Nick Saban calls Quinn Ewers a 'classic NFL quarterback'

Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers is projected to be a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and former Alabama Crimson Tide head coach turned ESPN analyst Nick Saban can see why.

While at the 2024 SEC Football Media Days, the legendary Alabama head coach shared a few thoughts on Ewers’ trajectory, calling him a ‘classic NFL quarterback.’

“He is a classic NFL quarterback, he’s playing in an NFL system, Sark does a great job. He’s gonna read the defense, process the information quickly,” said Saban. “He’s very accurate; he can throw the deep ball, and he can put the ball on guys where they can catch it and run with it because he is accurate. I just think this guy is really, really smart, very intelligent, and always well-prepared with how he’s gonna go execute and beat the defense.”

The 6-foot-2 Texas native who played his high school football at South Lake Carroll has all the tools to be an NFL quarterback. According to most college football experts, Ewers has a strong arm and can make every throw on the field. As Saban pointed out, that is all complemented by his intelligence and ability to process information quickly.

In his two years as the starting quarterback at Texas, the red-shirt junior quarterback has completed 64.3 percent of his passing attempts, jumping from 58.1 to 69.0 from 2022 to 2023. Ewers also has 5,656 career passing yards to his name, along with 37 passing touchdowns and just 12 interceptions.

Saban breaks down how Ewers can adapt to the SEC

Saban also 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.