He may be retired, but Nick Saban still knows college football and overall talent evaluation as well as anybody,
Appearing on ESPN, Saban did not hold back his admiration for Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning who will enter the season as Quinn Ewers backup in Austin.
Saban discussed Texas’ quarterback situation as the team prepares to join the SEC. He focused on Manning, along with Ewers and Cole Lourd, emphasizing the depth at the position.
“Well, I think one of the key things is, what kind of depth do you have on your team? And the one thing Texas has is they actually have three good quarterbacks,” Saban stated.
Saban specifically praised Manning’s standout performance in the spring game, noting his impressive statistics.
“I saw them all operate in their spring game, but, you know, Arch Manning was fantastic in the game. He was like 21 of 26 for 347 yards or something,” he said.
Saban also acknowledged Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian’s role in Manning’s development, crediting Sarkisian for effectively preparing the young quarterback.
“It says a lot about Sark, who needed to get this young guy experience knowing that if and when he does have an issue with an injury, he was gonna gain enough playing time and confidence to be able to go in and play effectively for them,” Saban said.
While Quinn Ewers is expected to start the season for Texas, Sarkisian mentioned that both quarterbacks could see action during the season.
With the pressure of living up to his legendary family name and the endorsement from Saban, Manning faces sky-high expectations – but that of course is nothing new.
What are your thoughts on Saban’s comments?
Whenever he does take the field – whether that’s this season or next – do you think Manning will live up to the massive hype?
Or do you think he will end up being a bust???