Nick Saban had a very familiar warning for Arch Manning prior to the Texas quarterback’s first full season as a starting quarterback.
ESPN’s “College GameDay” was in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday for the huge Week 1 showdown between No. 1 Texas and No. 3 Ohio State. Saban had a lot of praise for Manning during the show and said he expects the young quarterback to succeed.
Saban also shared the one thing he believes Manning is going to have to overcome — “rat poison.”
“The No. 1 factor here in all these things that we’re talking about is how does Arch handle the rat poison,” Saban said. “I mean, this guy’s on the cover of magazines and he hasn’t played yet. Most players don’t have to deal with that. I think he’ll do well with it.”
Those who followed Saban’s legendary coaching career know that the seven-time national champion spoke often about “rat poison,” which is what he calls positive hype surrounding a team. Saban was always concerned that his players would become complacent if they bought into the media and fans talking about how great they were before they actually accomplished their goals.
There is one particular kind of rat poison that Saban felt was the worst for his teams.
Manning got some playing time last season with Texas and was largely impressive. He threw for 939 yards, 9 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He also rushed for 108 yards and 4 scores.
Though he has limited experience, Manning is the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy this season. Most people also view him as a future No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. He also has the Manning name, which is a lot to live up to.
Manning is going to be fed unprecedented amounts of rat poison this season, and the Longhorns are hoping he can handle it.
