UPDATED: Tim Tebow made clear in a Facebook post on Thursday night that he won’t be speaking at the Republican National Convention, about 12 hours after Donald Trump’s campaign leaked that he would be a featured speaker in Cleveland. “It’s amazing how fast rumors fly,” he wrote. “And that’s exactly what it is, a rumor.”

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Colorado will be represented by an outsized share of speakers on stage at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland next week, including an evangelical former Denver Bronco, the GOP Senate nominee, an outspoken county commissioner and two Coloradans who were part of the security team during the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi.

Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow, Republican Senate candidate Darryl Glenn, Jefferson County Commissioner Libby Szabo and security specialists Mark “Oz” Geist and John “Tig” Tiegen – their experiences are part of the basis of the book and movie “13 Hours,” about defending against the deadly 2012 attack on the diplomatic outpost – will be in the spotlight as Republicans gather to nominate Donald Trump for president, according to RNC officials and sources with the convention.

The heavy presence of Coloradans on stage could draw attention to the perennial swing state, which was swept by Trump primary rival U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas when Republicans selected delegates to the RNC. One of the speakers – Szabo – is even a Cruz delegate, and Glenn won a five-way Senate primary at the end of June after winning an endorsement from Cruz.

In an attempt to put the divisive presidential primary in the rear-view mirror, the convention schedule includes several of Trump’s former rivals for the nomination, including Cruz, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson and Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. Ohio Gov. John Kasich has said he won’t be attending.

Glenn, who bowled over the crowd at the Colorado state assembly in April with a barnburner of a speech, only learned this week that he would be invited to speak at the RNC.

“During my campaign, I’ve focused on the need for decisive leadership and unifying as a country, and now I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to take my message to Cleveland and address the Republican National Convention,” Glenn said in a statement.

“For the past year, I’ve been traveling the state of Colorado, hearing first-hand from Coloradans about the issues they face,” he added. “These issues – national security, jobs, the economy – will be on the table at the RNC, and I look forward to meeting with other Republican leaders in Cleveland to discuss how Colorado can lead in so many of these critical areas.”

A spokeswoman for the campaign said they were still hammering out details on Thursday morning but promised the national audience would see the same electrifying candidate as state voters. She also suggested that Glenn’s distinctive, sharp shoes might show up on stage in Cleveland.

Szabo, a former House minority leader from Arvada and a delegate to the RNC, said she was stunned when she got the call on Wednesday asking her to speak on Monday night at the convention.

“‘At the real convention, not just at a luncheon or something like that?'” Szabo said she asked the RNC official. “She said, ‘Yeah, on the stage,’ and I said, ‘Well, little Libby’s all grown up,'” Then, after a hearty laugh, Szabo added, “What an opportunity, huh?”

Szabo said she hadn’t decided what she’d talk about – she didn’t have many details, including how long she would speak or where she would appear in the program – but said she might be able to use a line about presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in her speech.

“‘Liar, liar, pantsuit on fire!'” Szabo said with a laugh, adding that she’d used the phrase in a recent fundraising email she’d sent out talking about honesty in government.

She said she wasn’t nervous about speaking before such a large audience, including the millions who could be watching on TV and over the Internet.

“I just tell myself, ‘Don’t pull a Jan Brady,'” Szabo said with another laugh, recalling an episode of the Brady Bunch when the middle daughter froze and went speechless when the red light of a television camera went on. “I feel like this is a great opportunity and am going to give it my best.”

Geist and Tiegen are scheduled to speak on Monday night, when the Trump campaign has said it plans to highlight the attack in Benghazi and draw attention to then-Secretary of State Clinton’s role in the tragedy, which led to the deaths of four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens.

Tebow is on the program for Thursday night, the same night Trump is scheduled to accept the presidential nomination. The Colorado Statesman was unable to reach the free-agent NFL player to find out whether he plans to “Tebow” – drop to one’s knees to pray, a gesture made famous by the quarterback – on stage at the convention.

A high-level Colorado Republican confirmed that Colorado-based consultant Dustin Olson, founder of Olson Strategies, has been in Cleveland this week and has had a hand in planning the RNC program. Olson, whose wife, Carolyn, is a delegate to the RNC, declined to comment.

The Coloradans are among a set of speakers presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump’s campaign has said would break the traditional mold of convention speakers, drawing from the worlds of entertainment, sports and Trump’s immediate family.

Others on the program, which was announced Thursday morning, include four of Trump’s children, casino owner Phil Ruffin, Pay-Pal co-founder Peter Thiel, former underwear model Antonio Sabàto, Jr., religious leader Jerry Falwell, Jr., pro golfer Natalie Gulbis and retired astronaut Eileen Collins.

The two living former Republican presidents, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, and the GOP’s two most recent presidential nominees, U.S. Sen. John McCain and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, plan to skip the event.

Trump told Fox News Channel that he’s pleased with the line-up.

“We are totally over-booked. We have great speakers, we have winners, we have people that aren’t only political people,” he said on Tuesday. “We have a lot of people that are just champions and winners.”

– ernest@coloradostatesman.com