Video: Nick Saban Breaks Down Arch Manning's Game Ahead of 1st Texas Start vs. ULM

Ahead of Arch Manning's much-anticipated first start for Texas, Nick Saban offered an assessment of the the highly-touted quarterback's skill set based on what he's seen so far.

On Saturday's episode of College Gameday, Saban assessed three different plays from Manning's appearance against UTSA last week to show where he's already strong and what needs work.

The first two plays—one run, one pass—were very positive for Manning and Texas because they resulted in touchdowns. Saban praised him for going to the over route on the pass play that led to a 19-yard touchdown catch for DeAndre Moore Jr.

The second play is a simple zone-read option in which Manning keeps the ball when the edge defender bit by going at Quintrevion Wisner. The freshman showed off his speed and athleticism on a 67-yard touchdown run.

It was the third play where Saban showed the areas that Manning has to work on. It was a third-down situation when UTSA brought pressure with a blitz, but Manning didn't adjust and was sacked to end the drive.

That final play can be attributed to a simple lack of reps, rather than something to be overly concerned about. Manning only had 11 career pass attempts prior to entering last week's game after Quinn Ewers left in the second quarter with an oblique injury.

Despite the third-down mishap Saban pointed out, Manning's first extended game action was overall very impressive against an opponent at an extreme talent disadvantage. He finished 9-of-12 for 223 yards and four touchdowns through the air and 53 rushing yards with a score on three carries.

Manning, the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, will have a chance to show off what he's learned after getting first-team reps all week when he leads the top-ranked Longhorns against Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday.