ESPN analyst Nick Saban has served as a head coach for nearly three decades in college football. Given his experience, he knows when a quarterback has what it takes to win a national title, and he believes Arch Manning does.

"Now he's becoming a better leader," Saban said on ESPN's Get Up. "I think they have a more mature team. I think they’re going to try to add physicality and be able to run the ball effectively, which they couldn’t do last year."

Saban isn't just talking about arm talent here. He's pointing at Texas' full offensive identity, better leadership from Manning, a more mature roster, and an actual run game to lean on, something the Longhorns struggled with last season.

"All these things will affect him in a positive way in terms of his ability to be more consistent at the quarterback position, because he certainly has the capabilities to lead them to a championship," Saban said on ESPN's Get Up.

That's not just Saban being nice. He watched Manning close out last season with a four-touchdown game against Michigan, and that's exactly the kind of finish he's pointing to.

"Arch is an outstanding quarterback," he said. "Arch has always tried to prove himself before he leads. And I think the way he played down the stretch last year at the end of the season, he proved himself."

The Citrus Bowl served as Manning's statement game. He threw for four touchdowns against Michigan to close out the 2025 season.

Get Up host Mike Greenberg wanted to know more. He asked Saban whether Texas is simply the best team in the country if Manning shows up the way everyone expects him to.

"I think Texas and Georgia, on paper at least right now, but in July nobody really knows what might happen in the season," Saban said on the same appearance.

He brought up his own 2019 Alabama team as a reminder of how fast things can change. That squad was one of the best he ever coached. Then quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's hip injury ended their season and kept them out of the playoff entirely.

Texas enters 2026 with one of the most rebuilt rosters in the country

Arch Manning is not working with the same group around him. Texas lost 40 scholarship players this offseason to the draft, graduation and the portal. Forty-three new faces came in to replace them, including 19 transfers and 24 freshmen, per Roundtable.

That kind of turnover means Manning has less continuity to lean on than a year ago, even with the added talent. Head coach Steve Sarkisian has already said the priority this offseason is building chemistry, not just stacking recruiting rankings.

Manning enters the year with real hardware potential too. He currently holds the second-best Heisman Trophy odds in the country heading into the season.

Do you think Arch Manning and Texas live up to Saban's championship prediction in 2026? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Farheen Fathima

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore