College football analyst Andrew Ivins has questioned whether Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian is the next Nick Saban. While appearing on 247Sports’ National Signing Day event, Ivins outlined how Sarkisian has done well with being competitive each year despite losing numerous players to the NFL Draft, similar to how Saban did as the longtime coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide.
This past year, Sarkisian and the Longhorns qualified for the College Football Playoff as the No. 5 seed in the nation. They defeated the Clemson Tigers and the Arizona State Sun Devils before losing to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the semifinal.
Andrew Ivins’ Steve Sarkisian, Nick Saban Comparison
While discussing the recent CFB National Signing Day, Emily Proud broke the news that the Longhorns were ranked as the No. 1 recruiting class in the country this year.
Due to this, Ivins explained how he saw the comparison between what Saban did during his legendary college football coaching career and what Sarkisian is currently doing with the Longhorns. 247 Sports posted the video on their YouTube channel.
“Is Sark [Sarkisian] the next Nick Saban. At 25-5 over the past two years. You look at year one in the SEC, 7-1 record they make the league championship. What made Nick Saban who Nick Saban was they lost a lot every year to the NFL, but there was never any type of drop-off.
“And when you look at Texas, this is what they’re going to lose: Quinn Ewers, four of the top pass catchers on offense, four starting offensive linemen, six starters on defense from a unit that finished third in scoring defense. I think we all think they’re going to still be in the College Football Playoff conversation, and that is because Steve Sarkisian is recruiting his butt off,” Ivins stated.
Texas Longhorns 2025 Outlook
As alluded to, the Longhorns are expected to lose various key players, including their star quarterback Quinn Ewers. However, the program appears to be set at the QB position with Arch Manning expected to move into the starting role.
Manning is one of the most intriguing prospects in recent memory due to the combination of his elite talents and the family he comes from.
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Arch is the nephew of NFL legends Peyton and Eli Manning, as well as the grandson of former NFL QB Archie Manning. Arch is an extremely accurate quarterback who can throw anywhere and to any depth on the football field.
In limited game time this past year with the Longhorns, he amassed 939 passing yards, 13 total touchdowns, and had only two interceptions. As a result, it appears as though Sarkisian and the Longhorns will have the ability to compete next season despite losing many key players to the NFL this year.
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