ESPN has announced they have hired free agent National Football League (NFL) quarterback and former Heisman Award winner Tim Tebow as an analyst for their SEC Network, set to launch in 2014.

Tebow - who won the Heisman trophy in 2007, two SEC football titles (2007 & 2009), and the BCS title (2007 & 2009) as a quarterback for the Florida Gators - will be an analyst for the network's roving college football pregame show SEC Nation (modeled after ESPN's College GameDay), for the SEC network which is set to launch in August 2014, a collaboration between the Southeastern Conference and the Disney-owned sports network.

"Tim is a SEC icon with a national fan base and broad appeal. He will be a significant contributor to the compelling content we will deliver with the SEC Network," said Justin Connolly, ESPN senior vice president, programming, college networks, in a statement. "Tim brings a wealth of knowledge about the game, the conference and the passion among SEC fans."

Tebow will debut on ESPN on Jan. 6, making his first appearance as an analyst during pregame coverage of the 2014 Vizio BCS National Championship title game between the University of Auburn and Florida State University as well as making appearances on the 9 a.m. edition of SportsCenter, the 3 p.m. edition of College Football Live, and the 7 p.m. College GameDay telecast. On top of his SEC Nation duties, Tebow will also be a part of the studio team covering the new College Football Playoff (semifinals and finals) in 2014, as part of his multi-year deal.

Tebow will join host Joe Tessitore and Paul Finebaum as part of the SEC Nation team, with the first show airing August 28 from the University of South Carolina campus, as the Gamecocks host the Texas A&M Aggies before heading to Auburn, AL on August 30 for the Tigers game against the University of Arkansas.

"SEC Nation will be a tent pole program for the network and as a recent SEC star, Tim Tebow was the ideal candidate to deliver first-hand insight into the coaches, players and programs," said Stephanie Druley, vice president production, college networks, in a statement.

Tebow has clearly stated that he will continue to pursue a quarterback job in the NFL despite his new gig with ESPN. Tebow has been a free agent since being released by the New England Patriots at the end of the 2013 preseason. Prior to the tryout with the Patriots, the New York Jets traded for Tebow, sending a seventh round draft pick to the Denver Broncos in exchange for the quarterback, but Tebow ended up sitting on the bench behind incumbent quarterback Mark Sanchez for most of the year. The Denver Broncos traded Tebow prior to the start of the 2012 season after they replaced him with Peyton Manning, despite Tebow having a career year and leading the Broncos into the second round of the 2011 playoffs.

Since being cut by the New England Patriots, Tebow has not receive contract offers from any NFL teams, spurning serious deals with Canadian Football League teams as well as offers such as playing for the expansion arena football team LA KISS (co-owned by KISS band-member Gene Simmons), a short-term $200,000 four-month contract by Milano Seaman of the Italian Federation for American Football, and a $1 million offer from the Russian football team Moscow Patriots, in hopes of getting one last shot in the NFL.

"I am so excited that ESPN has given me this incredible opportunity," said Tebow. "When I was six years old I fell in love with the game of football, and while I continue to pursue my dream of playing quarterback in the NFL, this is an amazing opportunity to be part of the unparalleled passion of college football and the SEC."