Did Nick Saban make subtle recruiting comment to Arch Manning?

Arch Manning is the top quarterback prospect in the 2023 high school class, and naturally he is drawing interest from all of the nation’s best programs. Nick Saban will eventually have his say, and some people believe the Alabama coach found a subtle way to recruit Manning on Monday night.

Saban was a guest on the “Manningcast” with Eli and Peyton Manning — Arch’s uncles — during “Monday Night Football.” Eli gave Saban a hard time at one point about Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts transferring from Alabama to Oklahoma.

"Great play by the *Oklahoma* quarterback right there in Jalen Hurts."- Eli Manning while Nick Saban is on the broadcast. pic.twitter.com/EKVTkEvyCR

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 28, 2021

Saban then revealed that he actually encouraged Hurts to pick Oklahoma because Hurts felt they had the best players. The seven-time national champion spoke about the importance of a quarterback surrounding himself with the best players and a good system.

"There's not many guys that ever played college football that went 26-2 as a starter and got replaced. … It speaks a lot to him that he stayed here for another year."

Nick Saban with some major praise about Jalen Hurts' character pic.twitter.com/BE0tOhEYeS

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 28, 2021

“He asked me where he should go and I said, ‘Who has the best players?’ He said Oklahoma and I said that’s where he should go. As a quarterback, it’s really important that you have good players around you…”

Alabama, of course, consistently has the best players in the country and a great system. That is one of the reasons Saban has been so successful there. If Arch was watching his uncles’ show, he may have been thinking the same.

Arch recently revealed his fall recruiting visit schedule, and he is supposed to be in Tuscaloosa on Saturday. Saban’s chat with Peyton and Eli could serve as a nice primer to that visit.