Nick Saban and Arch Manning both being lined up by shock NFL team for 2026, insider claims
After selecting Shedeur Sanders with the 144th overall pick in this year's draft, the Browns now have an extremely crowded quarterback room as the newly-arrived rookie battles it out with Dillon Gabriel, Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett for the starting spot.
Deshaun Watson, who still has two years remaining on his fully guaranteed $230million contract, is also still on the roster.
Yet according to Cowherd, the Browns are already keeping tabs on Texas quarterback Manning ahead of next year's draft - and he explained how bringing him to Cleveland could also attract Saban to the head-coaching job.
'This is the worst kept secret in the South,' the FS1 host said on his 'The Herd' show. 'Haslam, Jimmy, owner of the Browns — huge SEC, Tennessee booster - leans heavily on the Manning family. Very close to the Manning family.
'Saban is incredibly close not only to Jimmy Haslam, but also to the Manning family as well. So Saban, if he could land, I'm told, a top quarterback - like [Jim] Harbaugh going to the Chargers for [Justin] Herbert — he would take a phone call from the NFL.
Cowherd also repeatedly stressed: 'This is not a conspiracy theory.'
Saban, 73, brought the curtain down on his legendary college career in January 2024, but rumors swirled earlier last week that he was weighing up a return to the sidelines a couple of years after his final season in Tuscaloosa.
Now the seven-time national champion, who has been working on ESPN's College GameDay since retiring, is being linked with the top job in Cleveland by Cowherd.
Saban does have history with the Browns, too, after serving as their defensive coordinator under Bill Belichick from 1991-94.
The Browns selecting Manning in next year's draft could be a big factor in tempting him out of retirement, though it remains to be seen which number pick they land after the 2025 NFL season.
Heisman Trophy candidate Arch, the oldest son of Cooper Manning, is set to take over as starting quarterback for the Texas Longhorns later this year after predecessor Quinn Ewers declared for this year's NFL Draft.
The 21-year-old earned two starts last season as Texas eventually slumped to defeat against Ohio State in the college football playoff semifinals.
In his pair of starts, Manning completed 61 passes out of 90 while throwing for 939 yards and nine touchdowns.
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