at an all-time high, but at least one former coach who has personally faced Tebow on the opposing sideline says all the hype and praise surrounding the senior quarterback is justified.

Former Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer, now an analyst with CBS, said he understands the lofty expectations that have been placed upon Tebow, particularly this season as quarterback of the defending national champions. But if anybody can handle that pressure, it's Tebow, Fulmer said.

"When he was a freshman, I said there's nobody that's all of that,'' Fulmer said during a national teleconference Thursday afternoon. Well, Tim Tebow is all of that. He put that team on his shoulder last year after the loss ( to Ole Miss) and took them to the national championship. Having had the seat from a box to watch the SEC Championship, like I did last year . . . I'm sitting in the box and the guy put the team back on his shoulder again in the fourth quarter to beat Alabama. And then he goes and wins a national championship. I think the guy can do what's asked of him. Absolutely.''

Fellow CBS analyst Verne Lundquist said there's a fine line between giving Tebow his due and going overboard when analyzing him, but he said it's because Tebow may be as unique a player as he's seen in his tenure as a college football analyst.

"I've seen a lot of college football players come and go, and this guy is unique,'' Lundquist said. "I've never seen anybody quite like him. I think there's a danger we all have when talking about him. But he does it time and time again. He walks the walk as the old phrase goes. He's remarkable.''