Tim Tebow isn't the only one in town in need of a police escort these days.
For the first time in a long time, the Heisman Trophy winner was forced to share the spotlight.
When ESPN rolled into town last Thursday to film the Gainesville portion of the SportsCenter series "TitleTown USA," they brought with them one of UF's most popular alumni.
Sideline reporter Erin Andrews was on hand to host her school's segment of the summer series.
The former Dazzler needed a police escort in order to make her way from her tan Toyota FJ Cruiser to the stage in front of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
Fans made signs, proposed marriage and chanted her name.
For every female student who showed up in the stifling 97-degree heat to catch a glimpse of the ever-elusive Tebow, there was a group of male students who were willing to sacrifice their afternoon for Andrews.
"It's so humbling," Andrews said of the attention from fans. "These guys weren't even here when I went to school. It's just a great feeling. It's kind of surreal."
The former Gator said that she was excited by the larger turnout.
"I was a little worried because Gator fans are sensitive about how they are perceived on SportsCenter," Andrews said. "It was a great turnout, and they showed why they deserved to be named alongside towns like Boston, New York and L.A."
Andrews played to the wound-up crowd. The sideline starlet snuck in a few Gator chomps in between takes and even cracked an off-camera joke about how only 10 people showed up for the Knoxville, Tenn., taping of the show.
Her one-on-one interview with Tebow was the centerpiece of the segment, which aired for the first time Monday night.
When she asked Tebow to make his case for why Gainesville deserves the honor of being named "TitleTown USA," the soft-spoken rising junior neglected to talk up the accolades of the football team or even the equally successful men's basketball program.
Instead, he spoke about the depth of the entire UF athletics program.
"I didn't want to talk about what everybody already knew," Tebow said. "I tried to talk about what they didn't know about, like the volleyball team winning 17-straight SEC titles and the softball team setting an NCAA record by winning 70 games. Those are the kinds of things I wanted to tell them about."
Tebow entertained the fans in between takes by tossing T-shirts into the riled-up crowd.
While hundreds of fans showed up for the event, none stood out more than 23-year-old Tom Schendorf.
The Orlando resident, whose gold body paint began to drip in the hot Florida sun, did all he could to accommodate the attention he received from fans and reporters alike.
Schendorf spent the afternoon as Tebow's Heisman Trophy.
Originally a Halloween costume, Schendorf first donned the outfit publicly for last season's game against Florida State.
"I love the Gators. I had to do what I could to make sure Gainesville is TitleTown," he said. "I grew up this way, and it's just how I am."
Gainesville was chosen as one of 20 finalists for the competition.
Gainesville will be followed in the coming weeks by trips to New York City; Williamsport, Pa.; Ann Arbor, Mich.; and Columbus, Ohio, among others.
The finalists were chosen from a group of fan video and essay submissions, as well as by the anchors of SportsCenter and a collection of national sports columnists.
The winner will be chosen by online fan voting, which begins July 23.
The champion will be announced live during the July 27 edition of SportsCenter.
