Andy Hutchins, a journalism major at the University of Florida, is an aspiring intern. Here, and probably then at a real publication. Today, he takes an in-depth look (it’s serious!) at Tim Tebow’s political future, and yes, the Heisman Trophy QB, who dabbles in surgery - not silicone - on Spring Break, definitely has one. Think Heath Shuler, except with success. Also important: More photos of his arm candy.

So you know Tim Tebow is good at football. And that he’s an Internet legend. And that he’s an amateur doctor. And that he’s a devout Christian, a preacher’s kid who uses his athletic prowess to draw attention to his faith.

But the day Tebow retires from football, he will have a strong political future.

Let’s go back to his April visit to the Florida Legislature, shall we?

In that session, which was front-page news in the Gainesville Sun, Tebow was recognized with a resolution and a “medallion of excellence,” the highest honor for a Florida citizen, for, of course, winning the Heisman Trophy, but also for such demonstrations of character as his missionary work in orphanages in the Phillipines, where those surgeries were conducted.

Even Governor Charlie Crist, a onetime college quarterback at Wake Forest, rising star in the GOP, and potential vice presidential candidate is curious about Tebow’s future:

Crist asked Tebow if he was interested in a political career.

“That might be a possibility,” Tebow said, adding that he is a Republican. But for now, Tebow said he is interested in completing his degree in family, youth and community sciences that will help him develop a career focused on working with nonprofit groups and underprivileged youth in addition to whatever his football future holds.

“That’s good stuff,” Crist told him.

So we know the thought of political service has crossed Tebow’s mind.

It’s honestly neither a far-fetched nor bad idea.

While all he’s done is “good stuff,” obviously, and we’ve glossed over his work in prisons and schools in northern Florida, maybe the best thing Tebow has going for him, from a purely political standpoint, is his party affiliation.

It’s difficult to pinpoint where exactly he’s from, as he’s alternately listed as being from St. Augustine and Jacksonville, but the northeast coast of Florida has been reliably Republican for years now, so Tebow would likely be in friendly territory should he run for state office.

Further, as an evangelical Baptist, Tebow’s creed jibes with a sizable number of Florida’s socially conservative faithful who helped change Florida from a Clinton win in 1996 to a Bush victory in 2000, and his proselytizing, which could rub many the wrong way, is muted by the relationship between sports and religion.

Beyond that, though, Tebow is totally free of any marks on his character, a must for the Florida Republican Party, which has weathered the Mark Foley and Bob Allen scandals in recent years, and his most renowned off-field moment has, if anything, endeared him to many more than it has alienated.

Plus, in a state often ridiculed for a do-nothing Legislature, Tebow has shown he can get things done, albeit on a smaller scale, and Florida has elected rather young politicians before.

This is all speculative, certainly, and Tebow, who is still largely apolitical, is much more likely to transfer to Florida State than he is to renounce the success and fortune that await him as his brilliant football career progresses.

But maybe, someday, all those “Tebow 4 President” signs might mean something.