Nick Saban breaks down how Quinn Ewers can adapt to the SEC

At the 2024 SEC Football Media Days, former Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban was front and center for all the action as a member of the ESPN crew. Throughout the day, the legendary head coach provided his perspective on several topics surrounding the conference, including the biggest headline this year: Texas and Oklahoma being official members as of July 1.

Saban is quite fond of the Longhorns and anticipates them adjusting to the rigors of the SEC. One reason is Texas’ star starting quarterback, Quinn Ewers. While taking a deep dive into the Longhorns’ program, Saban explained how Ewers is the key to their success in the conference while simultaneously explaining the things he will have to do to adapt to SEC play.

“I think, first of all, he’s got to focus on what he needs to do and what he’s coached to do in his system because that will work wherever he plays because he plays in a really good system. But secondly, I think there’ll be more diversity in defense, which he mentioned in his interview,” said Saban.

“There’s more difficult places to play in the SEC. There’s a lot of 100,000-seat stadiums, they’ve got a lot of passion, it’s difficult to play on the road, and that’s going to be a little bit different week-in and week-out when you’re playing on the road. But everybody responds differently to a challenge. And so far, Quinn Ewers has responded to every challenge in a positive way. So, his ability to stay healthy, which is a little bit of an issue in the past for him, is going to be a key to Texas’ success as well.”

Texas had one matchup with an SEC opponent last season, which was against none other than Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide. In that matchup, the Longhorns quarterback completed 24 of his 38 pass attempts for 349 yards with three passing touchdowns and 0 interceptions.

If he’s able to channel that level of play from Texas’ Week 2 victory, the Longhorns will likely have the better transition to the SEC in comparison to Oklahoma and find themselves competing for the conference crown along with a spot in this year’s College Football Playoff field.